Name: ______Group: ______

Power Project: World War II

Evaluation:30% of Term 2Due Date: ______

Do not wait until the last weekend to do this project. Use the class time I give you WISELY

Make sure to let me know if you encounter any problems.

**Every DAY the project is late will be -10%. After 3 days you will receive a ZERO.**

Being absent on the due date is NOT a valid excuse. E-mail me the project

For this assignment you can either do a Research Paper or Propaganda Pare and Presentation

OPTION 1:A research essay on one of three possible topics.

-Word limit: 750 ±10%

-For whatever topic you choose make sure to follow the outlined format below.

-You must use MLA style referencing (footnotesbibliography). I will be going over this in class.

Topic A – Profile of a Totalitarian Regime (Imperialist Japan, Stalinist Russia, Mussolini’s Italy, or Nazi Germany)

A) Introduction: (~75 words)

  • An intro to the topic of the essay and the regime you are profiling.
  • A definition of totalitarianism should be included.

DO NOT WRITE “Webster’s dictionary defines totalitarianism as…”

B) Body Paragraphs:Each of these paragraphs should be ~100 words.

  • A description of the leader including, a short biography of their life.
  • Description of this Regime’s rise to power.
  • Governmental/PoliticalStructure (how they operated, who was in charge, etc.)
  • Description of some policies which were implemented (focus more on economic and socio-cultural areas ex: arts, media, businesses, racial laws, etc.)
  • Downfall of the Regime (how long did it last, why did it eventually collapse, who replaced them, was it any different, etc.)

C) Conclusion:(~75 – 100 words)

  • A brief summary of the totalitarian nature of the regime profiled (2-3 sentences).
  • What are some of the lessons we should take from this regime and period of history?

In total, this essay should have no less than 7 paragraphs.

Topic B – The Holocaust

A) Introduction: (~75 – 100 words)

  • What was the holocaust?When did it occur?
  • You should have the word genocide in there with a definition.

DO NOT WRITE “Dictionary.com defines the holocaust/genocide as…”

B) Body Paragraphs:Each of these paragraphs should be ~100 words.

  • Which groups were persecuted against and why they were selected?
  • What steps led to the Holocaust. (before the first mass killings took place how were the targeted groups persecuted through laws, intimidation, etc.)
  • Description of the different TYPES of camps. (extermination/concentration/labour camps)
  • An example of opposition or rebellion against the Holocaust or the policies implemented.
  • What were the results of the Holocaust? (numbers of deaths, prisoners, war trials, etc.)

C) Conclusion: (~75 words)

  • Briefly discuss why it is important to remember the Holocaust and lessons futuregenerations can take from this tragic event.

In total, this essay should have no less than 7 paragraphs.

Topic C – WartimeTechnology

Profile THREE of the technologies mentioned below. YOU MAY NOT USE THE ATOMIC BOMB!

-Chemical weapons-Amphibious landing vehicles-Rockets

-Tanks-Submarines-Fire bombing

-Radar/Sonar-Espionnage (focus on tech.used)-Medical technologies

-Airplanes-Code breakers-Others? Clear with me first!

A) Introduction: (~75 words)

  • Include a brief introduction to the topic of wartime technology and state which 3 technologies you have chosen.

B) Paragraphs: Each technology should have ~200 words written about it. You may spread this
over 1-2 paragraphs as needed.

For each technology profiled answer most (if not all) ofthe following questions:

  • Provide a description of the technology.
  • When was the technology “created”? Is it an old/new technology? Which country(ies) came up with the technology?
  • Which country(ies) used this technology? Where and when were they used during WW2?
  • Was the technology successful during the war? How so?
  • What impact did the use of this technology have the war?
  • Is this technology still used in war today or has it evolved?
  • Any other interesting facts about the technology are welcome.

C) Conclusion:(~100 words)

  • Which of the technologies do you think had the greatest impact on the war? Why?
  • Also include a summative thought on the role of technology in war.

Option #2: Propaganda Paper and Presentation

"Every day we are bombarded with one persuasive communication after another. These appeals persuade not through the give-and-take of argument and debate, but through the manipulation of symbols and of our most basic human emotions. For better or worse, ours is an age of propaganda."

(Pratkanis and Aronson, 1991)

Simply put, propaganda is a tool by which an individual, company, or government seeks to influence an audience. An interesting period of study is the propaganda produced during periods of war and conflict. In this assignment, you and a partner will create your own counter propaganda to a piece of historical propaganda, and justify the imagery you chose in a paper and PowerPoint presentation.

1)Choose a particular conflict that interests you (ex: WWI, WW2, Cold War). There is no shortage of material on any of these conflicts. If a more current conflict interests you, see me.

2)Find a piece of propaganda produced by oneside in the conflict you have selected. Posters are the best and most easily accessible form, but other forms are also a possibility.

3)Write a brief history of the conflict (which countries are involved, why they are fighting, years of conflict, outcome of conflict). (1 paragraph) ~75 words

4)Give the historical context of your chosen piece of propaganda, why the imagery was so important for that year in the war. What was going on at the time? (1 paragraph) ~75 words

5)Design your own piece of counter propaganda, remember to choose images, colours and themes that express your point clearly to the viewer

6)Write about the effectiveness of the propaganda you CHOSE, (what techniques did they employ, who did they target, was it effective, what was the message). (2 paragraphs) ~200 words

7)Write about your own CREATED piece of propaganda, how will it be effective, what techniques did you employ, what was your message, who are you targeting, why did you choose that imagery? (2 paragraphs)~200 words

8)The whole paper should be 550 words (+/- 10%

9)Make a PowerPoint, Your slides should proceed as follows:

Slide 1: Title Slide (group members and the conflict you have selected)

Slide 2: A brief history of the conflict (which countries are involved, why they are fighting, years of conflict, outcome of conflict).

Slide 3 & 4: Propaganda Item #1 (this is the one you do not create). From which country is this item produced, in what year, what is going on in the image, why did they choose the images they did, how is it supposed to make us feel, is it effective at conveying its message. Include the propaganda image on these slides.

Slides 5 & 6: Propaganda Item #2 (the one you create) this will be your presentation of your piece of counter propaganda. Be sure to justify the imagery you have chosen, the words you have picked, the colours, characters etc. Be creative make a powerful image to convey your message.Include your created propaganda image on these slides.

The above is a breakdown of the order in which the information should be presented, but you can have more than 6 slides. If you have too much information for a particular slide, it would be better to break it up into two slides so that the text on a single slide is not cluttered.

Things to look for:

When analyzing the items you select, pay attention to:

  1. words:powerful words like: Freedom, Liberty, control, obedience) or dehumanizing words, like calling people rats or cockroaches.
  2. images: what images do you see, is it on a bomb?, is it of happy people?, is it of monsters? what do these images mean?
  3. colours: What colours are used, did they use powerful colours like red to stir emotion?, Did they use blue to make something seem lonely?, Is there only one part of the picture that is coloured, is one part coloured more brightly than another?, why?
  4. symbols: What symbols are present, did they use the cross to rally Christians?, Did they use an eagle to symbolize freedom? Did they use a symbol like the swastika and change it for their own purposes like Hitler did?

Below is a list of some common techniques used in war propaganda. For a more comprehensive list, look at the Wikipedia page on “propaganda techniques”. An individual poster can include multiple techniques, be sure to mention all the techniques you observe in your analysis:

  • Appeal to Fear: to scare the target audience into accepting the desired message.
  • Black-and-White Fallacy: presenting only two choices: good or bad/ with us or against us.
  • Demonizing the Enemy/Name Calling: incite fears promote prejudices towards the enemy.
  • Nationalism: appealing to the love on ones country.
  • Sentimental Appeal: using terms or images to target emotions of caring, love, family, etc.

Rubric

0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Historical Context of the Conflict / No historical context is given / The context of the historical conflict is poorly done and missing many aspects to fully describe it / The context of the historical conflict is missing some basic information and lacks certain elements / The context of the historical conflict is very detailed all information is accurate, thoughtful and thorough
Chosen piece of propaganda description and analysis / There is no description and analysis for the chosen piece of propaganda / The description and analysis of the chosen piece of propaganda is poorly done and missing many aspects to fully describe it / The description and analysis of the chosen piece of propaganda is missing some basic information and lacks certain elements / The description and analysis of the chosen piece of propaganda is basic touching upon only the most simple description / The description and analysis of the chosen piece of propaganda is detailed but certain elements could be fleshed out more. / The description and analysis of the chosen piece of propaganda is very detailed all information is accurate, thoughtful and thorough
Created piece of propaganda / The created piece of propaganda is not done or no effort is shown / The created piece of propaganda shows some thoughtful insight to how propaganda is made / The created piece of propaganda correctly displays a few (1 or two) techniques of propaganda / The created piece of propaganda had clearly been thought through and presents many techniques of propaganda / The created piece of propaganda had clearly been thought through and presents many techniques of propaganda. The presented piece is clean and the message is clearly presented. / The created piece of propaganda is exceptionally crafted. The finished product is clean and professional. The message is not only clear but powerful.
Created piece of propaganda description and analysis / There is no analysis and description for the created piece of propaganda / The description and analysis of the created piece of propaganda is poorly done and missing many aspects to fully describe it / description and analysis of the created piece of propaganda is missing some basic information and lacks certain elements / description and analysis of the created piece of propaganda is basic touching upon only the most simple description / Description and analysis of the created piece of propaganda is detailed but certain elements could be fleshed out more. / Description and analysis of the created piece of propaganda is very detailed all information is accurate, thoughtful and thorough
Oral Presentation / The oral presentation needed to be stopped or was not done. / The oral presentation is not fluent, and there are many pauses. The presentation might last the full 5 minutes but the student does not make adequate use of the time. / The oral presentation is fluent with only a few pauses. The presentation lasts the full 4 minutes and the student made adequate use of the time given. / The oral presentation is fully fluent with little to no pausing. The presentation lasts the full 4 minutes or more and the student made excellent use of the time by filling it with interesting and insightful information. / The oral presentation is creative and animated, the imformation is presented in an engaging manner holding the audiences attention.
PowerPoint presentation / The PowerPoint is cluttered and filled with text, or the PowerPoint does not contain any images and/or missing many elements. / The PowerPoint is cluttered but contains useful information and images, the text is unclear and there are elements missing / The PowerPoint is presented in a clear manner, information is carefully placed on each slide however some slide contain errors. / The PowerPoint is presented clearly and contains all the right elements of a good PowerPoint presentation. The slides are not cluttered, relevant pictures and information. / The powerPoint presentation contains not only all the right elements but includes outside elements to help bring context to the propaganda. Information is clear, concise and the sildes are free of clutter.
Bibliography / There is no bibliography / The bibliography is not formatted in a known writing style. For example only urls are given / The bibliography is formatted in a known writing style (Chicago, MLA, APA) however there are many errors in the formatting. / The bibliography is formatted in a known writing style (Chicago, MLA, APA). However, there are some errors in the formatting. / The bibliography is formatted in a known writing style (Chicago, MLA, APA) There are no errors in formatting.