Topic 1: The Fall of American Education
Within the past decade, American students have remained stagnant or regressed in grades and skills. In the name of equity, the American school system has made mediocrity its mission, thus giving rise to anti-intellectualism in the United States.
Article: “40 years ago ‘A Nation at Risk’ warned of a ‘rising tide of mediocrity’ in US schools – has anything changed?”
A Nation At Risk was a book from 1983 that gave a bleak look at the future of American education. It lamented that the educational foundations of society would be eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity. This article is about if the book’s prediction truly came to fruition.
Juicy Quote: “The inability of policymakers at higher levels – such as states or the federal government – to meaningfully change school practice partially explains why other major reforms have failed to achieve real results”
Topic 2: Neo-colonialism in Africa(and Jamaica)
Through investment, loans, political influence, and migration, China is utilizing an inventive form of neocolonialism on African nations that continues the cycle of underdevelopment, rendering the citizens of these nations mere pawns for China’s gain.
Article: China in Africa: Soft Power and the Development of Neocolonial States
https://journals.library.cornell.edu/index.php/CURJ/article/view/716/673
China’s colonialism does not mirror the tactics and strategies of the Europeans before, but instead creates the façade of partnership and trust. Instead of China forcefully taking over, the population is giving up their own autonomy.
Quote: “China sees Africa as a method of shifting the structure of its economy. It moves away from labor-intensive and pollutant industries, as labor costs continue to increase domestically, and relocates those industries to Africa (Hanauer & Morris, 2014).”
Topic 3: American Individualism
We live in an era where the phrase “I don’t owe anybody anything” seems to be life’s new motto. However, this mindset seems, not only counterintuitive but destructive to the mission of empathy and community everyone seems to have. While it might have been helpful in the forming of this nation, modern-day American individualism is preventing true unity in this country.
Article: We Have Put Individualism Ahead of the Common Good for Too Long
https://time.com/6269091/individualism-ahead-of-the-common-good-for-too-long