Modern World History

Semester 2 2010/11, Current Events

From a foreign newspaper (see websites below), you will need to find a current event that is about our country in some significant way, i.e. the British take on troop increases in Afghanistan (sports scores don’t count). You will then need to find a story in a US newspaper about the same thing. You will then need to prepare a short news report on that item that tells us: 1) What the issue/event is, 2) how the foreign account/interpretation differs from the one found in the US paper; 3) why it is important. You will present the “report” to the class as a reporter from the country that you got the event from. You will need to hand in a typed or word processed copy of your news report, or prepare a PowerPoint presentation, and submit the article.

Note on foreign press websites: Some of the websites will ask you to sign up for a free subscription. Others will ask you to pay for a subscription. For the free sites, it is your choice. Do NOT spend any money for this assignment. There are enough free options that you DO NOT HAVE to spend anything. Articles from the hardcopy version of The Economist will also work for this – it is a British newsmagazine published in both London and New York.

Grading: Standard speech attributes will also be graded, in addition to the articles that you have been doing. These include: volume, diction (word choices), tone, eye contact, and the speed at which you speak.

Selected Websites:

British Broadcasting Corporation, (Britain) www.bbc.co.uk

The Jerusalem Times, Weekly Palestinian paper: http://www.jerusalem‑times.net

Pravda, Russian Communist Daily: http://english.pravda.ru

Japan Times (Japan): http://www.japantimes.co.jp

Le Monde Diplomatique (France - in English): http://mondediplo.com

South China Morning Post (Hong Kong): http://www.scmp.com

Herald Sun (Australia): http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au

The Athens News (Greece): http://www.athensnews.gr

The Middle East Times (Egypt): http://metimes.com

Saudi Gazette (Saudi Arabia): http://www.okaz.com.sa

Hindustan Times (India): http://www.hindustantimes.com

The Globe and Mail (Canada): http://www.globeandmail.ca/

Der Spiegel (The Mirror - Germany): http://www.spiegel.de (Click on the “English Site” on the left sidebar.)