What is an essential question and why are we using one in this course?

Essential questions (EQ) help students connect new knowledge with prior knowledge. This courses uses an EQ to help you make patterns and deeper connections to what you are learning AND puts you in charge of your learning! We want you to develop the thinking tools to question your surrounding and drive learning over the long term.

Our EQ is "What is the role of the US in the world?"

Over the course of this semester, we will use our essential question (EQ), What is the role of the US in the world? to help us build upon our existing knowledge and create new ideas. Certain assignments focus on our new knowledge as it connects to our EQ. You will notice that each time you revisit our EQ your response will change and that is what we want to happen!

Here are the module assignments that bring us back to think about the EQ.

Module 1: Discussion on our EQ: What is the role of the US in the world?
Module 2: Discussion on Neutrality
Module 3: Discussion on Manifest Destiny
Module 5: Assignment on Policy Comparison and the Role of the US in the World
Module 6: Assignment on the Policies of Presidents: Latin America and Asia
Module 7: Discussion on Wilson's War Message to Congress
Module 8: Documentary Assignment
Module 9: Reflective Essay

If this sounds complicated right now, don’t worry. Throughout the course you will be receiving instructions on how to approach your assignments; you also will be expected to draw upon your new knowledge and make connections to our EQ.