Category: Politics

Politics and medical science intersect

Posted on | by Brian Leakey

When politics and medical science intersect, there can be much debate. Sometimes anecdotes or hearsay are misused as evidence to support a particular point. Despite these and other challenges, however, evidence-based approaches are increasingly used to inform health policy decision-making regarding causes of disease, intervention strategies, and issues impacting society. One example is the introduction of childhood vaccinations and the use of evidence-based arguments surrounding their safety.

In this Discussion, you will identify a recently proposed health policy and share your analysis of the evidence in support of this policy.

To Prepare:

Review the Congress website provided in the Resources and identify one recent (within the past 5 years) proposed health policy.
Review the health policy you identified and reflect on the background and development of this health policy.
Post a description of the health policy you selected and a brief background for the problem or issue being addressed. Which social determinant most affects this policy? Explain whether you believe there is an evidence base to support the proposed policy and explain why. Be specific and provide examples.

Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days by either supporting or respectfully challenging their explanation on whether there is an evidence base to support the proposed health policy they described.

Assessing Ronald Reagan

Posted on | by

 

 

Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, has been described as having had a very engaging personality. Even people who disagreed with his policies, found themselves drawn to his attractive and carefully honed public image. Surrounded by tough, energetic administrators who insulated him from many of the pressures of the office, he seemed to offer general guidance but not make specific decisions. His presidency was also mired in a series of scandals, but the most damaging was the Iran-contra scandal. After a series of investigations and congressional hearings, the White House conceded that it had sold weapons to the revolutionary government in Iran, and used some of the money to illegally aid the Contras in Nicaragua. This was in direct violation of the Boland Amendment.

Answer the following question (100-150 words):

Should Reagan (or the policies of any past presidents) be credited with the collapse of world communism, or was the end of the Cold War more a result of internal developments within the Soviet Union and the nations it dominated?

 

 

The Nazi party from a marginal political and ideological force

Posted on | by Brian Leakey

1: How can we explain the transformation of the Nazi party from a marginal
political and ideological force that secured less than 03% of the national vote in
the federal elections in Germany in 1928 BUT by the summer of 1932 was able to
secure 37,4 % of the votes? What political, socio-economic, and ideological
reasons do Donny Gluckstein, Axel Fair-Schulz, and Chris Harman suggest
(explicitly and implicitly)?
2: How does the Nazi regime present itself in the propaganda film Triumph
of the Will? How are the themes of War and Peace, the Memory of WWI, Racism,
Anti-Semitism, Anti-Leftism, Capitalism & the Great Depression, the “People’s
Community” or Volksgemeinschaft, as well as issues of Class and Gender
navigated and presented in this film?

Decade of great political and social tumult.

Posted on | by Brian Leakey

The 1960s was a decade of great political and social tumult. The period is marked by the emergence of a number of historically significant protest movements. The Civil Rights Movement, the Free Speech Movement, the Women’s Rights Movement, and the protests against American participation in the Vietnam War captured the essence of an American society on the edge of transformative social and political reform.

This essays requires students to answer two separate but related questions.

First, which of the social protests organizations/movements would you have supported?
Be specific in your selection of organizations/movements. For instance, if you wish to discuss the Civil Rights Movement, then identify a specific organization (ex: NAACP, CORE, SCLC, SNCC, BPP, NOI). If you wish to discuss the women’s rights movement, then identify a specific organization (ex: NOW). You can do the same with the anti-Vietnam War protests organizations, or those associated with the various student movements on college campuses (SDS, etc.).

Explain why these movements needed your support. But avoid making your response about you. Rely on historical information.
Explain why you think their cause was most necessary in the proper historical historical context. Discuss the historical context when answering the first part of the assignment.

This part of the essay should be no more than one page.

Second, which of the social protest movements do you think was most effective at advancing change? This part of the essay is more argumentative, so you must incorporate historical evidence to prove your point.

Decade of great political and social tumult.

Posted on | by Brian Leakey

The 1960s was a decade of great political and social tumult. The period is marked by the emergence of a number of historically significant protest movements. The Civil Rights Movement, the Free Speech Movement, the Women’s Rights Movement, and the protests against American participation in the Vietnam War captured the essence of an American society on the edge of transformative social and political reform.

This essays requires students to answer two separate but related questions.

First, which of the social protests organizations/movements would you have supported?
Be specific in your selection of organizations/movements. For instance, if you wish to discuss the Civil Rights Movement, then identify a specific organization (ex: NAACP, CORE, SCLC, SNCC, BPP, NOI). If you wish to discuss the women’s rights movement, then identify a specific organization (ex: NOW). You can do the same with the anti-Vietnam War protests organizations, or those associated with the various student movements on college campuses (SDS, etc.).

Explain why these movements needed your support. But avoid making your response about you. Rely on historical information.
Explain why you think their cause was most necessary in the proper historical historical context. Discuss the historical context when answering the first part of the assignment.

This part of the essay should be no more than one page.

Second, which of the social protest movements do you think was most effective at advancing change? This part of the essay is more argumentative, so you must incorporate historical evidence to prove your point.

The Electoral College Argument, Politics and Social Media

Posted on | by Brian Leakey

• Lesson: Read this Week’s Lesson which is located in the Modules tab
• Initial Post: minimum of 2 scholarly sources (must include your textbook for one of the sources). Follow-Up Post: minimum of 1 scholarly source for your Follow-Up Post.
• Your Initial Post and your Follow-Up Post must be based on the same Option that you chose in order to receive credit for both posts.
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, respond to one of the following options, and label the beginning of your post indicating either Option 1 or Option 2:
• Option 1: List the ways in which contemporary presidential campaigns have used social media as a campaign tool. Do you consider social media as a successful tool? Explain your answer. Do you see social media as an unsuccessful tool? Explain your answer and provide examples.
• Option 2: There are numerous discussions involving the Electoral College. There are some people that want to abolish the electoral college while others want to keep it. What do you think? Keep the electoral college or abolish it? Explain the reasons for your choice.