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LDT300x: Signature Assignment

The Cold War in Global Perspective: Resources for College-level World History Courses​

A project by Victoria Blacik as part of the requirements for LDT 300x: Instructional Design: Digital Media, New Tools and Technology, an EdX/University of Maryland course.

Instructional Need: Common knowledge about the Cold War and coverage of the Cold in U.S. History courses often focus primarily on events in the United States and the Soviet Union. As a result, many college students have minimal knowledge of the global impact of the Cold War. The goal of this set of resources and the proposed instructional unit is for students in a college-level World History class to develop a global perspective on the Cold War. The unit covers foreign interventions in Korea, Vietnam, and Latin America, and also provides a discussion of Third World efforts to navigate the polarized world of the Cold War.

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Student learning outcomes: By the end of the unit, students should be able to explain several ways in which countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America were impacted by the Cold War. Students will also gain practice in key skills related to the historical discipline: document analysis, critical thinking, global mindedness, and the development of empathy.

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The resources developed for the assignment are designed to fit within a week-long unit of a semester-length online World History or World Civilizations course.

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Outline of proposed instructional unit (with assignment components in italics):

  1. Introductory video presentation that incorporates the Global Cold War Map.

  2. Outbreak of the Korean War video.

  3. Document analysis activity based on the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Activity.

  4. Wrap-up reading and review quiz on the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

  5. U.S. Interventions in Latin America during the Cold War infographic (incorporates Map of Cold War Interventions in Latin America).

  6. Discussion forum activity where students share research on their choice of events described in the infographic. Students will select topics from a provided list.

  7. Video: Pattern of U.S Cold War Interventions with short written response on the video.

  8. In Search of a Third Way: African and Asian Responses to the Cold War.

  9. Final summary and reflection activity.

Assignment Components

U.S. Interventions in Latin America during the Cold War

Digital document (infographic)

This infographic describes several instances of American intervention in Latin America during the Cold War. The infographic encourages a comparative perspective on these different interventions.

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Created using Canva. Licensed under Creative Commons-Attribution-ShareAlike (CC-BY-SA 4.0)

The Outbreak of the Korean War

Original digital video

This 5-minute video presents the outbreak of the Korean War as an example of a global component of the Cold War. After watching the video, students should be able to identify three main factors in the outbreak of the Korean War.

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Video created with Windows Movie Maker. Licensed under Creative Commons-Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 (CC-BY-NC 4.0)

Global Cold War Map

Enhanced Digital Image

This world map was edited in order to highlight Cold War points of conflict outside of NATO and Warsaw Pact countries. Colors were changed and stars were added to indicate these points of conflict and provide a visual indication that the impact of the Cold War was truly global.

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Licensed under Creative Commons-Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 (CC BY-NC 4.0)

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Adapted from a Map by Semhur.

Map of Cold War Interventions in Latin America

Enhanced Digital Image

This map was edited in order to highlight a number of Latin American countries that were subject to foreign interventions during the Cold War. Colors were changed and the size and shape of the image was modified. The image was used as a background for the infographic available above. 

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Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0)

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Adapted from a Map by Kerres.

In Search of a Third Way: African and Asian Responses to the Cold War

Interactive module

This interactive module supports the overall learning objective of students being able to discuss the Cold War as a global phenomenon by describing efforts by Third World leaders to develop alternative ideologies and alliances. The module supports a world historical perspective by depicting Third World leaders as agents capable of shaping their own destinies. As such, it serves as an important counterbalance to discussions of interventions by Cold War powers. The module promotes the skill of document analysis by including two document excerpts accompanied by comprehension quizzes.

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Created using H5P.org. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Video: Pattern of U.S. Cold War Interventions

OER Resource

This 9-minute video from Khan Academy that compares the history of U.S. Cold War interventions in Korea, Cuba, and Vietnam. This video would help bring together separate discussions of Cold War interventions in Asia and Latin America and encourage students to think analytically and comparatively about the contexts and motives behind Cold War interventions.

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The video is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Activity

OER Resource

This activity by the Stanford History Education Group provides documents and related information about the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, an important precursor for U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The resources provided could be adapted for use in an activity in which students analyze the documents in order to determine U.S. motivations for intervention in Vietnam.

Digital Media Checklist and Assessments

Digital Media Checklist

Checklist for Assessing OER Materials for College Classes

This checklist is designed to assess whether selected Open Educational Resources are appropriate for use in a college-level courses. Issues covered include subject alignment, reliability, source quality, and accessibility.

Digital Media Assessment Overview

Application of the Checklist to Assignment Materials

This document is a summary of my findings from applying my digital media checklist to each of the materials selected for inclusion in the assignment.

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