The skills you have been practicing throughout the course will be assessed in this paper and conclude with you constructing your own argument on a position. Your argument can be a contradiction, a support, or an alteration of the argument you’ve research. Whichever you choose should be sufficiently supported with materials covered throughout the course and your own outside research.

This assignment should continue with the social issue research conducted in Topic 2

In 1,000-1,500 words

1. Summarize the position/argument researched and assess it for validity. This positions/argument should be presented in a clear logical form. This includes translating their rhetoric into: premises and a conclusion, identifying the category of propositions, and the quality and the quantity of the parts.
2. Identify the assumptions of the position by drawing inferences from its communicated proposition to its position regarding human dignity.
3. Construct a valid and sound argument that contradicts, challenges, or improves the position of the organization.

At least three academic peer-reviewed sources are required for this paper.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance. 

All B.A. in Communication majors should save the final version of this assignment with edits that incorporate faculty feedback after grading. Students should also save the assignment directions. COM-490: Communication Capstone will require students to prepare a portfolio that showcases their work in the program. Please save this assignment in multiple locations. See the “Communication Professional Portfolio Guide” under course materials for further instructions.

The Final is composed of Two Essay Questions.  Each one counts for 50 points, bring the Combined Total for Both Questions to 100 points.  You must answer both essay questions with a 3-4 page essay, double-spaced, font-size 12, Times New Roman font. 

Question 1

Clara Zetkin, famous Feminist Marxist, developed one of the earliest and most insightful analyses of Fascism in her Fighting Fascism: How to Struggle and How to Win. How does she define Fascism?  What is its Social Basis – i.e. what social classes and groups are especially drawn to and seduced by it?  Why?

Related to this: Fascism, including its German variant “Nazism” is a far right-wing movement.  What does it have in common with other and more traditional right-wing and conservative movements?  In addition, what are the “new” and uniquely “Fascist” features of Fascism?

Question 2 

How is capitalism connected to the dispossession of the peasantry from their land and livelihood in Europe and elsewhere? How does capitalism relate to the dispossession, enslavement, ethnic cleansing, and genocide of indigenous peoples in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world? How and why did the creation and maintenance of capitalism as a mode of production and accumulation require such immense brutality, displacement, and mass murder?  How are these developments connected with settler state colonialism, the forging of the ideology of “White Supremacy” (often under the euphemism of “The Civilizing Mission,” “The White Man’s Burden,” and “Manifest Destiny”) and claims of Western and US “exceptionalism”?

Use the following case scenarios to inform the assignment.

Case Study 1: Sophie

Age: 5        Grade: Kindergarten

Sophie is a kindergartner in Mrs. Fields’ class, Sophie is new to the structured school environment; she never attended day care or preschool. She struggles to engage with her peers and is often seen sitting alone. Sophie specifically struggles to initiate conversation with others and she has not learned how to share with others. She is meeting academic grade level expectations for her age and grade. However, Mrs. Fields is concerned about her limited social skills and interactions with peers. Sophie appears to be interested in playing with the other children, but does not initiate interaction and throws tantrums when she does play and has to share or take turns. These behaviors result in other students becoming frustrated and refusing to engage or play with Sophie.

Mrs. Fields believes Sophie would benefit from the following goals to improve her social skills:

• Initiate conversation with peers
• Take turns talking and using toys and class materials

Case Study 2: Ari

Age: 9 Grade: 4rd grade, Spring semester

Ari is a fourth grader in Mr. Jackson’s class. Ari enjoys and excels in math and science. During language arts centers, he enjoys the activities that are more hands-on. He is interested in space and trains. Last semester he created a model of outer space and has a big train collection. Ari, struggles with written assignments. Mr. Jackson and Ari’s parents are worried about his recent school performance. According to recent school data, Ari is falling far below the expectations in reading and writing. Ari has recently been determined eligible for special education in the areas of reading fluency and written expression.

In the general education classroom, Ari gets easily distracted and frustrated during the 90-minute language arts block. Mr. Jackson has noted that Ari avoids any written assignments and requires prompting to get started immediately. This often results in assignments not being completed or handed in on time. A personal computer is available for Ari in the general education classroom as needed.

Mr. Jackson has selected two goals for Ari to achieve within the next three months:

• Begin independent work assignments promptly
• Increase the number of completed assignments

Part 1

For both student scenarios, in 250-500 words each, identify and analyze one evidence-based encouragement strategy that would be most effective in reaching the stated goals.

Encouragement strategies to consider include :

• Specific praise
• Criterion specific rewards
• Choice-making
• Effective rules and clear, realistic expectations

Within your responses, be sure to rationalize your choices and discuss implementation of the selected strategies, ensuring a safe, culturally responsive learning environment .

Part 2

In your future professional practice, describe, in 250-500 words, how you will use evidence-based encouragement strategies to best communicate with your students with disabilities how to adapt to different environments. 

Support each scenario response with 1-2 scholarly resources specific to current engagement theories and strategies.

 

Identifying Microaggressions in Your Local Area

A member of the racial, ethnic, or cultural population group you selected in Unit 4 discussion is relocating to your local community. Consider the experiences of your selected racial, ethnic, or cultural identity population with living in your community:

• Explore the community and find all of the everyday resources needed for this racial, ethnic, or cultural population group to make a life in your community. (For example, grocery store, doctor, place of worship, gym, library, barber, hair stylist, shopping mall, school, social club, and a newspaper that reflects the racial, ethnic, or cultural group’s point of view and interests.)
• Describe the demographics of your community. Include information on the selected racial, ethnic, or cultural group’s percentage within the community.
• Visit your local grocery store, pharmacy, and shopping mall. Are there products, goods, and services that readily address your racial, ethnic, or cultural group’s sensibilities?
• Is this racial, ethnic, or cultural group represented in the pictorial images found in stores, billboards, and local publications? If so, do the images represent intragroup diversity (age, gender, socioeconomic status, et cetera)?
• Is this racial, ethnic, or cultural group represented in the local professional community (doctor, dentist, lawyer, judge, accountant, teacher, et cetera)?
• Is this racial, ethnic, or cultural group represented in the local business community as business owners?
• Is this racial, ethnic, or cultural group represented in the local government (city council, mayor, et cetera)? If so, does the percentage of government representation match the percentage of the population?
• If your racial, ethnic, or cultural group visited the public library, would they find a robust collection of titles dedicated to the interests of the racial, ethnic, or cultural group or written by members of this racial, ethnic, or cultural group?

Discuss your findings for your community observation. Compare and contrast your findings for your community observation with the discussions in the Sue text (2010), Chapters 7, 8, and 9.

Discussion Post directions, candidates’ response posts to their classmates should include (a) their reactions to classmates’ postings, (b) how/why their actions would be similar or different, and (c) additional case law and statutes that could have been included, and (d) at least two questions that are thought provoking and probing. Discussion responses should be between 2-4 paragraphs in length (i.e., 75-100 words) and should contain grammatically correct sentences that have been thought out and encourage further discussion.

This scenario is complicated in that the non-profit organizations are allowed to hand out flyers and display materials during lunch and the Gideons want students to be allowed to have access to Bibles during that same time which happens to be a non-instructional time. I understand why the Gideons would make this request, but because this is an elementary school, the Equal Access Act does not apply to this particular scenario. This law applies only to public secondary schools which allows for student-lead noncurricular groups (Stader, 2013). With that being said, it is important for the principal to take the most appropriate steps in handling this situation.

I believe, based off of my readings and research, that the principal should not allow the Gideons to make Bibles available to students or allow non-profit organizations to hand out flyers and other materials during the school day. This decision would eliminate any possible discrimination issues between the two groups. I believe that if the principal were not to allow the Gideons the opportunity to make Bibles available, it would be considered discriminatory because other outside organizations were allowed to hand out materials. Stader (2013) stated, “School officials may impose reasonable rules and regulations to maintain order, but may not discriminate against religiously based activities.”

According to Stader (2013), “Students may read a Bible or other religious material, or engage other consenting students in religious discussion during noninstructional time such as lunch, recess, or passing time between classes.” Although students may read the Bible during noninstructional time, the law prohibits the distribution of Bibles in public schools. The Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) stated, “It is unconstitutional for public school districts to allow these groups to distribute bibles in classrooms during the school day.” They go on to state, “This means that Gideons cannot be present inside your child’s classroom or on public school grounds to distribute bibles.” Students may bring their own personal Bibles, but students, especially elementary aged students, may not be coerced into reading a Bible or receiving a Bible by any persons inside a public school. FFRF stated:

Courts have determined that allowing bible distribution at public schools—especially to elementary students who cannot make the distinction between private religious speech and state-sponsored speech—is unconstitutional not only because it appears to be government endorsement of Christianity, but also because of the social pressures student feel to accept the bibles.

I think that it is important for the principal to communicate to all outside organizations the reasons for his/her actions and decisions. Most people/organizations are unaware of the laws and ethics that public schools must abide by. The use of discourse ethics can be used to properly address this issue in order to maintain positive relationships with organizations within the community.