Lesson 1: Foundations of US Foreign Policy & Global Media Framing
Duration of Days: 5
Lesson Objective
Students will differentiate between the primary tools of foreign policy and evaluate how international media frames American motives.
What should the role of the United States be in international conflicts? How do foreign nations portray American interventions?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.6; MBL Standard 3B.
Day 36: Isolationism vs. Interventionism over time.
Day 37: Tools of Foreign Policy (Diplomacy, Sanctions, Military, Aid).
Day 38: How domestic political polarization impacts international relations.
Day 39: Comparing US news networks with foreign state media networks.
Day 40: Debating the appropriate scope of American global influence.
Students read coverage of a US trade policy decision from an American financial paper and a European or Asian news outlet, evaluating word choices that display divergent national points of view.
Purpose & DOK Level: Cross-cultural media analysis; DOK Level 3.
Dual-language news articles if available; structured bias-hunting worksheets.
Paragraph-length media critique analyzing national points of view.