Q U.S. Labor and Working Class History University of Massachusetts Boston Winter 2022 Current Events Assignment Due January 21 Papers should be about 1250 words, and should be typed and double-spaced. The paper should include your name, the title of the course, and the date in the upper left corner of the first page. The paper should have a descriptive title at the top of the first page. There is no need for a separate title page. The file name for your document should take the form: [YOUR LAST NAME], [YOUR FIRST INITIAL]— Critical Analysis Assignment. If a student named Jane Doe were submitting the paper, for example, the file name would be “Doe, J.—Current Events Assignment.” Papers can be submitted as either Word or PDF files. Please do not submit them in any other file format. All assignments should be submitted through Blackboard. The conditions under which we live today are a product of historical events—of actions people took in the past and the social structures they left behind. We can only understand the problems of today if we understand the past events that have shaped our present. In addition, we can only understand how to shape the future if we draw lessons from past experience. If we want to produce a particular outcome, the only way to know what kind of action we should take is to observe what kinds of actions have produced similar outcomes in the past. This assignment focuses on how we can use history and apply its lessons in our times. First, choose a current labor issue, in the United States or elsewhere in the world, that you find interesting. Do some background research on that event (reporting and analysis from sources such as those listed below). This is not a long research paper, so you do not have to do extensive research. Second, think about how the issue you are studying relates to the history we have studied. In what way is this issue a product of events or social structures that we have studied? Are there any lessons about how people might shape the future, in regard to this issue, based on past efforts we have studied? You can use material from the course as well as use outside material. You will need to use required and recommended material from the course in order to put the contemporary issue you are studying into context of the historical events and themes we have studied this semester. You can choose to present your work as a short paper (about 1250 words) or in some other form, such as a slide presentation (PowerPoint) with narration, a short video (such as iMovie) of your own creation, etc. If you have another idea about how you would like to present your ideas, feel free to propose that. (I want to support your creativity, and so am open to your ideas, but it is best to check beforehand.)