The Iranian Revolution

Ms. Tabry

Global History IV

s_tabry@hotmail.com

Introduction:

You have just helped the Islamic revolutionaries overthrow the Shah of Iran. Ayatollah Khomeini has become the most important political and religious figure, who is trying to bring order to Iran. Under Khomeini, Iran has become an Islamic Republic, a religiously ruled state (theocracy).

This same month brings anger at the United States, which continues to support the Shah and is blamed for encouraging counter-revolutionary activity. That feeling peaks as youthful supporters of Khomeini take a number of hostages at the American embassy in what became known as the Iran hostage crisis. The students responsible would blame it on the United States for accepting the Shah in to the country for cancer treatments, but the message was clear; they could defy the U.S.

You are an American politician during the Iran hostage crisis. You are under intense pressure to figure out a proper response and plan of action to end this difficult situation, and it is your responsibility to bring the hostages home safely.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, spiritual leader of Iran

Task:

Your job is to create a proposal to the American government, specifically President Jimmy Carter, for how to deal with the hostage crisis. You will need to formulate a strategic plan of action and clearly lay out your suggestions for how to end the conflict safely and effectively.

Your proposal will be in the format of an essay. You must include an introduction, body, and conclusion. You will need to include the following information:

*Background of the Iranian Revolution and the hostage crisis

*Description of the demands of the Iranian hostage-holders and
analysis of their reasons for the hostage situation

*A solution to the problem through an American, political perspective (conclusion)

You will be graded on content, analysis, descriptiveness, organization, and punctuality.

Procedure:

You will use a variety of resources to gather your information. You will use the worksheets described in the Public Policy Analyst worksheets to record your research. These worksheets can be found using the links below and are to be used to complete your project.

Use the following guidelines to prepare your essay/proposal.

· Research the websites

· Gather your information from the websites, your textbook, class notes, and handouts given to you in class

· Use the 5-step public policy approach

1. Identify the problem.

2. Gather your evidence for the problem.

3. Determine the cause for the problem.

4. Evaluate the policy.

5. Do a comparative analysis.

These five worksheets will be an organizational tool in producing your final product, the essay/proposal. Complete these worksheets before beginning work on your essay/proposal. You must turn in these worksheets along with your essay/proposal as part of your total grade.

Resources:

You may use a number of resources not limited to those listed below. Please confer with me before selecting a choice other than one listed here. Some common search engines are:

www.google.com

www.yahoo.com

Other resources on the Iran hostage crisis:

Jimmy Carter's Library of Information

Infoplease with links

CBS News with Media coverage

BBC News interview with hostage mastermind

Government resources of Crisis

Rubric:

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Mechanics& Organization	Student’s essay shows little to no organizing structure. There are many grammatical and spelling errors.	Student’s essay demonstrates an attempt to organize information. The writing has some grammatical and spelling errors.	Student’s essay has an organizational structure. The writing contains few grammatical and spelling errors.	Student’s essay has a clear, well defined organizational structure. The writing is free from grammatical and spelling errors.
Research & content	Student’s research is very limited in scope and not from quality sources. Research is too broad or misplaced. No reference to PPA	Student’s research is limited in scope. Only some of the sources show quality. Resources are matched to topic. Some steps of PPA have been addressed.	Student’s research is inclusive. All or almost all sources are quality. All sites are topic appropriate. Most steps of PPA have been addressed.	Student’s research is exhaustive and extensive. All sources are quality and matched to topic. All steps of PPA have been addressed.
Analysis & descriptiveness	Student’s writing fails to analyze the main issues or describe the background of the hostage crisis.	Student’s writing makes an effort to describe the situation clearly and analyze the possible solution.	Student’s writing clearly describes the hostage situation and makes a good effort to analyze the crisis to find a solution.	Student’s writing clearly shows an understanding of the situation and analytically presents a well-thought out proposal for a viable solution.

Grading policy:

The score is given on a scale of 0-12.

0: No essay was turned in.

1-6: Poor or incomplete work (55)

7-8: Fair to average writing (65/70)

9-10: Overall good effort, but needs improvement (75/80)

11: Very good work/strong writing and analysis (90)

12: Outstanding/shows clear analysis & solution (95-100)

Curriculum Standards:

SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS:

2: World History
5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS:

1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

3: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.

Conclusion:

After examining the resources and writing the essay, you should be able to:

1. Give a description of the Iranian Revolution and the Iran hostage crisis.

2. Describe the reasons of the Iran hostage crisis.

3. Explain the possible solution to the Iran hostage crisis that will end the problem.

4. Use the internet resources to evaluate the research and find possible solutions to the problem.

5. Write a coherent essay following the task and procedure.
6. Complete the PPA worksheets and hand them in with the essay/proposal.