During the 1800s, great empires sprang up as various powerful nations

During the 1800s, great empires sprang up as various powerful nations sought to expand and gain control of strategic locations and valuable natural resources. What ideologies drove this age of imperialism? How did powerful nations justify the plunder and exploitation that accompanied the creation of their empires? And how can we grapple with the difficult questions that arise from this time in world history?

In this milestone, you will prepare to participate in a debate on imperialism. To clarify, there will be no actual debate, however, you will need to prepare an opening remark. Follow the instructions below to complete this activity. Submit your materials to the Milestone 3 Assignment.

1. After reviewing this week’s materials, take a position on imperialism. For the purposes of this assignment, you will need to be either pro-imperialism or anti-imperialism.
2. To prepare for a debate, you’ll need to be knowledgeable about both sides of the issue. Download and fill out the Debate Prep Table attached to this assignment. This document will help you to consider both sides of the debate.
3. Lastly, record an opening remark for your debate. Your opening remark should be between five and eight minutes and should include the following:
   1. Introduction – Introduce yourself, capture your audience’s attention, state the issue(s) and provide context or definitions.
   2. Body – Present your position and main argument(s) for or against imperialism. Consider at least one counterargument your opponent may introduce and attempt to reduce its impact by preemptively addressing it in order to lessen its impact.
   3. Conclusion – Summarize and reiterate your arguments, then ask the viewer to take your position on imperialism.
4. Submit both your Debate Prep table and a link to your recording to this Assignment. We suggest hosting your video file on Panopto as you might've done in previous assignments.