1. Culture Clash: Tradition and Modernity

Read the case studies "The Democratization of Italy", "Kashmir", and "South Africa" in Chapter 2 of Cross-Cultural Perspectives and then appraise the impact of modernity on both the developed and developing worlds with respect to tradition, economic development, and politics. In your opinion, has modernity led to more difficulties in the developed or developing world? Justify your answer with examples from the text and information from at least one of the following countries, which can be found at the CIA World Factbook

(https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html):

Afghanistan
Brazil
Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
China
Egypt
Germany
Greece
Mexico
Saudi Arabia
Vietnam

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates' posts by Day 7.

2. Legacy of Slavery and Imperialism in Africa

Read Historical Legacies: A Model Linking Africa's Past to its Current Underdevelopment. Between 1400 and 1900, the African continent experienced four simultaneous slave trades.

The trans-Saharan slave trade: slaves were taken from south of the Saharan desert and shipped to Northern Africa.

The Red Sea slave trade: slaves were taken from inland of the Red Sea and shipped to the Middle East and India.

Indian Ocean slave trade: slaves were taken from inland of the Red Sea and shipped to the Middle East and India.

The trans-Atlantic slave trade: slaves were shipped from West Africa to the Caribbean and the Americas.

The trans-Saharan, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean slave trades dated from the late Medieval period and acted as the basis for the more well known trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Assess how the legacy of the slave trade, and intervening imperialist ventures by European nations, has led to the relative underdevelopment of Africa today. How did these twin legacies affect African society, culture, and politics?

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references.