Conflicts on the frontiers between communist and capitalist countries, including the Korean War and the Vietnam War, marked much of the second half of the 20 th century. Students are not limited to geographical frontiers. The realm of human ideas and achievements abounds with potential topics. One area which will surely draw interest is scientific and technological frontiers. The transformation of industry wrought by Henry Ford s assembly line could be the subject of a documentary, while a performance could look at the life and work of Albert Einstein, whose pioneering work proved so crucial in the 20 th century.
Space is considered to be the final frontier.
Students might produce a documentary that examines the race to explore this frontier and its impact on the Cold War. While some of humanity s greatest minds have devoted themselves to technological and scientific experimentation, others have devised ways to improve business or even national economies. European merchants created banks as a way to make trading easier, while early stock exchanges represented a frontier in capitalism. An exhibit could examine the zaibatsu, the huge inter-related corporations which began to dominate Japan s economy in the late 1800s. Politics has also drawn its share of people who were willing to imagine new ways of doing things.