Unit 8 The World Today: Connections and Interactions (1980-the present)
Section 1 Economic Trends
The Big Idea: in the final decades of the 1900s, global economic trends included the following
· The world became divided economically between the relatively prosperous North and the developing South
· Developing Countries struggled to overcome problems such as poor geographical conditions, economic dependence, failed economic policies and political unrest.
· Economic interdependence linked national economies around the world.
Key Themes and Concepts
· Place and Regions: What global economic divisions still exist today?
· Economic Systems: Why have some developing nations failed to achieve their goals?
· Interdependence: How has economic interdependence affected the world?
Describe the difference between Global North and Global South
Describe the following factors that hinder development in the Global South
· Geography
· Population Growth
· Past Economic Policies
· Economic Dependence, Trade Deficits, and Debt
· Political Instability
How does each of the following case studies demonstrate how obstacles to development have hindered the following countries
· The Congo
· Tanzania
· Brazil
Economic Interdependence
Define Economic Interdependence
Global Trade: How do each of the following demonstrate Economic Interdependence?
· Dependence on Oil
· Global Banking and Financial Markets
· Multinational Corporations
· Regional Cooperation
· International Drug Trade
How has economic decision making become more global as national economies around the world become increasingly interdependent?
Describe three policies that could help developing countries achieve greater economic prosperity
Section 2 Conflicts and Peace Efforts
The Big Idea: As conflicts continue in various parts of the world, so do efforts to resore and maintain peace.
· Terrorism is a threat to global peace
· Religious and ethnic conflicts continue to cause unrest
· Conflicts have occurred in a number of post-Cold War hot spots
· The United Nations attempts to maintain peace and promote social and economic well-being
Key Themes and Concepts
· Power: For what purposes have various groups used terrorist tactics
· Belief Systems: How have religious and ethnic differences contributed to instability and conflict?
· Interdependence: How does global interdependence cause local conflicts to have potentially global consequences?
· Conflict: How has the United Nations tried to promote world peace and security?
The Threat of Terrorism
Define Terrorism:
List three reasons why groups use terrorist tactics
·
·
·
How does the world attempt to combat terrorism?
Ethnic and Religious tensions
How has ethnic and religious tension led to conflict in the following areas?
· Northern Ireland
· The Balkans and Ukraine
· South Asia and Southeast Asia
International Hot Spots: Summarize the conflicts in each of the following areas
The Iraq War
· Cause
· Outcome
The Kurds:
North Korea
China
India and Pakistan
Afghanistan
The United Nations
Year established
Goal
Describe the function of each of the 5 main bodies of the United Nations
What are the three different types of activities carried out by the United Nations?
· 1
· 2
· 3
Where has the UN been active in peacekeeping?
Identify two Causes of conflict in the world today
Section 3 Social Patterns and Change
The Big Idea: In developing nations today, there are pressures for change
· Strains between modernization and tradition have emerged
· Overpopulation continues to be a difficult problem to solve
· Urban areas have grown rapidly and produced social problems
· People have migrated for better economic opportunities or more favorable political conditions
Key Themes and Conflicts
· Change: What are the results of tension between tradition and modernization in societies today?
· Culture: What are the causes of overpopulation?
· Urbanization: What changes have resulted from the rapid urbanization that occurred in the late twentieth century?
· Movement of People and Goods: What patterns of migration have emerged in recent years?
Define Westerniztion:
For each country below, describe how conservative traditional people have responded to modernization
· Japan
· Saudi Arabia
· Egypt
· Afghanistan
· Algeria
What are the causes of Overpopulation?
How have governments attempted to control population growth
Why is it difficult to control population growth?
What are the causes of Urbanization?
List and describe two problems resulting from overpopulation
How are developing nations attempting to overcome the negative aspects of overpopulation and urbanization?
In general, how has the status of Women changed in the 1900s? What rights have women gained?
Patterns of Global Migration: What are its causes?
· Give examples of to show how ethnic tensions can lead to migration
· Gove examples to show how migration can lead to ethnic tension
Section 4: Science and Technology
The Big Idea: Science and Technology have brought great change as
· New agricultural methods increase the food supply
· People are able to obtain, process, and transmit information more quickly than ever before
· Nations are exploring space
· Medical breakthroughs are improving the quality of life
Key Themes and Concepts
Science and Technology: How did Science and technology change life in the last half of the twentieth century?
Change: What social and economic changes are being produced by the Computer Revolution?
Interdependence: In what way is the world more interdependent than ever before?
What is the Green Revolution ?
How has the Green Revolution benefitted the world?
How has the Internet increased Global Interdependence?
Why is education so important to progress in today’s society?
List some of the advances of medical technology
What challenges are ahead for medicine?
Section 5 The Environment
Describe each of the following threats to the environment and discuss specific ecamples, possible causes and the impact of each
Pollution
Deforestation
Endangered species
Desertification
Nuclear Proliferation