International Trade Project

Overview: Students will research a country’s international trade, exchange rates, balance of trade, and trade restrictions.

Students will be given a continent: North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Students will pick a country within that continent to research. North Americans should choose a country other than the United States. Mr. Kogan will assign whether that country is going to be a developed, developing or poor underdeveloped country, but you will choose the country.

Part 1 - Current Event

1.  Find a current event about your country and the economy.

2.  Introduce the country in relation to what is happening to the country currently in the news.

3.  This is your opening paragraph and introduction slide.

4.  Follow the format of the current events we do in class.

Part 2 - Analyzing World Trade

https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/usa/

1.  What are the major imports/exports?

2.  What is the trade balance?

3.  Which countries does it mostly trade with?

4.  Why is trade important to that nation? (NAFTA – Free trade beween US and Canada and Mexico -Pro- Mexico get sjob factories/ and US gets cheap products. CONS: no manufacturing in the US)

5.  What is the countries perspective on free trade?

6.  Include images, graphs and texts in your research.

Part 3 - Studying Exchange Rates and Balance of Trade

  1. Go to Numbeo.com
  2. Change the currency to USD
  3. What is the cost of living compared to the United States (look at the top of Numbeo site)
  4. Find 5 products compare the prices in one country compared to another.
  5. Using real exchange rates, calculate how much it would cost in your respective country denominations.
  6. How has trade and specialization promoted economic growth in the nations on the continent assigned.

Commodities / Price in France (EURO) / Price in France (USD) / Price in US (USD)
Eggs / 2.65 Euros / $2.89 / $3.09

Part 4 - Measuring National Income -

1.  What is the country’s GDP? Where does it rank in world standings?

2.  How should the country address its issues with poverty? (Look at the causes of poverty and the programs available to alleviate it.

3.  What is the unemployment rate? Crime?

.

Part 5 - Economic SWOT Analysis

1.  Strengths

2.  Weaknesses

3.  Opportunities

4.  Threatsj

Part 6 - Interesting Facts/Ideas/Events -About the Country

  1. For example, Brazil is hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics
  2. 3 Cool Facts about the Country!

Research Overview

Research Paper – 2 Page Paper (Not including Sources Page)

·  Research Paper should provide an overview of the country's economy. Answering the questions above in paragraph form.

·  Include the current event analysis - Written in paragraph form as your introductory paragraph.

·  End the research paper with your assessment on the future of the country's economy.

Paragraph 1 - Introduction

·  Current Event

·  Introduce basic information about the country

Paragraph 2-5 - Analysis

·  Explain in paragraph form Sections 2-5

Paragraph 6 - Conclusion

·  What is your assessment on the country's economic future?

Presentation Format

Presentations must follow Presentation Zen format. (1 idea, 1 slide, no more than 10 words per slide, contrasting colors, etc.)

1.  Mexico – Sandy, Brenda, Carolina

2.  Armenia – Chris, Peter, George

3.  Japan – Ashely, Reyna

4.  England – Lacie, Bea

5.  El Salvador – Josue, Oscar, Ruben,

6.  North Korea - Harel

7.  China – Emmanuel,