Global Issues
Some online resources which might be useful for Global Issues:
- The Ined pyramid of ages simulator (click on "Play Movie" to start the simulation)
- United Nations sites: [UN home page], [UN system - index of all their sites], [FAO - Food and Agricultural Organization], [Databases], [Population trends], [UNESCO], [Population Information], [Unicef (children)], [World Health Organization (WHO) or l'OMS in French], [UN Development Program], [UN Population Fund], [UN Conference on Trade and Development]
- More statistics: [Asian studies library], [International Monetary Fund], [Liens Utiles vers les statistiques du monde], [World Trade Organisation], [Statistiques Officielles mondiales disponibles sur Internet], [World Bank], [Group for Research and Information on Peace and Security]
To Do for Wednesday 25 November
- Email your completed Power Point presentation to me
at
- in the subject please put "3e Global Issues"
- in the email message, be sure to include your name and your partner's name
- We forgot to ask in class, but if there are groups of students who prefer to go first and be finished with it, please let me know by email.
- Remember what we will be looking for in your
presentation:
- clear, well-presented slides starting with a title page with your names on it
- a brief introduction saying what you will be presenting
- effective use of the pyramids, photos, maps, flags, etc. including clear explanations of bulges and gaps in the pyramids - why they have the shape they have
- good color contrast and size of text so that it is easy to read - not too much text (we don't want full sentences)
- a comparison of the population pyramids of the two countries you chose so that we can see the similarities and differences
- a conclusion demonstrating what was learned from the research
- we expect students to present their slideshow without reading word-for-word from notes and without reading what is written on the slides
- you will also be assessed on the quality of your bibliography and the use of proper citation techniques (Citation Machine)
- Be ready to present starting on the 27th. Be aware that while other students are presenting, you cannot work on the computers - you will be listening to what they have to say about their countries.
To Do from Week 4 to Week 6 - September 25th to October 9th
- Do not forget to bring a USB thumb drive to class every week and if you have not put your name on the outside of it yet, do it!
- Continue your research, build up your bibliography. The correct way to cite a source is not simply by putting the URL (the web site address). You need a full bibliographical entry - use Citation Machine.
- For the moment, you should be working in Word. Do not start your Power Point presentation yet.
To Do Starting Week 3 - September 18th, 2009
- Do not forget to bring a USB thumb drive to class every week and if you have not put your name on the outside of it yet, do it!
- If you have not done so, create a folder called "Global Issues" on your USB key. Then create another folder in that called "Research". In that, put a Word document called "Research by ____ and ____.doc" filling in the blanks with the first names of the two students in your group.
- In that document, you should paste the age pyramids for each country you have chosen.
- Continue your research. Remember you will be graded on the quality of your findings. You are looking for reasons why the age pyramids have the shapes they do.
- Note: at this stage, it is OK to copy / paste. However, you must be sure to properly cite each source you find. For that, use the web site Citation Machine.
To Do Week 2 - September 11th, 2009
- Each student should bring a USB thumb drive to class every week
- Research needs to be started today about the
countries you choose:
- one country should be in the industrialized world
- the other country should be an emerging nation in the developing world
- it would be good if one of the countries could be your home country, but this is not 100% necessary. In effect, we don't want groups choosing the same nations
- Find the age pyramids for each country by visiting the following web site: http://www.ined.fr/en/everything_about_population/play_population/population_simulator/
- To save copies of the pyramids, do the following:
- First make sure the window you want to take a screenshot of is on top of any other windows on the screen. (It must be the active one.)
- Second, find the "Alt Gr" key on the bottom left of the keyboard. Hold it down.
- Next, find the "print screen" button on the top right of the keyboard (on French keyboards it usually says "Impr écran") and push it while you are still holding the "Alt Gr" key down.
- Although it seems like nothing happens, you have just asked the computer to take a picture of the screen.
- Now open a Word document and select Paste from the Edit menu. The screen should appear.
- Save what you have collected onto your USB key. It is recommended that you have a folder called Global Issues and another one inside called Research where you can put everything you find.
- Start to analyse the age pyramids:
- what does the shape tell you about how many people are young people (0 to 20), how many are adults (21 to 65) and how many are elderly (65+).
- Have there been any sudden increases in population? When? Why?
- Have there been any sudden drops in population? When? Why?
- What are the natality rates and the life expectancy statistics for each country? How do they compare to each other? What do they tell you about each country's culture, religion, economy, political status, etc.?
- During your research, copy and paste any interesting text you find into a Word document on your USB key. After each text you copy, be sure to include a bibliographical entry so that you can cite your source. Use Citation Machine.
- Although most of your work and research will be in class, students are encouraged to ask their parents at home or find information from other sources outside of school.
