Please download the complete lesson plan for the worksheets, resources and rubrics. Below is an overview of the lesson plan.

**Please note that detailed descriptions of the Twelve (12) Activities for this lesson unit are in the complete lesson plan that is available for download.

Overall Unit Description – Lesson Objective

For most secondary students the term geopolitics will likely bring more questions than answers. Geopolitics can best be defined as “a method of political analysis … that emphasizes the role played by geography in international relations.” Geopolitical issues are complex and require a substantial understanding of both international politics and economics. A political geographer will focus their analysis of an issue on the influence that geography has on political decisions and the impact political decisions can have on human and natural environments. Regardless of the definition, the study of geopolitics is vitally important if students are going to understand the complex web of factors that affect them both directly and indirectly. The issues selected for study in this unit represent only a few of the situations that the nations of East Africa are facing at the present time.

Activity 4.1: Defining Geopolitics

Lesson Objective
Students will:

Demonstrate their understanding of the two terms (geography and politics) by applying the definition to two situations in Canada. (noted below)

“The interplay of geography and politics, on either a national or international level, is known as geopolitics.” (Clark and Wallace. Global Connections. 339)

Instructional Plan
Lesson Time: 1 hr

Instructor will use an analogy to assist students in understanding the term geopolitics.
Instructor will present a geopolitical situation relevant to Canadians and explain why it is a geopolitical issue.

For example:

US and Canadian Softwood Lumber Markets
Canadian Cattle Industry and Mad Cow Disease
Fishing Rights Off the Grand Banks

Students will go online and select and respond to a current geopolitical event in Canada and East Africa.

**Website Resources for this Activity are found in the Online Resources section**

Activity 4.2: Colonization

Lesson Objective
Students will:

Research the history of colonization on the African continent.
Answer questions pertaining to the reasons for colonization, the affect on the host population, the role of colonialism in the partitioning of Africa and the effects of decolonization.
Further their research by seeking out evidence of modern day economic colonialism and the impact of debt on the development of former east African colonies.

Instructional Plan
Lesson Time: 1 hr

Due to the complexity of this topic the instructor should begin with a brief history lesson focusing on:

The New Imperialism of the 19th Century
Reasons for Colonial Occupation
The Impact of Capitalism on the African Continent
Countries Occupied by Britain, Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Germany, Belgium
The Impact of Decolonization
Debt and Development

Maps, readings, and films should be used to enhance this presentation. Students need to be well informed regarding the rush to colonize Africa, in order to fully comprehend the problems that the nations of Africa face today.

Students will conduct research to answer five questions pertaining to colonialism:
What was the purpose of possessing colonies in the 19th and 20th century?
Describe the relationship between the mother country and the colony?
Were there benefits in belonging to a colonial empire?
Why was the continent of Africa targeted for colonization?
What are the problems associated with decolonization?
Students will complete this activity by identifying the reasons for debt and the impact debt has had on the development of east African countries. Students will collect statistics pertaining to debt load for each of the countries in the African Expedition Study. Students will visit the UNDP Statistics website and determine the impact debt servicing has on development. Students will present their findings in a one-page report complete with title, explanation of how debt was acquired and the impact of servicing large debt on development.

Enrichment Opportunity

Students will develop three arguments to support the following thesis:

“The debt incurred during the years of decolonization continues to stifle development and the desire to be independent.”

**Website Resources for this Activity are found in the Online Resources section**

Activity 4.3: Demographic Transition

Lesson Objective
Students will:

Use Arc View to create a formula that will place each country of the world into one of four phases of development.
Describe the spatial distribution of the phases and identify the characteristics a country possesses depending upon which of the four phases it is in. The pattern will be compared with African colonization.
Complete the activity by evaluating the role of colonization in the development of the African continent.

Instructional Plan
Lesson Time: 1 hr

The instructor will present students with the Demographic Transition Model and identify the characteristics of each of the four phases.
Students will identify indicators of development that would reveal the position of Canada and the seven African countries to be studied and attempt to place Canada in the correct phase.
Students will discuss, with the instructor’s guidance, the ramifications for a country where the birth rate far exceeds the death rate and a country where the death rate exceeds the birth rate.
Students should attempt to identify social and economic indicators that are indicative of the first scenario - a country where the birth rate far exceeds the death rate.
Students will: (See Unit 4 - Appendix 1 – Demographic Transition)
use ArcView 3.2 to determine the demographic transition phase for each country of the world and display the results on a map;
use the GeoProcessing Wizard (Merging Tables) to create an inventory of characteristics common to each phase of the model;
describe the distribution, note anomalies, and suggest reasons for the global pattern;
isolate countries in Phase 2 and suggest ways to expedite the process into Phase 4;
examine the countries in Phase 5 and project the ramifications for Canadians as the birth rate and death rate in Canada come closer together.

When the lab is completed students will answer the following questions:

Analyze the table and write a brief summary of the characteristics of each phase.
Identify the three indicators that you believe best distinguish one phase from another.
Develop and describe a process you would use to determine if a country was on the verge of moving from one phase to another. How would you expedite the process?
Differentiate between quantitative and qualitative data. In what ways does this analysis fall short of adequately describing the quality of life in an East African country?

Enrichment Opportunity
Students respond to the following question:
The characteristics of those countries whose birth rates have fallen short of their death rates are generally less favourable than those countries that remain in Phase 4.

What does the future hold for Canada if the birth rate continues to fall?
Is there evidence that the Canadian government is already preparing for an increasing dependency load and a decreasing birth rate?

**Website Resources for this Activity are found in the Online Resources section**

Activity 4.4: Egypt – Controlling the Nile

Lesson Objective
Students will:

Assess the historical and present day importance of the Nile River to the countries through which it flows.
Evaluate the 1929 agreement that gave control of the Nile River Basin to Egypt and the present day conflict over the inequities of the agreement.

Instructional Plan
Lesson Time: 1 hr

Instructor will begin lesson with an analysis of the classes’ daily consumption of fresh water. Each student will identify times during a twenty-four hour period where they made use of fresh water. (drinking, cooking, cleaning, washing, toilets, showers etc.)
With the Instructor’s assistance, students will attempt to calculate the number of liters that they consume each day. Students can then multiply the figure by 365 to acquire a yearly total. Total the consumption of the entire class and then equate the number of liters to the number of liters in a pool, pitcher or some other recognizable container for water.
Students will assess the historical and present day importance of the Nile River to the countries through which it flows.
They will evaluate the 1929 agreement that gave control of the Nile River Basin to Egypt and the present day conflict over the inequities of the agreement. They will submit a one-page summary and solution to the survival of this most precious resource

Enrichment Opportunity

How precious is water?

-Students will use Arc View 3.2a to:

produce two graduated colour maps to compare the per-capita water availability in 1995 and the projected availability in 2025;
identify countries that are water-stressed today and identify those countries showing water deficiency trends in the future;
describe the pattern of availability in spatial terms (hemisphere, continent, region);
consider whether those countries in need of water could afford to purchase it if countries with adequate supplies agreed to sell their excess water resources.

**Website Resources for this Activity are found in the Online Resources section**

Activity 4.5: Sudan – The Darfur Crisis

Lesson Objective

Students will:

Conduct an inquiry into the region of Darfur and answer questions related to the causes of the civil war and the response from the international community.

Instructional Plan

Lesson Time: 1.5 hrs

Students will engage in an inquiry into a region of Sudan that some world leaders are describing as genocide. The people of Sudan have suffered from internal instability for several years while much of the developed world has done little to intervene. International assistance has reached the people in a variety of forms but much of that has come too late for the estimated one half million people that have perished. The instructor should begin this acivity with a slide presentation or film that introduces students to the issues facing the people of the Sudan and particularly the region of Darfur.
Students will use the internet to answer the following questions:
How did the conflict in Darfur begin?
Who are Sudan's Darfur rebels?
How do the agendas of the Justice for Equality Movement (Jem) and the larger Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) differ?
How has the international community responded to the conflict?
What does the future hold for the displaced people of Darfur?
Do you believe that international intervention is warranted or should this issue be settled domestically?
Why could this issue be considered geopolitical?

**Website Resources for this Activity are found in the Online Resources section**

Activity 4.6: Ethiopia – Coffee and Famine

Lesson Objective
Students will:

Learn about Ethiopia’s coffee industry by looking at its history. They will examine how the West’s insatiable appetite for the beverage.
Examine the global prices for the coffee beans and how they fluctuate and with competition from South America, producers of the prized commodity are at times paid very little.
Answer the following question:

Should the government concentrate on growing products to be consumed by the domestic population or service a global appetite for a luxury commodity?

Instructional Plan
Lesson Time: 1 hr

The instructor will survey the class to determine how much coffee students and their families consume each day. Students will compare the dependency on this beverage with others consumed and the price at which it can be obtained.
The instructor will present to students a brief slide show focusing on the growing, processing, packaging and shipping of the coffee bean to international markets. The instructor will use statistics to determine Ethiopia’s dependency on the international market.
Instructor will also present to students the unfortunate statistics dealing with starvation in the country and the reasons for the situation.
Students will develop an inquiry around the following statement:

Should the Ethiopian government concentrate on growing products to be consumed by the domestic population or service a global appetite for luxury commodities?

Students will:

Prepare a report worthy of publication on the Expedition Africa website that presents arguments that both support and refute the use of arable land for the production of export commodities instead of food to be consumed domestically.
Include the problems associated with fluctuating world coffee markets and how this contributes to famine in the country
Identify other coffee producers in the world and examine the impact they will have on the price of Ethiopian coffee in the future.

Enrichment Opportunity

Students will create a case study identifying the causes events and results of the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea. They will map the region, analyze the international response and suggest solutions to this
Geopolitical situation.
Assess the impact that the Live Aid concerts have had on the persistent famines experienced by the people of Ethiopia

**Website Resources for this Activity are found in the Online Resources section**

Activity 4.7: Kenya – Wildlife Restoration

Lesson Objective
Students will:

Analyze the Sera Wildlife Conservancy Trust initiatives that focus on wildlife restoration and the impact these initiatives have on human survival.
Prepare a slide presentation outlining the success and shortcomings of the relocation project and compare this initiative with others such as the Ngwesi Community Conservation Area and the Namunyak Wildlife Conservation Trust.

Instructional Plan
Lesson Time: 1 hr

With the use of film or slides, the instructor will introduce the students to the Samburu people and the pastoralist society in which they live.
Students will visit websites to gather information that will allow them to outline the Sera Wildlife Conservancy Trust objectives. Students will differentiate between wildlife protection and wildlife restoration. They will assess the impact on both the human and natural environment and compare this project with two other similar projects that exist in Kenya.
Students will present their findings in a slide presentation organized around the following focus questions:
What is the Sera Wildlife Conservancy Trust?
What are the objectives of the Trust?
What is the difference between wildlife protection and wildlife restoration?
How has the project affected both natural and human environments?

**Website Resources for this Activity are found in the Online Resources section**

Activity 4.8: Tanzania – A Quest for Self-Reliance

Lesson Objective
Students will:

Analyze recent government actions in Tanzania to determine how one of the poorest countries in Africa has managed to entice investment from outsiders and develop local resources.
Identify and assess three means by which the government hopes to achieve self-reliance and the impact these decisions have on natural and human environments.
Conclude the assessment of this geopolitical situation by weighing the pros and cons of cooperative village farms, nationalization of factories, creation of agricultural plantations, development of national banks and the role private companies play in their development.

Instructional Plan
Lesson Time: 2 hrs

Instructor introduces Tanzania with a slide show. The presentation should include:

Mount Kilimanjaro
Serengeti
Ngorongoro Crater
Lake Manyara
Tarangire
Zanzibar

The instructor will complete the presentation by reviewing the history of Tanzania and their quest for independence and more recently self-reliance. Students will also become aware of the unfortunate state of the economy and the efforts of past and present governments to attract investment, develop resources, attract tourists and improve the quality of life of the citizens.
Students will collect online evidence of plans to improve conditions in Tanzania.
Students will produce a report card which will assess three initiatives in Tanzania that they believe are important indicators of sustainable independent development.

**Website Resources for this Activity are found in the Online Resources section**

Activity 4.9: Zambia – The Debate Over Genetically Modified Seed

Lesson Objective
Students will:

Read an article produced in 2002 by the Food First: Institute for Food and Development Policy entitled, “The Profits of Famine: Southern Africa's Long Decade of Hunger.”
Assess the NGO interpretation of the Zambian situation and write a 500-word essay.

Instructional Plan
Lesson Time: 2 hrs

The instructor will begin by grouping students and asking them to collectively create a definition for famine. Students will share their work with the class and the instructor will take key words to create a collective definition.
Instructor will show film or present slide show focusing on the people, economy and social conditions in Zambia. Students will be presented with the dilemma that the Zambian government faced in 2002 when they rejected the introduction of genetically modified seed into their country. It is suspected that most would agree that production of more food would be the course of action to take considering the level of poverty and famine that the majority of the population faced.
Students will read the article put out by Food First: Institute for Food and Development Policy entitled, “The Profits of Famine: Southern Africa's Long Decade of Hunger and the article “US Government criticizes Zambian GM Food Rejection”. When completed, students will assess each article for bias.

Students will further research and write a 500-word essay addressing one of the following thesis statements:

“Without the use of GM seeds to increase yield, the state of food security in Zambia is in jeopardy.”
“To ensure a future free of reliance and debt and one that leads to food sovereignty, the Zambian government must stay the course with their decision to deny food producers the right to use genetically modified seed products.”

Enrichment Opportunity

Has there been any change to the response of GM foods in African countries? Find evidence to show that multinational corporations are interested in furthering the use of BT foods in Africa.

**Website Resources for this Activity are found in the Online Resources section**

Activity 4.10: Botswana – The Kalahari Bushmen

Lesson Objective
Students will:

Conduct research and chart the arguments presented on both sides of the dispute.
Analyze the situation and develop solutions that would allow for the coexistence of both human and natural populations. Finally, students will explain why this is a geopolitical issue.

Instructional Plan
Lesson Time: 1.5 hrs

Students will conduct research and chart the arguments presented by the Kalahari Bushmen and the proponents of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
Students will analyze the situation and develop solutions that would allow for the coexistence of both human and natural populations.
Students will explain why this is a geopolitical issue.
Students will work in small groups and prepare an oral report to be shared with the class. This report should focus on the best solution to the situation and should explain how they would implement their plan.

**Website Resources for this Activity are found in the Online Resources section**

Activity 4.11: South Africa – After Apartheid

Lesson Objective
Students will:

Research the implementation and the eventual destruction of the Apartheid laws in South Africa.
Identify the steps taken since Apartheid to rebuild human and natural environments affected by the years of inequities.
Turn to primary sources and view an interview with Lionel Davis and use his first hand account of the days before and after Apartheid to write poetry.
Create a collage or produce a short story on the life of Mr. Davis and his experiences during the Apartheid era.

Instructional Plan
Lesson Time: 1 hr

The instructor may use a popular film or documentary to introduce this activity. Students will define the term Apartheid and identify the characteristics of the laws that were created to systematically divide the nation along racial lines.
Students will create a chart identifying the characteristics of the Apartheid laws and the steps taken since 1990 to deal with healing process.
The instructor will review with students the difference between primary and secondary sources. Students will view a presentation by Lionel Davis as he recounts his experiences as a prisoner on Robben Island during the Apartheid era.
On a backdrop of the country, students will produce poetry, an essay or a work of art that reflects the days during and after Apartheid. The finished product should reflect the geopolitical nature of the issue.

**Website Resources for this Activity are found in the Online Resources section**

Activity 4.12: The Politics of Economic Stability

Lesson Objective
Students will:

Create a sustainable development plan for one of the expedition countries located in the equatorial region of East Africa.
Use industrial development indicators to assess the potential of each country for development.
Use geotechnologies to create an index system to determine which African country in the study possesses the most potential for development.
Complete this culminating activity by designing an electronic brochure advertising the positive qualities of the country to the international world.

Instructional Plan
Lesson Time: 1 hr

Students will create a sustainable development plan for one of the expedition countries located in the equatorial region of East Africa.
Students will use indicators of industrial development to assess the potential of each expedition country. These indicators (such as those listed in the table below) may be found in Arc Canada 2.0, Arc Canada 3.0 or ESRI Data and Maps, Volume 1. By editing or creating new fields in existing Arc View files, students could make use of updated statistics such as those found on the UNDP website.

Students will use Arc View to create an index system to determine the country with the most potential for development.
Students will complete this culminating activity by designing an electronic brochure advertising the positive qualities of the selected country.

Enrichment Opportunity

Students will use Arc View to plot the course of the expedition to Africa and identify the countries visited. For each country, students will hot link a file containing a one-page summary of each nation’s geopolitical issues.

**Website Resources for this Activity are found in the Online Resources section**

**Please download the complete lesson plan for the following: Unit Synopsis Chart

Appendix 1: For Activity 4.3: Demographic Transition

**Please note that detailed descriptions of the Twelve (12) Activities for the lesson unit are in the complete lesson plan that is available for download.

Please download the complete lesson plan for all activities, worksheets and detailed information of the lesson plan.

This is an overview of the lesson plan.