China became a member of the WTO in December 2001. While the long-term effects of China’s entry into the global market are yet to be determined, some fear that liberalized trade policies and a greater involvement in the global economy will create more poverty and put much of China’s population at a disadvantage.

Using China as a case study, students will explore the entry of developing countries into the WTO and the effects of globalization. What is the WTO? Who gains and who loses from globalization? Students will focus on two perspectives:

The entry of developing countries into the WTO is hurting those countries.

The entry of developing countries into the WTO is empowering those countries.

Using the Academic Controversy model, students will develop skills in: creating and presenting arguments; researching; collaboration and communication; conflict resolution and consensus-building. Students will be evaluated on participation, use of student organizers, and a culminating project, which will demonstrate their understanding of the content and their mastery of the Academic Controversy process.

Grade Level: 9-12

Time Allotment

Longer Version: This lesson can span from one-two weeks. Ideally, two-three days of introduction to Academic Controversy, student research, and position-development should be allowed; one-two days for engaging in the Academic Controversy itself (presentation of positions, open discussion, reversal of positions); and two days for the synthesis of the positions and the preparation of a joint report. If the teacher chooses to extend the lesson by assigning additional case studies to individual students or small groups of students, the lesson could last for a couple of weeks.

Compressed Version: This lesson could also be completed in two-three days. This would include one day for introduction to Academic Controversy, student research, and position-development (with one-two homework assignments to supplement class time); one day for the structured controversy; and one day for the synthesis of the positions and the preparation of a joint report.

Learning Objectives:

Students Will

• Understand the history, purpose, and impact of the World Trade Organization.
• Explore the pros and cons of globalization, especially in relation to its impact on developing countries.
• Investigate the effects that entry into the WTO is having in China and in other developing countries.
• Understand the following terms and concepts: World Trade Organization (WTO), free trade, liberalized trade, exploitation, developing countries, third world countries, globalization/ anti-globalization, debt relief, global market
• Develop research, presentation, writing and conflict resolution skills that can be applied to numerous other content areas and case studies.

Academic Standards:

Historical Understanding Standard 1
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?
SubjectID=3&StandardID=1
Understands and knows how to analyze chronological relationships and patterns. Benchmark: Understands historical continuity and change related to a particular development or theme.

World History Standard 44
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?
SubjectID=6&StandardID=44
Understands the search for community, stability, and peace in an interdependent world. Benchmarks: Understands common arguments of opposition groups in various countries around the world, common solutions they offer, and the position of these ideas with regard to Western economic and strategic interests; Understands how global political change has altered the world economy.

World History Standard 45
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?
SubjectID=6&StandardID=45
Understands major global trends since World War II. Benchmarks: Understands causes of economic imbalances and social inequalities among the world’s peoples and efforts made to close these gaps.

Economics Standard 10
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?
SubjectID=15&StandardID=10
Understands basic concepts about international economics. Benchmarks: Understands that public policies affecting foreign trade impose costs and benefits on different groups of people and that decisions on these policies reflect economic and political interests and forces.

Civics Standard 22
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?
SubjectID=14&StandardID=22
Understands how the world is organized politically into nation-states, how nation-states interact with one another, and issues surrounding U.S. foreign policy. Benchmarks: Understands the idea of the national interest and how it is used as a criterion for shaping American foreign policy; Understands the purposes and functions of major governmental international organizations and major nongovernmental international organizations; Knows some important bilateral and multilateral agreements to which the United States is signatory.

Language Arts Standard 4
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?
SubjectID=7&StandardID=4
Gathers and uses information for research purposes. Benchmarks: Uses appropriate research methodology; Uses a variety of print and electronic sources to gather information for research topics; Synthesizes information from multiple research studies to draw conclusions that go beyond those found in any of the individual studies; Writes research papers.

In this lesson, students get a glimpse of education’s status, role, and impact in developing and developed nations; explore the factors that impede schooling; examine efforts to ensure universal access to education; and undertake a project that supports these efforts.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subject Matter: Social Studies, Behavioral Studies, Economics

Time Allotment: Each activity has a suggested time frame (based on 50-minute class sessions). Activities 1 and 2 can stand alone. However, 3 does not provide film viewing; it is an interesting lesson on evaluating strategies toward the improvement of global education.

Learning Objectives:

As a result of completing the lesson, the students will be able to:

• reflect on and describe their personal educational experiences
• enumerate and compare and contrast the factors that contribute to children’s educational experiences
• determine whether global education goals, such as universal primary education, are achievable
• design a class project that supports international or national efforts to improve education around the world; or a country-specific program, school/class, or student(s)

STANDARDS
McREL: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning
http://www.mcrel.org
Level III (Grades 6-8)
Level IV (Grades 9-12)

Behavioral Studies

• Standard 1: Understands that group and cultural influences contribute to human development, identity, and behavior
  Benchmarks:
  Level III: 5. Understands that various factors (e.g., wants and needs, talents, interests, influence of family and peers and media) affect decisions that individuals make
  Level IV: 7. Understands that family, gender, ethnicity, nationality, institutional affiliations, socioeconomic status, and other group and cultural influences contribute to the shaping of a person’s identity
• Standard 4. Understands conflict, cooperation, and interdependence among individuals, groups, and institutions
  Benchmark:
  Level IV: 10. Understands that the decisions of one generation both provide and limit the range of possibilities open to the next generation

Economics

• Standard 1: Understands that scarcity of productive resources requires choices that generate opportunity costs
  Benchmarks Level III:
  1. Understands that scarcity of resources necessitates choice at both the personal and the societal levels
  2. Knows that all decisions involve opportunity costs and that effective economic decision making involves weighing the costs and benefits associated with alternative choices
  3. Understands that the evaluation of choices and opportunity costs is subjective and differs across individuals and societies
  Benchmarks:
  Level III: 9. Understands that many noneconomic factors influence patterns of economic behavior and decision making
  Level IV: 5. Understands that in every economic system consumers, producers, workers, savers, and investors respond to incentives in order to allocate their scarce resources to obtain the highest possible return, subject to the institutional constraints of their society

Geography
Standard 4: Understands the physical and human characteristics of places
Benchmarks:
Level III: 1. Knows the human characteristics of places
Level IV: 1. Knows how social, cultural, and economic processes shape the features of places

Grade Level: 9-12

Time Allotment: Two to four 45-minute class periods

Subject Matter:

• Human Rights
• Children’s Rights
• Current International Events

Learning Objectives:

Students Will

• Use primary sources, such as news reports and video, to gather information about current events and recent world history;
• Analyze the information gathered from these primary sources to draw conclusions about the moral aspects of human rights and children’s rights;
• Form their own individual ideas and concepts of what it means to be a socially responsible person;
• Develop an understanding about what it means to be a member of a global community and what it entails to be an active member of that community;
• Gain a sense of individual strength and empowerment as well as a broader view of the world and its people.

Academic Standards:

National Standards for History
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs/standards
Standard 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5E, 5F

A. Identify issues and problems in the past and analyze the interests, values, perspectives, and points of view of those involved in the situation.

B. Marshal evidence of antecedent circumstances and current factors contributing to contemporary problems and alternative courses of action.

C. Identify relevant historical antecedents and differentiate from those that are inappropriate and irrelevant to contemporary issues.

D. Evaluate alternative courses of action, keeping in mind the information available at the time, in terms of ethical considerations, the interests of those affected by the decision, and the long- and short-term consequences of each.

E. Formulate a position or course of action on an issue by identifying the nature of the problem, analyzing the underlying factors contributing to the problem, and choosing a plausible solution from a choice of carefully evaluated options.

F. Evaluate the implementation of a decision by analyzing the interests it served; estimating the position, power, and priority of each player involved; assessing the ethical dimensions of the decision; and evaluating its costs and benefits from a variety of perspectives.

National Standards for Social Studies http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/

IX. Global Connections; Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of global connections and interdependence.

X. Civic Ideals and Practices; Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.

Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, 1948

Grade Level: 9-12

Time Allotment: Two to four 45-minute class periods

Subject Matter: Freedom of expression

Learning Objectives

Students Will

Use primary sources such as news reports and video to gather information about current events and recent world history.

Analyze the information gathered from these primary resources to draw conclusions about freedom of expression and its various forms.

Encourage students to form and create their own individual ideas and concepts about freedom of expression.

Gain a broader view and understanding of freedom of expression and of Article 19 of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” (UNDHR) and the effect it has on the United States, themselves and the global community as a whole.

Academic Standards:

National Standards for History
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs/standards/thinking5-12-5.html
Standards 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5E, 5F

A. Identify issues and problems in the past and analyze the interests, values, perspectives, and points of view of those involved in the situation.

B. Marshal evidence of antecedent circumstances and current factors contributing to contemporary problems and alternative courses of action.

C. Identify relevant historical antecedents and differentiate from those that are inappropriate and irrelevant to contemporary issues.

D. Evaluate alternative courses of action, keeping in mind the information available at the time, in terms of ethical considerations, the interests of those affected by the decision, and the long and short-term consequences of each.

E. Formulate a position or course of action on an issue by identifying the nature of the problem, analyzing the underlying factors contributing to the problem, and choosing a plausible solution from a choice of carefully evaluated options.

F. Evaluate the implementation of a decision by analyzing the interests it served; estimating the position, power, and priority of each player involved; assessing the ethical dimensions of the decision; and evaluating its costs and benefits from a variety of perspectives.

National Standards for Social Studies
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/

IX. Global Connections: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of global connections and interdependence.

X. Civic Ideals and Practices: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.