Category Archives: SS11

Solutions to Poverty

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IMF Successes:

  1. http://www.worldpress.org/mideast/3610.cfm
  2. https://www.imf.org/external/np/ins/english/pdf/JSA-SS.pdf
  3. https://www.imf.org/external/np/ins/english/stories.htm
  • Go to Kiva.org, find a suitable recipient

 Present:

  1. Who is the borrower and where are they from?
  2. What is unique about the situation that deserves our help?
  3. What is the money going towards and why is that sustainable?
  4. How risky is the loan?
  5. How will you raise the money? – money should not come from students
  • Choose borrower that will not end soon

Defining Poverty

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Review pages 388,392-395

Apply Your Knowledge:

  1. In your own words, explain the problems with measuring poverty (standard of living, absolute vs relative, HDI)
  2. What do you think is the best way to measure poverty in Canada and the world.

Poverty Cycle

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Devil Plays Hardball

Apply Your Knowledge:

  1. Explain how the person/people in each story from the documentary is trapped in the poverty cycle.
  2. Refer to the poverty cycle on page 404 of your textbook. Pretend that you are the government and provide an intervention at 4 different points of the cycle and explain how and why this intervention would break the poverty cycle at that point.
  3. What should be our general rules/attitude we should take when approaching the issue of solving poverty in our own communities?

 

Overpopulation Essay

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Population Research Essay:

Key Question: Is overpopulation something the world needs to be concerned with today?

Option 1: YES

 Option 2: NO

Goal: Highlight the problem & explain what needs to be done.

Intro:

  • Thesis
  • Current state of the world (provide data)

Body:

  • Prove that it’s a problem by showing what experts say – research needed
  • Find a country that highlights your argument above (pop is growing and problems grow with them) – research pop data
  • Find an article saying overpopulation isn’t a problem, summarize their main points and explain the flaws in their explanation – research needed

Conclusion:

  • Highlight the prominence of the issue
  • If this is such a problem, what might need to be done?

Goal: Prove that there is no problem.

Intro:

  • Thesis
  • Current state of the world (provide data)

Body:

  • Find an article saying overpopulation is a problem, summarize it and explain the flaws in their explanation – research needed
  • Prove that there is no problem by showing what experts say – research needed
  • Find a country that highlights your argument above (pop is growing but fewer problems) – research pop data

Conclusion

  • Highlight why people are overreacting
  • If population isn’t the problem, what might be the real problem?

In-text-citation

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/

 

Does Not Meet Minimally Meets Meets Exceeds
Argument(10) Lack of thesis, points are irrelevant, writing has no flow, no attempt to lead to a logical conclusion Thesis is present but may be unclear, details may lack relevancy, may be discontinuous, conclusion is not explained logically Clear thesis, relevant supporting details, flows well, logical conclusion Clear thesis present throughout, all facts are relevant to the thesis, flows well, specific data used to highlight the argument, logical conclusion
Knowledge checklist:Population growth (rate), birth rate, death rate, natural increase, Demographic Transition Model or population pyramid, dependency ratio, distribution and density, doubling time, carrying capacity, (10) Minimal mention of the key terms Essay lacks an attempt to address some of the most relevant terms Essay addresses and shows an understanding of most terms All terms incorporated or expanded upon and all are discussed in the essay with specific real world facts and with an understanding of their effects on populations
Works Cited(5) One or fewer sources listed

2-4 sources listedOR not cited properly

OR

no in-text citations

 At least 5 sources cited properly with in- text citations At least 5 sources cited properly with careful consideration towards the credibility of the sources and uses in-text citations

/25

 

 

Useful links:

US Census

UN Data

Google Public Data Explorer

TED – Conversations on Overpopulation

TED – Watch Population Videos

Population Research Instititue – Overpopulation Is A Myth

World Overpopulation Awareness

David Suzuki Foundation

China’s One Child Policy – Should we all follow suit?

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China, Unnatural Selection

China’s Two Child Policy

 

Apply Your Knowledge:

Answer the following questions first:

  1. Is the One Child Policy key to controlling China’s population? Explain why.
  2. Is the Policy fair for citizen’s rights? Explain why.
  3. Has the Policy caused more good or bad? Explain why. (can be qualitative or quantitative)

Then:

  1. Read the following debate, for each of your answers above, state what the best opposing argument is and explain why or why it doesn’t change your thinking.
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Population Distribution

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Review pages 380-383 (Counterpoints – Chapter 11)

 

Apply Your Knowledge:

  1. Read pages 378-379
    • Define Pessimists/Malthusians, Neo Malthusians, and Optimists/cornucopians
  2. Watch Unreported World: Kenya’s Human Time Bomb and Hans Rosling’s TED Talk: Global population growth, box by box.
    • State which category from #1 do the two videos fit into
    • Explain by providing quotes and timestamps from the video that justifies your categorization

Interested in more? Try these:

Population Pyramids

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Canada’s Population Pyramids

Apply Your Knowledge:

For the country assigned to you:

  1. Use the demographic data to create a population pyramid for last year.
  2. Find the dependency ratio, is it high or low?
  3. Describe the situation in the country based on the info in your population pyramid (births, deaths, health, age, male/female, type of pyramid, stage in DTM etc.)
  4. Explain what the country needs to prepare for in the near future and why you think that. (health, population, business, policies, etc. Connect this to your observations)

 

Use: https://www.census.gov/data-tools/demo/idb/informationGateway.php 

 

*How To Create Your Population Pyramid (video tutorials):

  1. Finding your data
  2. a) Using Google Sheets or b) Using Excel
  3. Calculating your dependency ratio

 

Demography Part 2 – Overpopulation?

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Is the world overpopulated? – Is the population growing? Is it causing problems?

Review pages 363-367

 

Apply Your Knowledge:

  1. Use the rule of seventy to figure out the doubling time of the world.  Explain why this is or why this isn’t a concern.
  2. With reference to the demographic transition model, explain what is necessary to lower the world population without causing mass deaths. Is this a realistic solution to overpopulation? Explain your thoughts.
  3. With reference to the demographic transition model, is it possible to go backwards in stages? Explain your thoughts.
  4. Read the articles from the Guardian and the Huffington Post. What are their main points? Do the two authors share the same values? Which article do you agree with more and why? Why don’t you agree with the other one? Refer to specific points from each article that you agree and disagree with.

Demography Part I – Growth Rates and Natural Increase

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Apply Your Knowledge:

Review Pages 358-362 in Counterpoints (Chapter 11)

 

Part A: Create a spreadsheet for Canada and BC’s population stats for the last 5 years:

  1. Find the number of births, number of deaths and total population (convert to actual numbers) from Statcan website
  2. Calculate the birth rate and death rate (per 1000)
  3. Calculate the natural increase

Part B: Graph your data – two graphs each for Canada and BC

  1. Create a Combo Chart with # of births and deaths (lines) vs population (area)
    • put the population on the right vertical axis
  2. Create another Combo Chart with birth rates (area) and death rates (white area and line)
  3. Post graphs on your blog with proper titles (you should have 4 graphs)
  4. Post data tables with relevant information on blog

*make sure your graphs are organized, titled and labeled properly

Part C: Analyze the information and post responses on your blog:

  1. How would you describe the change in Canada and B.C.’s population over time?
  2. Describe the trend in birth rates and death rates for B.C. and Canada.
  3. Describe the trend in natural increase for B.C. and Canada.
  4. If you were opening a baby clothing store in B.C., what information from your chart/graph would be most useful to you? Explain why.
  5. What other types of businesses could use the information for B.C.? Explain how it can be useful to these businesses.
  6. If you were a politician in Canada or B.C., what policies or changes would you make based on this information? Explain how the information would lead you to make certain changes or policies.

 

Community Mapping

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A) WHAT IS?

In groups, you will be assigned one of the following spheres in which to view your neigbourhood from. Record your observations about the neighbourhood to present back to the class. You can write down notes, take photos (be careful), record video, interview people, etc.

  1. Ecosphere (physical, built, natural and human interactions)
  2. Sociosphere (actions of people, social interactions)
  3. Technosphere (tools, strategies, intentions/signs, practices)

B) WHAT COULD BE?

Once back in the class:

  1. Map out the location of your observations and present them to the class.
  2. In your presentation, explain what you found that was good or bad about the sphere you observed.
  3. Conclude with the possible ways Port Coquitlam could be better.