Inquiry Statement: Our consumption has global consequences.
Global Context: Globalisation and Sustainability
Key Concepts: Relationships
Related Concepts: Globalisation, Systems, Equity (fairness)
1. Abstract logo (provocation)
You will explore the meaning of our global context by creating an abstract logo. What is Globalisation and Sustainability? The IB defines Globalisation and Sustainability as:
"Students will explore the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the relationship between local and global processes; how local experiences mediate the global; the opportunities and tensions provided by world-interconnectedness; the impact of decision-making on humankind and the environment."
Your job is make an abstract representation of these complex ideas: turing the complex into the simple. You may choose to focus on just globalisation or sustainability.
Watch the following video which helps to illustrate how global production and consumption has far reaching consequences.
"Students will explore the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the relationship between local and global processes; how local experiences mediate the global; the opportunities and tensions provided by world-interconnectedness; the impact of decision-making on humankind and the environment."
Your job is make an abstract representation of these complex ideas: turing the complex into the simple. You may choose to focus on just globalisation or sustainability.
Watch the following video which helps to illustrate how global production and consumption has far reaching consequences.
2. Provocation
TASK: Using the two resources above (the link and the video), respond to our Statement of Inquiry (the Lord of War intro clip is also a good prompt for this activity). Write or digitally record (oral) a response where you discuss our Inquiry Statement by using an example of global consumption (other than the ones presented here); how does our consumption have global consequences? Additionally, you should also address one of the unit's concepts.
Key terms:
Globalisation
Consumption
Trade
Equity
History
Our unit looks at globalisation and trade and how they affect us today. However, this is not a new process. When we are determining whether our vast-global-complex-modern trade system is beneficial, it is helpful to look at the past and see if it contains any lessons for us.
TASK: Watch the video in the link and take notes.
TASK: Watch the video in the link and take notes.
4. Adam Smith and the Division of Labour
KEY TERMS:
Specialisation/Division of labour
Per capita income
life expectancy
infant mortality
Industrial Revolution
TASK: Answer the questions:
What is specialisation? Why is it beneficial?
What is the negative issues with specialisation?
What role does consumerism play in improving society?
The Division of Labour, that is the specialisation of tasks, is a product of the Industrial Revolution. By looking at life expectancy, per capita income, and infant mortality rates we can see that this type of production had an impact on the overall quality of peoples' lives.
TASK: Gapminder analysis:
Use the Gapminder link to analyse the relationship between increases to per capita income, life expectancy, and infant mortality (change the data set on the Y axis to look at the different relationships).
Critical Thinking: What is the connection between the data and specialisation, or, what are the effects of an increase to per capita income?
Specialisation/Division of labour
Per capita income
life expectancy
infant mortality
Industrial Revolution
TASK: Answer the questions:
What is specialisation? Why is it beneficial?
What is the negative issues with specialisation?
What role does consumerism play in improving society?
The Division of Labour, that is the specialisation of tasks, is a product of the Industrial Revolution. By looking at life expectancy, per capita income, and infant mortality rates we can see that this type of production had an impact on the overall quality of peoples' lives.
TASK: Gapminder analysis:
Use the Gapminder link to analyse the relationship between increases to per capita income, life expectancy, and infant mortality (change the data set on the Y axis to look at the different relationships).
Critical Thinking: What is the connection between the data and specialisation, or, what are the effects of an increase to per capita income?
TASK: Paper Aeroplane Assembly Line Simulation: Who produced more aeroplanes, why?
5. Mapping the Specialised Production of a Consumer Product
TASK: Almost nothing you have with you today, in your possession, was made by you. Your possessions are the products of global trade and this global trade takes advantage of specialisation (we will discuss trade in more detail later).
1. You are going to make a list of all the things you have on you, ten minimum. Possibilities: School laptop, Laptop case, Phone, Headphones, Cosmetics, Pencil Case, Bag, Text books, Coat, Jumper, T-Shirt, Jeans, Other Tops, Purse/Bag, Leggings etc, Shoes/trainers/, Hat/scarf/gloves, your breakfast or lunch.
Identify, via the made in tag, which countries these products are from. Tally up how many countries were involved in making the things that you have with you.
2. Select one of those products and map out its production, in other words how many specialised workers/steps/tasks did it take to make it, transport it, and sell it. (It may be more interesting if you select something made far away). In order to make the map, use a series of images with labels on them using Google Docs.
1. You are going to make a list of all the things you have on you, ten minimum. Possibilities: School laptop, Laptop case, Phone, Headphones, Cosmetics, Pencil Case, Bag, Text books, Coat, Jumper, T-Shirt, Jeans, Other Tops, Purse/Bag, Leggings etc, Shoes/trainers/, Hat/scarf/gloves, your breakfast or lunch.
Identify, via the made in tag, which countries these products are from. Tally up how many countries were involved in making the things that you have with you.
2. Select one of those products and map out its production, in other words how many specialised workers/steps/tasks did it take to make it, transport it, and sell it. (It may be more interesting if you select something made far away). In order to make the map, use a series of images with labels on them using Google Docs.
#6 Why We Trade
TASK: Watch the section on specialisation and trade (up to around 7 minutes and 20 seconds). The specialisation section should be review. Answer the following questions about trade.
1. What is a PPF (Production Possibilities Frontier)?
2. Why is it an advantage to specialise and trade?
1. What is a PPF (Production Possibilities Frontier)?
2. Why is it an advantage to specialise and trade?
Key term:
Opportunity cost
Comparative advantage
Absolute advantage
Opportunity cost
Comparative advantage
Absolute advantage
Why do countries trade? Shouldn't a strong country such as the United States or China produce all of the computers, cell phones, automobiles, cameras, and game consoles it wants rather than import such products from Japan, Korea, or Taiwan? Why do the Japanese and other countries buy wheat, corn, chemical products, aircraft, manufactured goods, and informational services from the United States, Canada, and Europe?
Because countries have different natural, human, and capital resources and different ways of combining these resources, they are not equally efficient at producing the goods and services that their residents demand. The decision to produce any good or service has an opportunity cost, which is the amount of another good or service that might otherwise have been produced. Given a choice of producing one good or another, it is more efficient to produce the good with the lower opportunity cost, using the increased production of that good to trade for the good with the higher opportunity cost.
When a country can produce more of a good with the same resources that another country can, it is said to have an absolute advantage in the production of that good. If the second country has an absolute advantage in producing a good that the first country wants, both will be better off if they specialize and trade.
But trade is usually beneficial to both countries even if one has an absolute advantage in the production of both goods that are to be traded. Given any two products, a nation has a comparative advantage in the product with the lower opportunity cost. The terms of trade must be such that both countries lower the opportunity costs of the goods they are getting from the trade.
Why do countries have different opportunity costs? They have different amounts of resources -warmer climates and longer growing seasons; more plentiful natural resources such as oil, iron ore, and water; more highly educated and skilled workers; and larger quantities of more sophisticated machinery. World trade is not static. It has been increasing both in amount and in significance. New supplies of natural resources can be discovered and developed while existing supplies are better managed. Human resources can be improved through better educational programs. Capital resources can be acquired to make the better trained workers even more productive. The increase in world trade should result in more efficient use of the world's scarce resources, and in higher standards of living.
Because countries have different natural, human, and capital resources and different ways of combining these resources, they are not equally efficient at producing the goods and services that their residents demand. The decision to produce any good or service has an opportunity cost, which is the amount of another good or service that might otherwise have been produced. Given a choice of producing one good or another, it is more efficient to produce the good with the lower opportunity cost, using the increased production of that good to trade for the good with the higher opportunity cost.
When a country can produce more of a good with the same resources that another country can, it is said to have an absolute advantage in the production of that good. If the second country has an absolute advantage in producing a good that the first country wants, both will be better off if they specialize and trade.
But trade is usually beneficial to both countries even if one has an absolute advantage in the production of both goods that are to be traded. Given any two products, a nation has a comparative advantage in the product with the lower opportunity cost. The terms of trade must be such that both countries lower the opportunity costs of the goods they are getting from the trade.
Why do countries have different opportunity costs? They have different amounts of resources -warmer climates and longer growing seasons; more plentiful natural resources such as oil, iron ore, and water; more highly educated and skilled workers; and larger quantities of more sophisticated machinery. World trade is not static. It has been increasing both in amount and in significance. New supplies of natural resources can be discovered and developed while existing supplies are better managed. Human resources can be improved through better educational programs. Capital resources can be acquired to make the better trained workers even more productive. The increase in world trade should result in more efficient use of the world's scarce resources, and in higher standards of living.
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TASK: Answer the question.
Why do countries choose to specialize and trade?
If a country has an absolute advantage in producing two products, is it still advantageous to trade, why?
What has to happen to opportunity cost in order for a country to want to trade?
Why do countries choose to specialize and trade?
If a country has an absolute advantage in producing two products, is it still advantageous to trade, why?
What has to happen to opportunity cost in order for a country to want to trade?
8. Import and Export
Terms:
import
export
net exports vs net imports
Gross domestic product
Net vs Gross
Task: Why does a country want to have more net exports than imports? (Use the link below to answer the question and define the terms.)
Terms:
import
export
net exports vs net imports
Gross domestic product
Net vs Gross
Task: Why does a country want to have more net exports than imports? (Use the link below to answer the question and define the terms.)
9. Protectionism and Free Trade
Terms:
Free Trade
Free trade agreement
Protectionism
Trade barrier
Does exporting make you rich and importing make you poor?
Buy a local TV, or one from another country? Buying from another country, say a Sony from Japan, may cost jobs at a local factory (Samsung), but you also might save money (if Japan has a lower opportunity cost to produce TVs) and this can be used to spend on other things, thus creating other jobs: International trade reshuffles jobs from one country to another. Though the quality of these jobs can be very different.
For example, cars and other vehicles are no longer produced in the same quantity as they were several decades ago in the United States and Canada. Why? It's cheaper to produce them elsewhere. However, even if buying a car assembled in Korea saves money, the car manufacturer probably made more money assembling cars at the GM factory than working at Taco Bell: paradox, what is good for the whole is not necessarily good for the individual.
This can be seen when looking at NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement (established in 1994). Under NAFTA companies moved out of US: yet the economy boomed in the 90s and consumer goods became cheaper, creating a net benefit. However, many people also lost their higher paying jobs.
Task:
Free Trade
Free trade agreement
Protectionism
Trade barrier
Does exporting make you rich and importing make you poor?
Buy a local TV, or one from another country? Buying from another country, say a Sony from Japan, may cost jobs at a local factory (Samsung), but you also might save money (if Japan has a lower opportunity cost to produce TVs) and this can be used to spend on other things, thus creating other jobs: International trade reshuffles jobs from one country to another. Though the quality of these jobs can be very different.
For example, cars and other vehicles are no longer produced in the same quantity as they were several decades ago in the United States and Canada. Why? It's cheaper to produce them elsewhere. However, even if buying a car assembled in Korea saves money, the car manufacturer probably made more money assembling cars at the GM factory than working at Taco Bell: paradox, what is good for the whole is not necessarily good for the individual.
This can be seen when looking at NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement (established in 1994). Under NAFTA companies moved out of US: yet the economy boomed in the 90s and consumer goods became cheaper, creating a net benefit. However, many people also lost their higher paying jobs.
Task:
- Use the link below (titled "Resource") to help you make a t-chart listing the attributes of free trade vs protectionism (you only need to read the first three paragraphs).
- Why would countries want to be protectionist if trade is so beneficial?
- Take a look at the graphic below as well as the links following the graphic.
- Based on the links, do you see a pattern between exporting and importing countries? What is it?
- Based on your knowledge of which countries are big exporters and importers, what do you find surprising about this graphic?
- What can you hypothesis about these countries' position on free trade vs protectionism?
10. Mini-review Assignment
TASK: With a partner, or independently, you will make an info graphic which explains why we trade. Your infographic needs to explain key terminology from the unit, thus far.
TASK: With a partner, or independently, you will make an info graphic which explains why we trade. Your infographic needs to explain key terminology from the unit, thus far.
- The info graphic needs to be informative, professional, and aimed at a Grade 9 audience
- You must use a blend of images and text (but not large blocks of text)
- Terminology should be accessible
- This needs to look professional, therefore you will have to plan it first
11. Part Two: Is Globalized Trade a Good Thing?
TASK:
Answer the question.
What are the eight Millennium Development goals and how successful were we at achieving them?
Answer the question.
What are the eight Millennium Development goals and how successful were we at achieving them?
TASK:
Answer the questions.
Answer the questions.
- What is extreme poverty?
- How much do you have to make a day to be considered in extreme poverty?
- Even if a person is raised out of extreme poverty do they still face issues, how?
- How is extreme poverty being addressed?
- How does free trade help to raise people out of extreme poverty?
- How does technology help to raise people out of extreme poverty?
- What is globalisation and who are the winners and who are the losers?
- What solutions does the video suggest could help workers in LEDCs (less economically developed countries)?
- Research what micro credit is and how it might improve conditions for workers in LEDCs?
12. Sweatshop Simulation
TASK: You and your group will create a four minute presentation on Sweatshops (you will be assigned a country to research).
You will research and report on the following:
You will research and report on the following:
- What do sweatshops make in your assigned country?
- What are the conditions like for the workers?
- Who works there? Does your sweatshop use child labour or forced labour?
- What rights do the workers have, if any?
- How much are they paid
- Interesting facts or stories