Persecution in Myanmar
PERSECUTION IN MYANMAR The Rohingya Crisis BACKGROUND In March, WAC learned about the decades of persecution of in Myanmar starting in 1922 when the British Empire1 is at the height of its power; holding land in Asia from Afghanistan to Thailand—migrants moved in...
The Struggle of Women in India
WOMEN IN INDIA In February 2018 WAC focused on the study of Women In India and learned about historical social issues such as that in 2012, the rape and subsequent death of a young university student on a Delhi public bus made headlines across the...
Japan-U.S. Relations (Background & Activities)
BACKGROUND Diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Japan were severed in the war that followed Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.1 After its devastating defeat in World War II, Japan adopted a U.S.-drafted peace constitution in 1946, but the rise of Communism caused...
China’s ‘Economic Miracle’
BACKGROUND Despite the setback which was the Great Leap Forward1, China would eventually find a quick rebound under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping2, who revolutionized the Chinese economy by passing landmark liberal reforms3. Today, though the Chinese Communist Party...
Combatting Disease in Africa Lesson Plan
Subject: Government, Health, Geography Background: Long before anyone had conceived of globalization, travel by people and the transportation of goods across regions of the world contributed to the spread of infectious diseases. In fact, a great deal of human history...
Medical Crises in the Sudan Lesson Plan
Subject: World History, Health, International Affairs, Social Studies Background: In the Darfur region of Sudan, an area roughly the size of France named for the Fur people who live there and across the border in Chad, hundreds of thousands of peoples are displaced...
Darfur and the Janjaweed Lesson Plan
Subject: Social studies, geography, government. Background: Students have probably heard about the crisis in Sudan on the news, and this lesson offers them background about the situation in Darfur. It can also serve as reference material for students studying other...
Sudanese Efforts to Avoid Genocide Lesson Plan
Subject: World History, Government, Geography, Social Studies Background: A civil war in Sudan for the past 20 years has led to the death of 2 million people. However recent events have pointed to what some are calling genocide and there are estimates of 2.2 million...
Music as Social Protest in Sierra Leone Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan: Music as Social Protest OVERVIEW: This lesson plan is designed to be used in conjunction with the film Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, the story of a band born in a West African refugee camp that chooses to fight back against their suffering and...
Sexual Violence and War in the DRC Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan: Addressing Sexual Violence in War OVERVIEW: This lesson plan is designed to be used in conjunction with the film Lumo, which takes an intimate look at the healing process of a victim of rape, a crime of political terror that is increasingly common in...
Rebuilding and Recovery in Rwanda Lesson Plan
Subject :Government, Economics, World History, Social Studies Background: Rwanda has a tragic history and continues to struggle to rebuild its economy to secure a prosperous future for its people. In this lesson students will learn about the history of Rwanda and the...
Nigerian Elections Lesson Plan
Subject: World History, Government, Geography Background: Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation - one-fifth of all Africans are Nigerian. Nigeria is also the world's eighth largest oil producer, although the majority of Nigerians remain poor. Stability in Nigeria...
Trip to Africa Lesson Plan
TEKS Objectives: 113.22. Social Studies, Grade 6. 21) Social studies skills. The student applies critical‐thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of sources including electronic technology. The student is expected to: (A) differentiate...
Zimbabwe Today Lesson Plan – Part 2 (Land Distribution)
Subject: World History, Government, Geography, Social Studies Background: In Berlin, Germany, thousands of miles away from Africa, the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 decided how the African lands would be colonized. The conference heard not a single voice from the...
Zimbabwe Today Lesson Plan – Part 1 (Comprehensive Background)
Subject: World History, Government, Social Studies Background: Zimbabwe has a unique history. The country has been inhabited by various African tribes, controlled by a Royal Charter (becoming Rhodesia under the administration of the British South Africa Company), and...
West Africa Lesson Plan on Kente Cloth
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/socialstudies/geography/gwg2003/content.php4/153/5 The Cultural Geography of Africa South of the Sahara "Kente Cloth" A Web Activity Lesson Plan Introduction Students have read about the cultural importance of African arts and crafts. In...
West Africa Lesson Plans – Mapping Historical Change
Things Fall Apart: Lesson Plans https://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=382 Lesson 1: Mapping the Changing Face of Africa through History: Pre-Colonial, European Colonization, and Independent Nations In his essay "Issues in African History", located on the...
West Africa Lesson Plan on ‘The Dark Child’
Writing Assignment: "The Folklore of Childhood." https://www.wmich.edu/dialogues/texts/darkchild.html Elizabeth Radin Simons devised a writing unit based on "The Folklore of Childhood," a fitting companion writing assignment for The Dark Child and many other colonial...
Democracy in Kenya
In October WAC learned about the history of Kenya and its ongoing journey to become a legitimate democracy. The Republic of Kenya1 is a presidential republic in east Africa. The country won its independence2 from the United Kingdom in 1963 and adopted their republican...
Somalia’s Smuggling Problem
Background The Federal Republic of Somalia1 is a country situated on the Horn of Africa, bordering Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti. It was a colony of Italy2 until after the Second World War; it then came under British administration until Somali independence3 in 1960,...
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U.S.-Mexico Tensions
BACKGROUND The Unites States and its neighbor to the south, Mexico, have had very high tensions building up in the past years. Some say these tensions may have started during the U.S-Mexican War in 1846, while others contend these tensions predate the war....
Middle East: Regional Disorder
BACKGROUND The Middle East's regional conflicts have been fueled for many centuries, with no plans to cease soon. In fact, many analysts even believe the next Arab uprising could be happening in plain sight. As more and more violent protests emerge, it is becoming...
SWAC Stories: Sustainable Solutions Summit
Student dispatches from the Sustainable Solutions Summit, a one-day student-run symposium on the intersection between the goals of economic development and environmental conservation. The Sustainable Solutions Summit, hosted by Austin High School, Bellaire High School...