World Issues Final Review - Exam

Introduction to World Issues



• The Power of One
• issue - what is an issue?
  
• paradigms and the way we view our world
  
• different views of development
  
  • first world/third world/fifth world
    
  • north/south
    
  • developed/developing
  • developed/less developed
    

  political issues

  
  
  • state, nation, nation-state, multi-national state
  • borders - artificial, natural
                         - boundary disputes (Israel, Syria, Jordan, India, Pakistan.....)
  
• Negotiated boundaries -- Nunavut
  • patriotism/nationalism
  • sovereignty
  • ethnocentrism
  • conflicts vs wars
  • threats to geopolitical stability
  • terrorism
    • domestic vs international
    • coercive vs disruptive
    • portrait of a terrorist
    • terrorist or freedom fighter?
  • wars
    • World War I, World War II
    • Balkan Conflicts; War in Yugoslavia
    • War Against Terrorism
    • U.S. invasion of Iraq
  • Cold War & spread of Communism
  • Fall of Communism
  • Nuclear War & the build up of nuclear weapons
  • No Man's Land
    
• types of governments (communist/socialist, democratic, monarchy, dictatorship)
  
• nuclear issues
  • arms race/Cold War
  • weapons of mass destruction
    
  • nuclear power
    
  • meltdowns - Chernobyl
    
  • radioactive fallout
    
  • borders
    
  • nationalism
    
  • peacekeeping
    
  • child soldiers
    
  • diamond wars
    
  • evolving nature of geopolitics
  • the struggle for supremacy - U.S. vs Russia vs China vs ?
  • Intellectual Property Rights

  Economic Issues

  
  
  • economic theories
    
  • The Geography of Poverty and Wealth
  • levels of industries
    
  • indicators of economic diversity: GNP, GDP etc.
    
  • Globalization/Westernization
    
  • Multinational Corporations and neocolonialism
  • Sweatshops
  • Global Trade
    
  • Discovery of the New World
    
  • Imperialism
    
  • Colonialism and decolonialism - political, economic
    
  • Economic Development - Stages, theories (Rostow, Core/Periphery)
    
  • Trade Organizations - WTO, NAFTA, OPEC
    
  • Aid Agencies
    
  • Governmental - World Bank, CIDA
    
  • Non-Governmental Organizations - Medecins Sans Frontiers, World Vision, Foster Parents Plan
    
  • Trade blocs - Asia-Pacific, EU, FTAA
    
  • Trade agreements (NAFTA)
    
  • protectionism
    
  • tariffs
    
  • economic theories - free trade, mercantilism, socialism, laissez-faire, capitalism
    
  • views of foreign aid-humanitarian, internationalist, nationalist, pragmatic
    
  • types of foreign aid
    
  • level of industries - primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary, 5th level
    
  • Industrial Revolutions
    
  • Economy and Technology
    

  environmental issues

  
  
  • acid rain, global warming, desertification
    
  • endangered species
    
  • habitat destruction
    
  • ozone depletion
  • impact of industry on the environment (tailings, pollution, garbage, etc.)
    
  • human impact on the environment
    
  • ecological footprint
  • destruction of coral reefs
    

  social and cultural issues

  
  
  • cultural mosaic vs melting pot
  • population (theories, facts, models)
    
  • gender and racial discrimination
    
  • hunger & food
    
  • AIDS and Africa
  • genocide
  • the prejudice ladder
  • Iceberg theory of culture
  • factors affecting quality of life

  Exam Breakdown

  Part A: Multiple Choice [50 marks]
  Part B: Issues Web [10 marks]
  Part C: Essay Questions {2 X 40 = 80 marks]
  

  Exam Total: 140 marks
  

  Exam questions have been drawn from the following sources:
  

  • On the Threshold
  • Course Notes
  • Course Handouts
  • Class Discussions
  • Where in the World Presentations
  • Coffeehouses
  • Blog
  • Canadian Oxford Student Atlas
  • all media used in class (songs, videos, movies, powerpoints, etc.)
  • Guest Speakers