Mr. Pagoda
Multicultural Seminar Syllabus
Multicultural Seminar is a course that combines global history, modern environmental issues, and current events in order to give students a better understanding of how our world is laid out and how different cultures interact. The primary goal of the course is to help students feel more comfortable and connected to the world we all share. The following is a list of classroom resources referenced throughout the year:
- Holt. World Geography Today. *(primary text)
- U.S. and World Maps; Topographical Studies.
- National Geographic: Modern Mega Structures.
- World on Fire. Amy Chua
- Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order. Niall Ferguson
- Silent Spring. Rachel Carson
- The End of Nature. Bill McKibben
- A Social History of American Architecture. Wayne Andrews
- The Silent World. Jacques Yves Cousteau
- Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. Noam Chomsky
- A Brief History of Time. Stephen Hawking
Students will be required to read, summarize, and evaluate excerpts from the above texts in addition to international current event articles from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Philadelphia Inquirer, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, BBC News, etc.
Students will be required to answer critical thinking questions, write both short answer essays and 5 paragraph essays, along with participating in classroom discussions/debates. Students will use MLA format when citing sources for research papers.
The following is a list of projects for each quarter of the year.
Quarter 1- Lithosphere: Tourism Project
Quarter 2- Hydrosphere: Mega Structures Project
Quarter 3- Biosphere: Colonialism Research Project
Quarter 4- Biosphere: Colonialism Travel Project
Grading Scale:
Homework/Classwork- 25%
Quiz Average- 25%
Test Average- 25%
Project- 25%
September- Weekly Pacing Guide:
Week 1. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Themes and Essential Elements
- Skill Building: Using Geographer’s Tools
- Organizing the Globe
- Making Maps
- Understanding Map Elements
Week 2. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Earth in Space
- The Solar System
- Earth-Sun Relationships
- Using Time Zone Maps
- Population Pyramids and Density Study
Week 3. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Factors Affecting Weather
- Factors Affecting Climate
- Reading a Weather Map
- Meteorological Evaluations and Profession
- Vegetation Patterns and Graphs
Week 4. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Human Geography
- Demographic Maps
- History of Human Migration
- Physical Geography
- Mega Structure Design
- Form vs. Function debate
October- Weekly Pacing Guide:
Week 1. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Landforms
- Mountains, Volcanoes, Plateaus
- Hydrosphere Terms
- Oceanography
- Renewable Energy Resources
- Hydroelectric Power
Week 2. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- World Ecosystems and Biomes
- Cultural Geography
- World Language
- Overview of World Religions
- The Spread of Monotheism
Week 3. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Human Systems
- Economic Geography
- Urban and Rural Geography
- Central Place Theory
- The von Thunen Model
- Rural Settlement Forms
Week 4. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Political Geography
- Technology and the Environment
- Using Geographic Information Systems
- Global Positioning Systems
November- Weekly Pacing Guide:
Week 1. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- The United States and Canada
- Physical Features
- The Fall Line
- Ansel Adams Slideshow
- Natural Environments of North America
Week 2. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Climates and Biomes of North America
- Natural Resources
- History and Culture Overview
- Place-Names in the United States
- U.S. States and Capitals
Week 3. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Voting Patterns in North America
- Distribution of Political Power
- Creating Congressional Voting Districts
- Modern Geographic Issues
Week 4. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Canadian Culture
- Inuit Igloos and Practices
- Canadian Residential Preferences
- Canada Today
- U.S.-Canadian Relations and History
December- Weekly Pacing Guide:
Week 1. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Middle and South America
- Natural Environments
- History and Culture
- Rites of Passage
- Mexican Migration Overview
- Border Towns
Week 2. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Mexico City
- Central America Layout
- Ecotourism in Costa Rica
- The Carribean
- Art, Music, and Literature
Week 3. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Natural Environments of South America
- El Nino and Storm Patterns
- The Nazca Lines
- Amazon Basin Development
- Amazon Destruction and Hope for the Future
- Urban Planning in Brasilia
Week 4. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Europe
- Physical Features
- A Peninsula of Peninsulas
- Climates and Biomes
- The North Atlantic Drift
- Natural Resources
January- Weekly Pacing Guide:
Week 1. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- The British Isles
- The London Underground
- Mass Transit
- France and the Benelux Countries
- The European Union
- Scandinavia
Week 2. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Germany and Modern Berlin
- Germany’s Aging Population
- The Alpine Countries
- Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary
- The Iberian Peninsula
- Greece and the Balkan Peninsula
Week 3. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Russia and Northern Eurasia
- Natural Environments
- History and Culture
- The Peoples of the Caucasus Republic
- St. Petersburg
- The Shrinking Aral Sea
- Pipelines
Week 4. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Southwest Asia
- Arabic Numerals
- Religion and Society
- The Ecological Trilogy
- Palestine-Setting Boundaries
February- Weekly Pacing Guide:
Week 1. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Eastern Mediterranean
- Reviving a Language
- Cyprus, A Divided Island
- Petra
- Israel and Jerusalem
- The Gaza Strip and Modern Tensions
Week 2. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Africa
- Natural Environments
- History and Culture
- Climate and Biomes
- The Medina
- Western Sahara
Week 3. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- West and Central Africa
- The Sahel
- The Colonial Scramble
- Nigeria’s Ethnic Diversity
- The Tuareg
- Nomadic Lifestyles and Hardships
Week 4. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- East Africa
- The Rifts
- Population Growth in Kenya
- Southern Africa
- The Legacy of Apartheid
- Biodiversity in Madagascar
- The Geography of Disease
March- Weekly Pacing Guide:
Week 1. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- India
- Push/Pull Factors
- Population Control Measures
- Natural Environments
- History and Culture
Week 2. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- India Today
- The Green Revolution
- Government and International Relations
- Bangalore
- New Delhi
Week 3. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- The Indian Perimeter
- Natural Environments
- The Himalayas
- Measuring Mount Everest
- Nepal
- Environmental Change and the Maldives
Week 4. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Migration, Tea, and Economical Transformation
- Information and Technology
- Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka
- Banking and Female Entrepreneurs
- Modern Slums
April- Weekly Pacing Guide:
Week 1. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- East and Southeast Asia
- Natural Environments
- The Yangtze River
- The Three Gorges Dam
- History and Culture
Week 2. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- China, Mongolia, and Taiwan
- Chinese Jade
- China’s Karst Towers
- China’s Modern Economy
- Shanghai
Week 3. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Chinese Dominance and Western Education
- Japan and Koreas
- Tectonic Forces in Japan
- Earthquake Detection and Precautions
- Kansai Airport
- High-speed Rails
Week 4. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- North and South Korea
- The DMZ
- The Korean War
- Modern Communism
- Military Expenditures
- Conflict and Extremes
May- Weekly Pacing Guide:
Week 1. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Mainland Southeast Asia
- Natural Environments
- History and Culture
- The Vietnam War
- Life in Myanmar
- Bangkok’s Klongs
- Studying Deforestation
Week 2. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Island Asia
- Wallace’s Line
- A Colonial History
- Growing Rice
- Singapore
- Industrialization and Development
Week 3. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- The Pacific World
- Australia and New Zealand
- Territories
- The Great Barrier Reef
- Life in the Outback
- The Maori
Week 4. Students will be able to analyze assorted documents, pictures, and videos in addition to answering critical thinking questions about the following topics:
- Pacific Islands
- Natural Environments
- Navigation Skills and Exotic Invaders
June- Review and Study for Final Cumulative Exam