Page 202 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

Grade 12, University Preparation
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies
related to human needs. Students can also identify programs that are addressing these deficiencies or that are improving the economic capacity of these countries in other ways.
B2. Population Disparities
FOCUS ON: Interrelationships; Geographic Perspective
By the end of this course, students will:
B2.1 analyse interrelationships between global population distribution, population density, and quality of life
Sample questions: “What are the twenty most densely populated countries in the world? Which ones are wealthy? Which ones are poor? To what extent has population density contributed to prosperity or poverty in these countries?” “Would a cap on population density for a country help to improve the quality of life of its citizens?”
B2.2 analyse interrelationships between population migration (e.g., international migrants, internal migrants, refugees, illegal migrants) and quality of life (e.g., quality of life factors as reasons for leaving, as reasons for choosing a destination, as impacts of migration and resettlement)
Sample questions: “Why are subsistence farmers migrating to urban centres? What impact does this have on the farmer? On the urban centre? In what ways does this trend affect the quality of life more broadly within a country or a region?” “What determines whether a slum is a ‘slum of hope’ or a ‘slum of despair’? What is the role of the slum in economic development?”
Using spatial skills: To support their investiga- tions of factors affecting migration, students can plot relationships between numbers of migrants and other statistical data (e.g., the Human Development Index, per capita income) as well as other information (e.g., periods of war or drought) that reflect the quality of life
in a particular country.
B2.3 assess the effects of past and present political and economic policies on inequality (e.g., effects of colonialism, boundary changes, trade agreements, development agreements and initiatives)
Sample questions: “What responsibilities
do developed countries have for helping to reduce disparities between themselves and less developed countries?” “Developed countries often require countries receiving aid to provide them with access to resources or to buy certain products from them. Is this fair? Is it the most effective way of helping a developing country?” “How might a trade agreement support economic development in a country?”
B3. Classifying Regions of the World
FOCUS ON: Spatial Significance; Patterns and Trends
By the end of this course, students will:
B3.1 use statistical indicators and other criteria
to classify countries into a variety of groupings on the basis of common characteristics (e.g., type of government, cultural and linguistic similarities, religion; statistical indicators such as GDP, per capita income, employment rate, dependency ratio, literacy rate, population and population density, birth rate, infant mortality, life expectancy at birth, rate of access to safe water and sanitation)
Sample questions: “Why do we classify countries in this way? What are some of the consequences of placing a country into a particular category? How might this type of categorization help to maintain stereotypes rather than promote understanding?” “What criteria determine whether a region can be classified as a country?” “Why is it important to look at a variety of indicators from different categories in order to make a balanced assess- ment of conditions in a certain country or region?” “How might a grouping change if a different statistical variable were used as the basis for comparison?” “Why is it important to note how and where the data were obtained and who interpreted them?”
Using spatial skills: Students can construct thematic maps of regions by combining map layers on which data for appropriate indicators and characteristics have been plotted (e.g., Human Development Index, type of government, birth rate, death rate). Students can also compare different map projections, such as a Peters projection and a Mercator projection, to illustrate how map projections can influence the visual impact, and possibly the interpretation, of the data.
B3.2 evaluate particular indicators or characteristics that are used to classify countries, and analyse the advantages and disadvantages of their use
Sample questions: “Why do we find it useful to use certain kinds of data or certain characteristics as ways of categorizing countries?” “What does an indicator like GDP per capita or fertility rate tell us about a country? What doesn’t it tell us? How can the use of such indicators cause us to make misleading generalizations about a country or to stereotype its people?” “Why is it no longer appropriate to describe the world primarily on the basis of economic indicators?” “Why is the Human Development Index one of the most frequently cited methods for grouping countries? Do you think it is the most accurate? What problems might be associated with the use of
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