Page 212 - 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
E3.2 assess the responsibility of governments and international bodies for the promotion and protection of human rights
Sample questions: “What are the fundamental rights that all human beings should have, according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? What does the United Nations do to promote human rights throughout the world?” “How do the International Criminal Court and special international tribunals like those for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia protect human rights?” “Why are some groups of people marginalized in some countries, and what role have governments played in either maintaining or decreasing their marginalization?” “What disadvantages do members of the Dalit caste experience in India? What is the govern- ment of India doing to prevent discrimination against them?” “How effective has the federal government in Canada been at addressing human rights issues that affect Canadian citizens?”
E3.3 analyse issues relating to the rights of women and children (e.g., child labour, birth control, access to education, economic independence of women), and assess the effectiveness of programs (e.g., programs that train women in the local community as teachers, programs that fund business opportunities for women, Child Soldiers Initiative, Make Poverty History) and organizations (e.g., World Vision, UNICEF, Save the Children, Plan International, Free the Children, Grameen Bank) that address these issues
Sample questions: “What are some programs that have proved effective in making people aware of the plight of child soldiers? Have these programs been effective in improving
the lives of children?” “How effective have education programs been in addressing the rights of women and children in Egypt and Colombia?” “How do human rights differ
for teenagers in developed and developing countries?” “Should all children have access
to universal education? Should there be laws
to prohibit children from working? When does childhood end?” “How do various governments aid in perpetuating gender inequality? Why do they view this as acceptable?”
Using spatial skills: Students can construct thematic maps to support an analysis of human rights issues relating to women and children. Useful statistical indicators that can be incor- porated into map layers include the number
of women in non-agricultural jobs and the number of children under fourteen years of age engaged in labour.
E3.4 analyse challenges relating to food security and safety, and assess ways of responding to these challenges
Sample questions: “How will food production be affected by population growth, climate trends, and the increasing demand for animal- based foods?” “Why are more genetically modified food crops being grown?” “Why
have organic foods become more popular?” “What environmental challenges are faced by indigenous communities who wish to restore or maintain traditional diets?” “Do we have enough farmland to grow food for a larger world population? How important are the following measures for feeding a larger world population: increasing crop yields, bringing more land under cultivation, reducing waste and inefficiency in the food supply chain?” “Why are foreign companies acquiring large tracts of farmland in Africa? How are local farmers and national economies being affected? How might foreign ownership of farmland be seen as a possible source of conflict over access to food? How is the ownership of farmland changing in other parts of the world?” “Why is agriculture becoming more dependent on large agribusinesses for seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, and distribution? How does that affect food security?”
E3.5 identify regional and global patterns relating to disease (e.g., infectious diseases, chronic diseases) and health care, and assess the influence of factors affecting quality of life (e.g., per capita income, lifestyle, access to health care, access to improved water and sanitation systems, caloric intake) on health in different parts of the world
Sample questions: “What are the chances of living to seventy years of age in a high-income country? In a low-income country? Why do many more children die in low-income countries than in high-income countries?” “Why are people in low-income countries more likely to die of infectious diseases? What are the greatest dangers to health in high-income countries?” “How is personal health affected by one’s standard of living and one’s environment?” “What is a pandemic? What are some current examples of pandemics, and how did they spread?” “What can be done to increase the lifespan of people in low-income countries?” “Why are advanced medicines sometimes too expensive for those who need them most? Should pharmaceutical companies make their products available to low-income countries at a reasonable cost? What are the obstacles to doing this?” “Is medical research biased towards the needs of high-income countries? If so, why?”
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