Class Description

World Cultures is a one semester course taken during the sophomore year. This includes studies of cultures apart from Western Civilization - Latin America, India, Russia, Middle East and China. The geography, history and culture of each of these regions will be studied along with their political, religious and economic systems.

Class Expectations

Textbook: World Cultures: A Global Mosaic. Prentice Hall. 1999

Testing Information:

1. A map test is given for each of the 5 units.

2. A unit test is given about every 3 weeks.

3. The unit tests are primarily made up of identify, short answer and essay.

Daily Work:

1. Almost every day the students will have a reading assignment. The reading assignments are usually 3-5 pages in length and consist of a few questions to be answered.

2. At the end of the unit the assignments will be checked and graded.

Occasionally quizzes over reading assignments will be given, usually with little advance notice.

Major Projects:

-For 3 of the 5 units, the students will research a specific topic dealing with that unit. Each of the 3 presentations or papers will carry the weight of 80 points.

Miscellaneous:

1. Class participation is major factor in determining a student's grade.

2. Attendance is important, when absent the responsibility is on the student to make up any missed work and be ready to take tests, etc...

Final exam:

-A comprehensive final exam will be given at the end of the semester. It will be worth 20% of the semester grade. A review sheet will be handed out a week prior to the exam.

Contact:

If there are any questions, I can be reached at school or at home. My home phone number is 722-4124.

 

Class Outline

1. Objectives:

a. To know and appreciate the unique contributions of other cultures.
b. To be able to critique other cultures from a Christian point of view.
c. To be able to critique our North American culture using other cultures as a comparison (we study 2/3's of the world's population).
d. To master a knowledge base (religion, daily life, economic, political and geographical) of other cultures from which we can achieve our other objectives.
e. To appreciate the impact that other cultures have (and the impact that we have in turn) in our "shrinking world", while seeking ways to work together on common world problems.
f. To know the status of the faith in these cultures and how we can better individually and collectively evangelize.

2. Text: World Cultures: A Global Mosaic. Prentice Hall.1999

Latin America

a. History and Culture, Old World, New World and mixture.
b. Daily life, role of women, urbanization, dress, music, etc.
c. Justice for the poor: what methods of revolution are right?
d. The Colossus from the north: understanding and cooperation with the U.S.:
- the drug war
- immigration and cultural understanding
e. Evangelical faith in a nominal Catholic area of the world.

India (South Asia)

a. Trends and themes in today's India
b. Facts and Figures and what they reveal about India.
c. A Christian looks at Hinduism and the Caste system.
d. Major influences in history.
e. Marriage, family, and role of women.
f. Christianity in the past and present.
g. Economics and politics today.

Russia (the old USSR)

a. Facts, figures, trends and themes and what they reveal about Russia.
b. The impact of communism on Russia.
c. The struggle to move to a market economy.
d. The struggle to move to democracy.
e. Russian problems: environmental, corruption and crime. Who controls nuclear weapons? Etc.
f. Terrific gospel opportunities in a sea of atheism and Russian orthodoxy.

The Middle East

a. Center point for religion, oil and geography.
b. A Christian looks at Islam.
c. The politics of water.
d. The Arab/Israeli conflict and it's impact today.
e. Diversity of culture in the Middle East
f. Trials and blessings of Christianity in the Middle East.
g. Gulf War and watching Saddam Hussein.

China (East Asia)

a. A Christian look at Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.
b. Major influences in history in this isolated country.
c. Modern China and changing communism.
d. Free trade with a country that persecutes religious and political enemies?
e. Daily life: food, dress, music, role of women.
f. The Home Church movement: 50 million Christians in a country of 1.2 billion.
g. A Christian look at the single child policy and Chinese population.