Q1. Research genetically modified foods. Go to the local supermarket and the local health foods store and find foods that are genetically modified. Is it clearly marked? How do you know, as a consumer, if you are eating engineered foods? Does it matter? Why is there a debate over these foods? Are there laws governing the production and labeling?
a. Biotechnology is a controversial topic. A common argument is the belief that it can reduce production costs and combat many of the problems associated with agricultural problems.
b. Discuss biopharming used to produce pharmaceuticals with plant byproducts. See p.274 for more information.
c. Research laws and regulations regarding bioengineering
Q2. What is geopolitics? Discuss this concept and describe Ratzel’s contribution to the concept.
a. Geopolitics is the state’s power to control space or territory and shape international political relations. It stems from interactions of power and territory.
b. Ratzel related the concept of state to the behavior of a biological organism with natural growth and change. Figure 9.1 shows the changing map of Europe, illustrating the instability and dynamism of geography of politics.
Q3. Research the relations between the U.S. and Cuba. Why has there been so much animosity towards Cuba? Why did the tension continue after the end of the Cold War? Can Americans currently travel to Cuba?
a. The tensions between U.S. and Cuba date back to the end of WWII. Prior to that, Cuba was a location of imperialistic interest of the U.S. But at the end of WWII, the U.S. feared that Cuba would become communist. With the rise of Fidel Castro in the 1950’s the tension built. More recently, the U.S. opposition to Cuba has been economic, not military-related.
b. The U.S. put in place an embargo with the intent to destabilize the Cuban economy so Cubans would become unhappy and overthrow Castro.
c. Since 2000, relations have improved with trade and eventually, in 2010, a lifting of the travel, remittance, postal, and business restrictions by President Obama.
Q4. Compare and contrast lifestyles in rural and urban areas. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? Ask students which environment they prefer and which they grew up in. Ask them if the popular responses relate to why urban areas grow – are these typical reasons why people moveto cities?
a.Write out lists of advantages and disadvantages . Analyze those lists – what are the overall driving forces behind rural to urban movements? Why might people move from urban areas to rural environments in today’s world?
Q5. How did the industrial revolution and European imperialism impact the growth of cities around the world?
a. Created unprecedented concentrations linked in networks and hierarchies.
b. Large pools of labor, transportation networks, consumer markets, and infrastructure allowed industrial economies to flourish in cities.
c. Research the many impacts of the industrial revolution on cities – rapid growth without planning led to sewage in the streets, infamous tenement buildings, the spread of disease, and congested streets, to name a few.
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