Core Questions:

1. What were/are the effects of colonial/imperial control on local (native) populations? How have colonized regions responded?
2. Is the trend of globalization in fact a new form of imperial control (neo-colonialism)?  Are poorer nations of the world under a different type of colonial/imperial control coming from large multinational corporations and organizations such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Trade Organization (WTO)? Does a country's survival and growth depend on the larger, richer countries of the world?

Overview: In this project, students will make a development proposal to the World Bank for use in a developing nation. Proposals should adhere to policies of sustainable development.

Time Required: 3 – 5 class periods of 45 minutes

Suggested Grade Levels: Grades 8 - 12

Interdisciplinary Applications: Social Studies

NJ Core Content Standards: 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6

Instructional Objectives:

1. Students will identify the bodies of the World Bank.
2. Students will explain the structure and role of the World Bank.
3. Students will analyze the organization of development projects.
4. Students will evaluate the international economy and political economy in relation to these developing countries..

Strategies:

1. Go to the WORLD BANK web site, select COUNTRIES and REGIONS from the navigation menu.
2. Select your country from the drop down menu.
3. Select PROJECTS/POLICIES from the left side menu.
4. Examine projects that are currently underway or recently (within that last 2 years) completed by clicking on the project.  Click then on the PID (Project Information Document) or PAD (Project Assessment Document) after a brief review of the project in the gray box area.  You want to latch onto a project that has these documents so that you can model after it what your report will look like.  You can also check the “COUNTRY AT A GLANCE” file (which is a .pdf ADOBE file)
5. Obtain many atlases---know the geography, know where you are planning to do your work.

Materials:

• Project description
• Research packet
• Progress log and rubrics

Resources:

• Project description
• The Progress Log -- a time management devise where students keep track of their own work on the project. It can also be used as an informal "Works Consulted" page.
• Presentation and report rubrics

The research packet can be compiled from the following sources:

• In the COUNTRY INFO section there are the names, addresses, phone/fax numbers and e-mail addresses of officials who handle that region or country. CONTACT THEM. Adobe Acrobat reader may be needed to view and print certain documents.  Go to ADOBE to download it free of charge.
• CIA Factbook
• IMF
• United Nations

Assessment:
PROJECT WRITTEN: 3-4 pages including all important information (in your words), summarizing the conditions of a developing country, who/what government agency within the country will run the project, what branch of the World Bank will fund your project, expected results, timetable, and the one major concern (labor, indigenous peoples, pollution, child labor, education, environmental).

PROJECT PRESENTATIONS: 20-25 minutes-each person 4-5 minutes to explain (NOT READ FROM YOUR REPORT).  Questions to follow. Pay attention to the presentations and ask good questions.  This project is weighted more to ORAL than written.

• Written reports (individual grade): 30 points
• Research binder (individual grade): 20 points
• Oral participation in conference (individual grade): 40 points
• Progress Log (web sites, works cited, dates): 10 points
• TOTAL: 100 points