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Overview:
Students have probably heard about the crisis in Sudan on the news, and this lesson offers them both background and current information (as of August 2004) about the situation in Darfur. It can also serve as reference material for students studying other humanitarian and environmental disasters. The lesson covers the current conflict between the people of Darfur and the Janjaweed militia, its historical and religious roots, its impact on neighboring countries, and the international response.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, current events, history, computer skills, religion
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 1: "How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective"
Standard 3: "How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth's surface"
Standard 4: "The physical and human characteristics of places"
Standard 5: "That people create regions to interpret Earth's complexity"
Standard 10: "The characteristics, distribution, and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics"
Standard 12: "The processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement"
Time:
Four to six hours (approximately two class periods and one night's homework)
Materials Required:
Objectives:
Students will
- place Chad and Darfur, in the country of Sudan, on a map of Africa;
- describe the crisis in Darfur and its humanitarian impact in terms of displacement, illness, and death;
- identify and give a brief history of the Janjaweed;
- discuss possible reasons for the conflict between the people of Darfur and the Janjaweed;
- discuss the health-related problems the crisis is causing;
- discuss the burden of the crisis on neighboring countries; and
- discuss international efforts to assist the people of Darfur and to end the crisis there.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Ask students to discuss what they already know about Darfur from news reports. Ask them if they know of any similar crises in Africa in recent years. This brief opening discussion might take place the day before the lesson begins, with the students reading this Web site article as introductory homework.
Development:
Closing:
Have the class give group presentations of their research, followed by a class discussion of the crisis.
Suggested Student Assessment:
Ask students to discuss as a class or in small groups whether they think such a humanitarian crisis could happen in North America or Europe today. Why or why not? In a class discussion or written essays, ask them to defend their conclusions.
Extending the Lesson:
Have students research the activities of international aid organizations such as CARE, Doctors Without Borders, and Mercy Corps in the Sudan and other countries.
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