A handful of men and women are important enough that they are remembered for decades, even centuries, after their deaths. This lesson links geography with world issues of the 20th and 21st centuries by identifying cultural leaders or icons from around the world who have impacted the social, political, or environmental views of their countries. Students will explore the definition of "cultural icon" and study at least one cultural leader and his or her part of the world in detail.

Geography, humanities, political science, history

Standard 2: "How to use mental maps to organize information about people, places, and environments in a spatial context"
Standard 3: "How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth's surface"
Standard 13: "How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of Earth's surface"

Two to three hours

• Computer with Internet access
• Newspaper clippings of the world section
• Large piece of paper or poster board
• Wall map of the world
• Blank Xpeditions outline maps of the world, one for each pair of students

Students will

• read about cultural leaders around the world;
• discuss the concept of "cultural icon"; and
• study in depth one cultural leader, locate the areas he or she influenced on a world map, and discuss whether or not he or she should be considered an icon.

Ask students to consider the phrase "cultural icon." What does it mean to be one? Who decides who is considered a cultural icon?

In an interview conducted by National Geographic's Peter Godwin in 2000, Nelson Mandela stated:

"I dream of an Africa which is in peace with itself. I dream of the realization of unity of Africa whereby its leaders, some of whom are highly competent and experienced, can unite in their efforts to improve and to solve the problems of Africa…We must not forget, never forget, that it is our duty to protect the environment…"

Ask your students what they know about Nelson Mandela. Why is he so important for South Africa and to all of Africa? Is Mandela a cultural icon? How is he able to use his status to help his country?

Have students explore different definitions of the phrase "cultural icon." Write down on a large piece of paper or poster board key ideas they have about what a cultural icon is and keep the list for later.

Near the end of the last millennium, TIME magazine produced a top 100 list of remarkable people from around the world that have made a cultural, social, historical, or environmental contribution to society. These include people as diverse as the the Unknown Rebel at Tiananmen Square, Elvis Presley, Mohandas Gandhi, Fidel Castro, the Dalai Lama, and Bill Gates. Ask students why they think TIME chose to include people like Adolf Hitler who are not widely accepted as ones who brought positive change to the world.

As words such as democracy, communism, revolution, equal rights, religious persecution, suppression, and racial prejudice are mentioned, ask students what they mean. If they are unsure, have them look up the definitions using either the Encyclopedia Britannica or a dictionary.

Ask students to form pairs and choose one of TIME's 100 remarkable people to study further. As a class, use colored pins to mark on a world wall map the locations where the people they have chosen live(d).

[Note: If you prefer to have students work in larger groups and direct their research more specifically, here are some Web sites to get them started on a few of the leaders in the TIME list dedicated to the principle of social change through nonviolence:

Dalai Lama

His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama

Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Seattle Times: Martin Luther King, Jr.
The King Center

Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi Official Site
Mahatma Gandhi: Father of a Nation
M.K. Gandhi Institute

The Unknown Rebel at Tiananmen Square

CNN In-Depth-Specials: Tiananmen Revisited
PBS: Frontline—The Gate of Heavenly Peace

On their blank Xpeditions outline maps of the world, have each pair of students mark the area(s) of influence of the person they chose (they may also want to print a specific region, continent, or country map from the Xpeditions atlas to show greater detail). Ask them to mark the locations of birth and death, any places where landmark events happened in the person's life, and the areas of the world where they feel the person had an impact. Have one of each pair of students research information about these areas (e.g., population, economic factors, and cultural issues), while the other student gathers information about the person him/herself.

Over the course of a week or two, have your students check the "World" section of the newspaper each day and bring it to class, if possible. Have them look for coverage of current world leaders. Ask your students if they think these people are cultural icons. Are they positive role models? Do they stand for humanitarian and environmental rights?

Bring students together and ask them if their ideas about what it means to be a cultural icon have changed. How would they define the phrase now? Is a cultural icon always a "good" person? Does a cultural icon even have to be a person? Some people consider Barbie a cultural icon—do students agree or disagree?

Ask students to share with the class information about the person they chose to study further, and describe the region(s) he/she came from and influenced, using the wall map of the world and the blank outline maps labeled. Was he or she a cultural icon? Why or why not? Why was he or she important? What were the circumstances that led this person to do great (or terrible) things? Does information about the area(s) the person influenced explain why the person was able to have such an impact? Do the students giving the presentation agree with TIME's decision to include this person as a leader? Does the rest of the class?

• What would be the one thing that your students might want to change about their country or world socially, scientifically, or environmentally? Have them write a take-home essay about the topic, describing the kind of cultural icon they would like to be.
  
  
• Many of the world's cultural leaders have been highlighted in television and video documentaries. The film Gandhi (1982) won Academy Awards for best picture, best director, and best actor. Have your students watch Gandhi and while taking notes, have them generate questions that can be brought to a discussion at the end of the film.

National Geographic: Online Extra—Interview with Mandela
National Geographic: Xpeditions Atlas—World Outline Maps
The TIME 100: The Most Important People of the 20th Century