|
Overview:
This lesson will introduce students to the changing nature of political boundaries in Asia. It will start by assessing the role geography plays in establishing national boundaries. Students will then examine a series of historical maps that show changing political boundaries and speculate on the reason some boundaries have changed dramatically and some have remained fairly constant. Students will then examine several examples of boundaries. Students may also be asked to pick a nation and summarize the various states or empires that were part of that nation's past.
This lesson is one in a series developed in collaboration with The Asia Society,with support from the Freeman Foundation, highlighting the geography and culture of Asia and its people.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, world history, social studies, economics, political
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
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"
Time:
Two hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
Objectives:
Students will
- determine the role of geography in establishing and maintaining political boundaries;
- analyze changes to political boundaries in Asia over time;
- analyze the effectiveness of various kinds of political boundaries; and
- infer possible long-term effects of changing political boundaries on the consciousness of people living in various contemporary Asian nations.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Ask students how they know they have gone from one neighborhood or town to another. How do they know when they have left their town or city? Students may share such responses as seeing signs or business names that include the name of the town. Explain to students that towns, states, and countries all have boundaries. Some of these boundaries are political, and some are physical.
Ask students to describe any physical and geographic boundaries of their town or city. (If you have a map of your community, show it to the students to stimulate discussion.) Answers may include such features as mountains, rivers, gorges, bodies of water, etc. Then ask students to describe any political boundaries that have been established but don't seem to correlate to a physical or geographic feature. Finally, ask students to describe the importance of geographic factors in establishing and maintaining boundaries.
Development:
Have students study a physical map of Asia that shows major mountains, rivers, and different landforms. Explain to them that they will have an opportunity to "redistrict" the countries in Asia. Have students use the geographic features found on the map as a guide to drawing what they would consider appropriate political boundaries for each of the countries. Remind students that they should consider the importance of physical boundaries such as mountains, rivers, or discrete climatic areas.
Have students compare their maps with a contemporary political map of Asia. Ask students to describe to what extent the contemporary political boundaries coincide with the boundaries they created. Ask students what some of the physical features consistently used as political boundaries were. Finally, have them consider what other factors might influence the creation of states and nations.
Show students a map of China's political boundaries over time. Ask students: To what extent did the boundaries of these historic kingdoms coincide with China's present boundaries? Which areas were seldom united? If the boundaries were not the same, why do you think they changed?
Alternatively, if time allows, divide students into groups of three, and assign each group a different country in Asia. Give students access to Web resources that show political boundaries in Asia at different times in the past. Have each group identify the small states, kingdoms, or empires that existed on the land that now comprises their nation. Then have each group research and discuss one of the following three topics:
- In most states, whether small kingdoms or large empires, boundaries are used to protect the land from attack and to keep outsiders out. Troops are often stationed along the borders. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of possible defensive boundaries such as walls, mountains, rivers, deserts, or armies. Be sure to consider the effectiveness of the Great Wall of China when creating your response.
- In a "theater state," as anthropologist Clifford Geertz describes, the people are governed by ceremony and symbolism rather than by force or physical borders. Rulers want to attract more subjects to come and live in their kingdom; they are not anxious to control more land. Walls built to keep people in often have the opposite effect, causing people to want to flee. Have students discuss what a ruler might do to attract people to his kingdom and what might entice them to stay there. Consider economic reasons such as taxes, security reasons, and social reasons.
- The Khmer kingdom in Cambodia (802-1432) is a good example of a theater state. Explore Web sites about the temple/palace complexes of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, focusing on the rituals and spectacles that might have occurred at these sites. Discuss why people might have wanted to live near Angkor Wat or Angkor Thom. Where do you think the government's influence would be strongest? Where would it be very weak? Why? Where might a person prefer to live and why?
Closing:
Ask students to assess the effectiveness of various kinds of boundaries. Tell students to consider the same areas over time, and ask which boundaries seem to have changed the least. Why might that be? Which areas have changed the most? Why?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Have students write a position paper for a ruler explaining how he or she might use both defensive borders and aspects of the theater state to enhance the kingdom or empire's power and grandeur.
Extending the Lesson:
- The people of a nation need to have a sense of a common bond or things they share which other groups do not have. Some suggest that some modern nations try to build a sense of national pride and unity by celebrating their past. However, not all aspects of the past make people proud, and not all the people living in a nation today are descendents from earlier times. As a result, leaders have tried to help create a "remembered past" by claiming and celebrating certain aspects of the past as their nation's history and forgetting the rest.
- Have students choose a modern Asian country and determine the different kingdoms and/or empires that have controlled its area in the past. (Be sure to include areas in Central Asia such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.) Have students consider: What difference might that history make to the people in these areas today? What are the various historic experiences that citizens can draw on as they celebrate their past? Which of the epics or kingdoms have they chosen to celebrate and why? Which aspects of their history do they seem to have decided to forget?
Related Links:
| 
Check out:
