World Issues: A Geographic Analysis, College Preparation (CGW4C)

Grade 12 Canada and World Studies ON (2015) – Curricular Links to the Holodomor and Ukraine

Curriculum Expectations Where the Holodomor, Canada’s First Internment Operations or Topics on Ukraine May Apply

Unit	Overall Expectation	Specific Expectation	Explanation
A. Geographic Inquiry and Skill Development	A1. Geographic Inquiry: Use the geographic inquiry process and the concepts of geographic thinking when investigating world issues.	A1.5: Use the concepts of geographic thinking (i.e, spatial significance, patterns and trends, interrelationships, geographic perspective) when analysing and evaluating data and information and formulating conclusions and/ or judgements about the world issues.	Students may analyze the short and long term population trends of the areas affected by the Holodomor (the Genocidal Famine) in Soviet Ukraine. Students may compare the Ukrainian population statistics of the 1926 Soviet census to the census results of 1939 with that of the growth in population of Russians in the Soviet Union at the same time. Sample question: “Explain why there is a decrease in population in Soviet Ukraine between the 1926 and 1939 Soviet census.”
A. Geographic Inquiry and Skill Development	A2. Developing Transferable Skills: Apply in everyday context skills, including spatial skills, developed through geographical investigation, and identify some careers in which a background in geography might be an asset.	A2.2: Apply in everyday contexts skills and work habits developed through geographic investigation.	Students may analyze the short and long term population trends of the areas affected by the Holodomor in Soviet Ukraine. Students may compare the Ukrainian population statistics of the 1926 Soviet census to the census results of 1939 with that of the growth in population of Russians in the Soviet Union at the same time. Sample question: “Explain why there is a decrease in population in Soviet Ukraine between the 1926 and 1939 Soviet census.” Sample question: “What factors do demographers consider in determining the population growth of a country like Ukraine in the 1930s?”
A. Geographic Inquiry and Skill Development	A2. Developing Transferable Skills: Apply in everyday context skills, including spatial skills, developed through geographical investigation, and identify some careers in which a background in geography might be an asset.	A2.3: Apply the concepts of geographical thinking when analysing current events involving geographic issues in order to enhance their understanding of the issues and their role as informed citizens.	Students may use the concept of geographical perspective to understand the effects of border changes. Sample question: “Why were the boundaries of Ukraine ignored by Russia in 2014 and 2015? What right does Russia have to violate Ukrainian territorial integrity?”
B. Spatial Organization: Regional Similarities and Differences	B1. Economic Disparities: Analyse interrelationships between social conditions, access to natural resources, government policies, and economic disparities within and between countries or regions.	B1.1: Analyse the impact of a variety of economic, social, and political factors on the unequal distribution of wealth within and between countries.	Sample question: “Explain why the kulaks, who grew the grain in Ukraine starved, when there was a surplus of Soviet grain on international markets?” Sample question: “What factors contributed to the liquidation of the kulaks, as a unit in Ukrainian society?” Sample question: “How did the liquidation of these successful farmers hinder agricultural development in Soviet Ukraine?” Sample question: “How did the Soviet government justify its selling of grain on the open market in 1932 and 1933, when millions of its citizens were starving?”
B. Spatial Organization: Regional Similarities and Differences	B1. Economic Disparities: Analyse interrelationships between social conditions, access to natural resources, government policies, and economic disparities within and between countries or regions.	B1.3: Identify the effects of government policies and practices on economic and social disparities.	Sample question: “How did the decision by the Soviet government’s political leaders to export agricultural produce affect the access to food in Soviet Ukraine?” Sample question: “How could food be used as a weapon by a government against its own people? Use the example of the Holodomor to help explain your answer.”
E. Changing Societies	E1. Urbanization: Analyse trends in urbanization in both economically developed and developing regions of the world, and assess the impacts of these trends.	E1.1: Analyze trends in urban growth, locally and globally, and explain factors contributing to these trends.	During the 1930s private farms in the Soviet Union, especially in Ukraine, were collectivized into kolhosps. Kolhops were created to satisfy the Soviet policy of collectivization, which was part of Stalin’s Five Year Plan to bring industrialization to the Soviet Union. Sample question: “Explain how the Soviet policy of collectivization was used to bring about agricultural changes and the migration of populations to cities.”
E. Changing Societies	E3. Human Right and Quality of Life: Analyze impacts of a variety of factors on human rights and quality of life in selected countries. E3. Human Rights and Quality of Life: Analyse impacts of a variety of factors on human rights and quality of life in selected countries E3. Human Rights and Quality of Life: Analyse impacts of a variety of factors on human rights and quality of life in selected countries	E3.2: Analyze national and international responses to human rights violations in various parts of the world.	Sample question: “What was the response of the international community to the Holodomor in the 1930s?” Sample question: “How is the international community’s response to the Holodomor different today than it was in the 1930s?” Sample question: “Which countries still deny that the Holodomor occurred? Why.” Sample question: “Examine the role media played in the way Western governments dealt with the Holodomor in the 1930s.”