This program
focuses on two locations in the arid region of North Africa/Southwest
Asia. First we visit Jerusalem in a search to understand the conflicts
that have erupted in this holy city. Then, in Egypt, we investigate
this desert nation's limited natural resources. Our classroom
segments show students grappling with what it means to live in
Israel's occupied territories and engaging in some creative map-making
as they map the Nile River.
View this video==>
Part 1.
Israel: Sacred Space Under Siege
Director-Joop van Reede Producer-Teleac, Netherlands
This
program explores Jerusalem's history as a religiously significant
city for Muslims, Jews, and Christians and the conflict
that has erupted over competing claims for city sectors.
The case study investigates the spatial distribution of
religious groups throughout the city and seeks answers to
how Jerusalem can be equitably organized in the future.
The classroom segment explores contested space in Israel
and what it means to be a refugee living in occupied territory.
Students discuss the conflicts in Israel and work in groups
to address problems of living in refugee camps.
Objectives
Identify
the physical and human factors that serve to define a region.
Explain
why places and regions are important to individual human identity
and as symbols for unifying or fragmenting society.
Evaluate
the impact of multiple spatial divisions on peoples' daily
lives.
Part
2. Egypt: Water in the Desert
Director-Roger Samsioe Producer-UR, Sweden
This
program investigates Egypt's limited natural resources,
focusing on that nation's dependence on the Nile River.
It includes an examination of the pressures on the Nile
watershed in light of an increasing urban population, as
well as government response to this issue. The accompanying
classroom segment involves a creative approach to map-making
and a role-playing exercise in which students express different
points of view on how the Nile River should be used.
Objectives
Understand
how changes in the spatial distribution of population may
result in changes in social and economic conditions.
Understand
the role of technology in changing the physical environment
and the environmental consequences of such actions.
Explain
how hands-on and role-playing activities foster deeper student
understanding of the physical environment and the consequences
of human modification of the environment.
