Life and Debt in Haiti
http://clacs.aas.duke.edu/outreach/CurriculumMaterials.php
A lesson plan for grades 9–12 Social Studies
This unit from the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Duke University focuses on a key aspect of conflict and poverty in poor countries — the diminishing domestic agriculture sector — and examines some of the international actors in its decline. Students watch the film Life and Debt and then simulate a 1984 debt conference in which the International Monetary Fund will determine if Haiti is to receive a low-interest loan.
By watching the film Life and Debt and further analyzing international financial institutions (IFIs) through discussion, students will achieve a better understanding of IFIs and the United States’ role in “development” in certain parts of the world. This unit applies lessons learned from Life and Debt to Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Recent food riots put Haiti in the international spotlight, but little effort was made to discover why the Haitian people were rioting and which external parties shared responsibility for their struggles. Through interactive activities such as a role-play debt conference, this unit challenges students to dig deeper to discover the root causes of hunger and the ensuing food riots.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Social Studies (2003)
Grade 11–12 — Economics
- Goal 8: The learner will analyze the international dimensions of economics.
- Objective 8.02: Define trade barriers, such as quotas and tariffs, and cite how different countries use them.
Grade 9
- Goal 6: Patterns of Social Order - The learner will investigate social and economic organization in various societies throughout time in order to understand the shifts in power and status that have occurred.
- Objective 6.04: Relate the dynamics of state economies to the well being of their members and to changes in the role of government.
- Objective 6.05: Analyze issues such as ecological/environmental concerns, political instability, and nationalism as challenges to which societies must respond.
