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Consumerism and Global Trade

A secondary education lesson plan from the WVU History Department provided in conjunction with the 57th James Morton Callahan lecture of Dr. Minayo Nasiali and sponsored by the WV Humanities Council. This lesson plan was developed by WV History PhD candidate Kristen Bailey.

Lesson Plan Components

This lesson plan from the WVU History Department is provided in conjunction with the 57th James Morton Callahan lecture of Dr. Minayo Nasiali and outlines a multi-pronged approach to discussing global consumerism with students. Teachers may elect to use the material in the sequence provided or, depending on their timeframe and goals, use one or two elements to fit into their existing lesson plans and goals.

Below is a preview of the individual lessons. Download the Complete Lesson Plan (GDOC)

Cartoon by Keppler titled "From Producer to Consumer"

Lesson One

General background about global consumerism. This includes a brief history of how nations have long engaged in trade outside of their borders to gather raw materials/resources for production...

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Tea Party Illustration

Lesson Two

This component introduces the subject of government support of consumerism through military protection. Linking consumerism with familiar historic events, including the Boston Tea Party...

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Laundry drying on a line in Croatia

Lesson Three

The student relationship to global consumerism is brought directly into the classroom with the examination of the stages of production of the tee-shirt, one of the most common consumer items...

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Black and white photo of firemen putting out a fire are the Triangle T-shirt factory

Lesson Four

Exploration of the labor in the production of items of clothing. This component introduces students to labor in the garment industry by examining a workplace tragedy and resulting workplace safety laws...

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For additional resources and source material, go to Recommended Reading.