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Digging Deeper Into Darfur
Creating Infographics to Illustrate the Conflict in Darfur
Annissa Hambouz, The New York Times Learning Network
Javaid Khan, The Bank Street College of Education in New York City
Grades: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Geography, Global History, Social StudiesOverview of Lesson Plan:In this lesson, students learn about President Bush’s plan to impose sanctions against Sudan. They then research the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan that has left at least 200,000 dead and more than 2.5 million displaced since 2003. The lesson culminates in the creation of infographic posters to illustrate some of the key issues.
Suggested Time Allowance:1 hourObjectives:
1. Consider the concept of economic sanctions, why they are imposed, and their impact on affected countries.
2. Learn about the U.S. economic sanctions against Sudan regarding policies in Darfur by reading and discussing the article, “Bush Tightens Fiscal Penalties Against Sudan.”
3. Investigate key issues regarding the conflict in Darfur, from 2003 to the present.
4. Create infographics to illustrate information and statistics related to the conflict in Darfur.
Resources / Materials:
-copies of “Bush Tightens Fiscal Penalties Against Sudan” found online at http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20070530wednesday.html (one per student)
-computers with Internet access
-poster board (one per group)
-markers (one set per group)Activities / Procedures:
1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Students respond to the following prompt, written on the board prior to class: “Economic sanctions are economic penalties imposed on one country by another country or group of countries, such as the United Nations. Under what conditions do you think sanctions might be imposed, and why? What impact do you think sanctions might have on businesses and individuals living in the country against which they are being imposed? Have you ever been in a situation in which you withheld (or wanted to withhold) your resources for a specific cause? What were the circumstances?”
Allow students several minutes to write, and then ask them to share their responses with the class. The reasons why countries impose sanctions vary, but are often used to oppose the sanctioned country’s government or policies, as in the case of today’s discussion of the United States and Sudan. You may wish to review terms such as “tariff,” “embargo,” “boycott,” and “duties,” “quotas” as examples of economic sanctions.
2. As a class, read and discuss “Bush Tightens Fiscal Penalties Against Sudan” (http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20070530wednesday.html) focusing on the following questions:
3. Explain to students that they will be investigating some of the questions raised by today’s article, and presenting data and statistics on the conflict in Darfur in the form of infographics. Infographics are visual representations of information, such as graphs, charts, maps, and timelines. Their use can be an effective tool for understanding and processing complex issues such as the situation in Sudan. Graphic representations also play an increasingly important role in standardized testing, and this is an excellent opportunity for students to become more familiar with them.
Divide students into four groups and assign each one of the following research topics (with suggested infographic, research questions and online resources), copied onto handouts for easier student access:
GROUP 1: Sudan’s Geography and Demography
Questions: Where is Sudan? Where is the Darfur region of the country? What ethnic and religious populations can be found in Sudan? What role does ethnicity and/or religion play in the current conflict?
Recommended online source: The C.I.A. World Factbook entry on Sudan (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/su.html).
GROUP 2: A Brief History of the Darfur Conflict
Questions: What prompted the current conflict to begin in 2003? Who comprises the main groups or populations involved?
Recommended online source: The BBC’s “Q&A: Sudan’s Darfur Conflict” (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3496731.stm).
GROUP 3: International Response to Darfur
Questions: Why do countries such as China, Russia, and South Africa differ from the United States in their approach to Sudan? What countries, if any, plan to join the United States in imposing sanctions? What resolutions has the United Nations issued regarding Darfur? What presence does the United Nations have in Sudan?
Recommended online sources: Sudan Information Gateway: United Nations System in the Sudan (http://www.unsudanig.org/) and The Brookings Institution’s “The International Response to Darfur”( http://www.brookings.edu/fp/projects/idp/20050526_rcohen_fmrdarfur.htm).
GROUP 4: The Estimated Number of Deaths and Displaced Persons
Questions: How many people are estimated to have died in Darfur since 2003? How many people are estimated to have been displaced? Where have most displaced people settled in the meantime?
Recommended online source: USA Today’s “Debate over Darfur Death Toll Intensifies” (http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-11-29-darfur_x.htm).
Groups spend approximately 25-30 minutes researching their topics. They then spend five to ten minutes discussing the best graphic format to illustrate their findings. For the remainder of the period, groups create their infographics using the poster board and markers provided. They should cite the sources of their data in bibliographic format on the back of their poster boards.
In a future class, each group presents its infographic poster while the other students take notes. This lesson may also be presented in a “teach in” format in which other classes are invited to take part in the sharing of information on Darfur. To further raise awareness, all posters should be displayed in the school after the presentations.
4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: For homework, students write reflections on the information they gathered and presented on Darfur during class. Questions they may wish to consider in their responses include:
“-What conclusions can you draw when you look at the combined information, statistics, and data?
-Why do you think the United Nations has not classified the crisis in Darfur as “genocide”?
-What other current examples of atrocity around the world have you heard or read about? Why do you think some crises receive news coverage while others do not?
-What do you think makes Darfur such a powerful political cause in the United States?Evaluation / Assessment:
Students will be evaluated based on their written responses to the opening exercise, participation in class discussions and group research, and completion of infographic posters and homework reflections.sVocabulary:
sanctions, deployment, janjaweed, militias, systematically, civilians, anonymously, embargo, obligations, obstruction, genocide, veto, deployment, confidential, masqueradeExtension Activities:
1. Research and create an informative quiz on refugees around the world. Which continents host the largest numbers of refugees? What is the oldest refugee population in the world? What is the largest? You may wish to start your research at the Human Rights Watch Refugees Web site ( http://hrw.org/doc/?t=refugees&document_limit=0,2).
2. There have been reports of enforced labor, child soldiers, and over four million deaths over the last decade in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa. What conditions have fueled these atrocities, and why? Why might the events in Congo receive less public attention than those in Sudan? Write an investigative report. You may wish to start your research at the Human Rights Watch “Congo” page (http://hrw.org/doc/?t=africa&c=congo).
3. Compare the Bush administration’s current sanction plans against Sudan to the longstanding U.S. sanctions against Cuba. Under what conditions were the sanctions initially imposed, and how have they changed over the years? Create a timeline.
4. What are celebrities and other high profile individuals doing to promote awareness of the conflict in Darfur? Research actor George Clooney, basketball player Ira Newkill, and others and write a profile of a celebrity in his or her role as an activist.Interdisciplinary Connections:
Civics- The article mentions that Darfur has become a powerful cause among the Christian conservatives who make up Mr. Bush’s political base. Who are the “Christian conservatives,” and what percentage of voter demographics are they estimated to comprise? Write a profile on this population.
Fine Arts- Create your own artistic representation, such as a painting, drawing, collage, dramatic interpretation, or song, of a cause that is important to you.
Journalism- Write an editorial on popular political causes. Why do some international issues receive attention while others go unnoticed?
Teaching with The Times- Read The New York Times regularly and track one aspect of the conflict in Darfur such as sanctions, the role of the United Nations, or the increasing numbers of refugees. Discuss any changes with your class weekly.
This lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed below. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education: 2nd Edition and have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado.In addition, this lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards of a specific state. Links are provided where available from each McREL standard to the Achieve website containing state standards for over 40 states. The state standards are from Achieve's National Standards Clearinghouse and have been provided courtesy of Achieve, Inc. in Cambridge Massachusetts and Washington, DC. Grades 6-8
Historical Understanding Standard 2- Understands the historical perspective. Benchmarks: Understands that specific individuals and the values those individuals held had an impact on history; Analyzes the influence specific ideas and beliefs had on a period of history; Analyzes the effects specific decisions had on history
World History Standard 44- Understands the search for community, stability, and peace in an interdependent world. Benchmark: Understands instances of political conflict and terrorism in modern society
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