unit 4: video

Listening 1

VIEWING TASK

Watch the video and take notes of the demographic trends and prospects of the countries and regions mentioned in the video.

Speak up

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Are the projections, made in the video, similar to those from the above extracts?
Why, to your knowledge, are demographic processes region specific?
Do you know what the Demographic Transition theory consists in?

Listening 2

link

VIEWING TASK

Watch the video out of class and fill in the table with the changes in society that account for each shift to the next stage of the model. Provide examples of countries/regions in each stage of the DTM. Be ready for the class discussion.

Stage	Changes in society	Examples
2
3
4
5

Speak up

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What, in your opinion, are the limitations of the demographic transition model? What factors do you think it ignores?
Do you believe global overpopulation is still a matter of real concern or humanity has successfully managed to escape the Malthusian trap?
What impact has the Covid-19 pandemic had on the demographic trajectories of countries worldwide?

Listening 3

link

VOCABULARY

To vet — to examine something or someone carefully to make sure that they are acceptable or suitable

To tout — to advertise or praise something or someone repeatedly

PRE-VIEWING QUESTIONS

Do you know the term ‘push and pull factors of migration’? If not, can you guess and give your own definition? Give examples of such factors.
What, to your knowledge, are the most popular countries of destination for international migrants and why?

VIEWING TASK

Watch the video and a) jot down the definitions of different types of migrants you hear about; b) answer the following questions:

Who has the power to determine the status of a refugee?
What type of migrants is the most vulnerable and why?
What concerns are state migration policies based on?
How does migration affect receiving and sending countries?
How is international migration regulated and facilitated?

Speak up

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Why do you think the issue of refugees and migrants has become increasingly sensitive and divisive over the last decade?
What ethical problems surround the problem of handling refugees and asylum seekers?

Listening 4

link

Notes:

The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition in Africa between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south.
The Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula of East Africa. Located on the easternmost part of the African mainland, it is the fourth largest peninsula in the world.
Equatoria – region in South Sudan
Al-Shabab, or “the Youth,” is an Islamist insurgent group based in Somalia.

PRE-VIEWING QUESTION

What do you think is the correlation between climate change and conflict?

VIEWING TASK

a) Watch the video to find if you described all the possible scenarios when answering the above question.

b) Jot down the examples of the relationship between climate change and conflict (the above notes might be of use).

Speak up

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

How plausible, in your opinion, is cooperation between conflict parties in areas beset by extreme weather conditions?
What do you think the international community can do to stave off climate change-induced conflict?

How to write a critique essay

link

VIDEOS OVER THE WEEKEND

TASK:

Summarise the positions of the attendees
Assess their argumentation critically: whose arguments are the strongest/ the weakest? Why?
Contribute to the topic vocabulary list