Individual Curriculum Units

The Choices Program develops curriculum on foreign policy and international issues. Teacher Sets include a reproducible student text and a teacher guide with lesson plans and additional teaching resources. Order Here.

List of Current Issues Titles

Unit Cover Russia's Transformation: Challenges for U.S. Policy
This unit puts students in a position to consider our country's relationship with Russia and its neighbors. The unit surveys Russian history and considers the economic problems and political crises that have shaped the outlook of policy makers.
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Unit Cover Conflict in Iraq: Searching for Solutions
Iraq is the most pressing foreign policy problem facing the United States. Students explore the history of Iraq and the current conflict and engage in informed discussion about the U.S. role in Iraq today.
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Unit Cover Contesting Cuba's Past and Future
The unit puts students in the role of Cubans today as they consider Cuba's future. It traces Cuba's highly contested history from the country's pre-colonial past to its most recent economic, social, and political changes.
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Unit Cover Confronting Genocide: Never Again?
This unit traces the evolution of the international community's response to genocide and examines how the United States has responded to five cases of genocide. Students consider how we should respond in the future if confronted with another genocide.
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Unit Cover China on the World Stage: Weighing the U.S. Response
This unit focuses on our country's relationship with the emerging East Asian giant. Students explore the history of Western relations with China and consider the global impact of China's economic growth and societal transformation.
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Unit Cover The Challenge of Nuclear Weapons
This unit introduces students to the history of nuclear weapons and the concept of deterrence. It examines arguments for and against nuclear weapons and looks at the leftover arsenals of the Cold War, proliferation, and the threat of nuclear terrorism.
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Unit Cover The United Nations: Challenges and Change
The United Nations: Challenges and Change introduces students to the idea of "collective security," tracing the emergence of the League of Nations to the formation of the United Nations.
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Unit Cover Shifting Sands: Balancing U.S. Interests in the Middle East
This unit allows students to examine the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Role of oil in geopolitics, the politicization of Islam, the significance of the Iranian Revolution, and other historical issues that have shaped U.S. ties to the Middle East.
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Unit Cover U.S. Immigration Policy in an Unsettled World
Students examine the historical and current dimensions of an issue that has become a key focus of U.S. policy in the wake of 9.11. This unit engages students in the current debate about our national identity.
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Unit Cover Dilemmas of Foreign Aid: Debating U.S. Priorities, Policies, and Practices
This unit introduces students to four types of foreign Aid. Students consider the reasons for and consequences of exporting the American values.
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Unit Cover Global Environmental Problems: Implications for U.S. Policy
This unit invites students to weigh the significance of global environmental problems in the formulation of U.S. foreign policy today. It traces the entry of climate change, pollution, deforestation, and biodiversity pressures into the sphere of public policy.
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Unit Cover International Trade: Competition and Cooperation in a Globalized World
This unit seeks to help students understand the basics of international trade and consider its role in this era of globalization.
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Unit Cover Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracy
This unit addresses the issues arising from the September 11, 2001 attacks. Students are drawn into consideration of the changing nature of terrorism, the motivations of terrorists, and the policy challenges for the United States.
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Unit Cover Caught Between Two Worlds: Mexico at the Crossroads
This unit involves students in Mexico's wrenching economic and cultural transformation. It probes Mexico's complex identity and history, from a Mexican perspective, to bring students face-to-face with the policy choices confronting the people of Mexico.
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Unit Cover The U.S. Role in a Changing World
This unit helps students reflect on global changes, assess national priorities, and decide for themselves the role the United States should play in the world today. Readings include discussions of security, economy, environment, culture, and politics.
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