Global+Citizenship

= = =  **﻿ ﻿ ****Year 10 Civics and Citizenship**  =

What is my role as a Global citizen?
Global issues and problems can seem too big for the individual to understand or eliminate. Why does poverty still exist in our world? Why do women face oppression in many countries? What is the difference between an illegal migrant and an asylum seeker and what is all the fuss about? These issues are in the news all the time and it is easy to ignore these stories as just too big to do anything about. However, as global citizens we need to be aware of, understand and be able to speak out about these issues.

Your task is to demonstrate you have an understanding of the different perspectives surrounding a global issue or problem.

The task requires you to find information **__from a variety of sources__** and put together a presentation that shows your understanding and research.
 * Select a topic - check with your teacher before going on to research.**

**Research Process** Because you want current information, **the best sources of information will be journals and the internet**. These will be your primary means of collecting information. As there will be a number of different viewpoints remember to:
 * 1. ﻿Finding Information **
 * Look to the authority of the pages you are using - is the information credible?
 * Does the author have a particular interest or reason for writing this information?
 * Can I find out more information about the source of the information?
 * See the page on **Evaluation and Use of Journal Articles** for more information.

**Search Terms** There will be information from many perspectives on this topic - you will need to search widely!
 * Background Information - Books, Clickview and Encyclopedias**
 * Use books and encyclopedias for background information if you do not have much idea about your topic to start with.
 * Use your topic as a search term at the OPAC (library catalogue), in Clickview and in encyclopedias. Once you have found the Dewey numbers, scan the book using the Table of Contents, Index and sub headings in the various chapters.
 * If you do not find anything in the library catalogue on your topic, try a broader search term. Eg, Globalisation, Women, Poverty.

= **2. Internet Searching** = Use **Wikipedia** to get some general background information on your topic. This will alert you to countries, people and organisations involved in the problem. Write these down these terms - they can be used as search terms in Google and in online databases. Make use of the references at the end of the Wikipedia article - these tell you where the information in the article came from and might give you sites to explore further.

Information from government sites will present a country's official view of a topic. This may sometimes be biased. To search for government sites, add .gov to your search terms. Eg to search for government sites on capital punishment //Malaysia "capital punishment" .gov//
 * Government sites**

If some countries are heavily represented in a global problem, add that country to your search term. Eg. If you are searching for child labour, your search terms may be //"child labour" nepal// (Google assumes you mean child labour AND Nepal) You will have to do multiple searches - keep a list of the searches you make so you do not double track. Being specific in your search terms will reduce the number of hits and searches you need to do.
 * Specific Countries**

You will find many different groups active in these areas that support people affected by the problems. Again, remember they are trying to persuade you to a particular viewpoint. Even though the information may be accurate, it may be emotive. If you want to find Non Government organisations, try the name of the organisation as a search term. If you do not know the name of the organisation, you could try to search using the term ngo and the global problem to find NGOs active in that area. eg //ngo "child labour" (use " " so that Google searches for the phrase not the individual words)//
 * Lobbyists, Activists and Interest Groups**

= 3. Online Databases - Newspapers and Magazines = Newspapers and magazines are excellent sources of current, authoriative information on current topics. Many journals have a web presence and you can find articles from past issues. An excellent journal on all issues about globalisation is [|**New Internationalist**.] This magazine is now available in print form in the library and is also on the web.


 * The Week** is another print journal in the library that covers local and global issues - kept on the periodicals racks in the Reading Space.


 * Current Social Issues** and **Current Environmental Issues** are fortnightly publications that compile articles from newspapers around Australia on social and environmental issues - kept in folders in the Reference collection near the Non Fiction collection.

OLMC has two databases that you should use for this assignment.

//**[|Electric Library] - User name and Password can be found on the OLMC portal**// You can search for a variety of types of information sources. Limit your search to magazines (journals) and newspapers. This is a text based database only, there are no photos or graphics included. Use **advanced search** so that you can specify dates and enter more specific search terms. You can **use similar search terms** that you used in Google. Electric Library will also prompt you with suggestions for improving your search - use this to refine your search.

Specify that you want **FULL TEXT only** - otherwise you will have to search for the articles from alternative sources. You can save the articles you find - either print them or send them to your email address.

This database includes articles from The Age newspaper. You can see the article as it appeared in the newspaper, including photographs and graphics. The teacher librarians will instruct you in how to use the database most effectively. It can be searched in a similar way to Google, Advanced search is the best way to get the most from the database. **4. Google News Timeline** [|Google News Timeline] is another excellent source of recent information. This tool allows you to view **RECENT** news and other sources (newspapers, magazines - //Time//) on a graphical timeline. You can move through by dragging the timeline forward or backwards, or by specifying dates. Use your keywords.
 * //Ag[|e Digital Library Edition] - User name and Password can be found on the OLMC portal//**

**5. Websites** //Asylum Seekers// [] [] //Capital Punishment// [] //Child Labour// []
 * International Law, Treaties and Agreements**

Act up []
 * Non Government Organisations and Lobby Groups - start with these and find others that work in your area**

Amnesty International [] //Asylum Seekers Resource Centre// [] //Fair Trade// []

Human Rights Watch [] //Make Poverty History// [] //Medecins Sans Frontiere// [] //Save the Children// []

Australian Bureau of Statistics []
 * Government and International Agencies**

CIA Factbook [] //UNICEF// [] //United Nations// []

World Bank [] //World Health Organisation// []

= 4. Selecting Information =
 * Evaluate the information you find using the Evaluation Guide to Journal Articles.
 * Record the sources of the articles using the format outlined in the OLMC Style Guide for Senior Students. You must acknowledge your sources!
 * Use a note taking grid or Cornell notes to summarise the information you find that is useful.