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Recommended because this lesson asks important questions about the US involvement in the war against terrorism in Afghanistan. Start by reading the overview of lesson plan: "In this lesson, students examine the relationships between and among powers inside and outside Afghanistan in connection to United States military aggression in the territory." Then go to the related article, Alliance of Convenience. Be aware of the fact that this lesson plan was produced by the New York Times Learning Network, 2001 and is recommended for Grades 6-8, 9-12. |
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Recommended because this website gives separate reports on human rights violations for each of the Central Asian states. Just look for each listed in alphabetical order in the drop down box to the left side of the screen below "List of Countries." All of the other countries of the world are listed here as well. Start by going to the Central Asia overview for a general picture of human rights abuses in the region. Be aware of the fact that in Central Asia, human rights violations include unfair elections, repression of political opponents and religious groups, torture and other bad conditions in prisons, etc. This is not surprising given the fact that democracy and basic human rights have yet to arrive in most of Central Asia, despite the collapse of the Soviet Union more than ten years ago. Also, the post-9/11 "War on Terror" is being used by some governments in the region to crack down on dissidents. |
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Recommended because this is an article written on 1998 on the deplorable state of women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. While somewhat dated since the Taliban are no longer in power, this piece gives the reader a graphic portrayal of how women suffered during the years of Taliban rule. Be aware of the fact that this article was written for "On the Issues" the Progressive Women's Quarterly. |
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Recommended because this is a biweekly summary of news and analysis of events in Central Asia and the Caucasus. The "Analyst" is compiled at the Central Asia and Caucasus Institute of Johns Hopkins University. Article authors are scholars from around the world. Be aware of the fact that this website contains an archive of past articles in addition to listing current ones. |
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Recommended because in this lesson plan, students read a CNN article and do additional independent research to learn about Afghanistan's history. Topics and materials include excellent maps and Internet links. Produced by CNN Student News. Start by reading the background CNN article, Afghanistan's Struggles Have a Long History. Be aware of the fact that there is a list of related articles at the bottom of the page as well as links to Afghan-related websites. |
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Recommended because EurasiaNet provides detailed news and analsysis from and about Central Asia (including Afghanistan). Topics include political, econonomic, environmental, and cultural developments in the regions. Be aware of the fact one can search this large website by topic or by country. Though the site is in English, many of the articles are also available in Russian. Eurasianet is based in New York and is affiliated with the Open Society Institute. |
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Recommended because this website (apparently produced in Kyrgyzstan) has separate sections for geography, history and government, the national epic "Manas," and arts and crafts. Be aware of the fact that although coverage of "Manas" is extensive, the other sections are too brief to serve as anything but an introduction to this little-known country that borders western China. |
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Recommended because because this BBC webiste gives in-depth news coverage and analysis to the US led war against Al-Qaeda and the Taleban in Afghanistan. Start by reading about Al-Qaeda's Origins and Links. Be aware of the fact that in addition to reporting on events, the site contains a great deal of background information on Afghanistan and the Taleban. The site is updated daily. |
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Recommended because this lesson sheds light on Afghanistan's turbulent history in the twentieth century. Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students investigate the many political changes that Afghanistan has endured over the past century in order to better assess the impact of the recent fleeing of the Taliban from the capital of Kabul. Start by reading the related article Taliban Troops Gives Up Kabul Without a Fight. Be aware of the fact that that this lesson plan was designed for grades 6-8 and 9-12. Produced by the New York Times Learning Network, 2001. |
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Recommended because this website contains basic information about Kazakhstan from a Kazakh, rather than a Russian or Western perspective. Topics include history, architecture, great people, nature, cities, weather and many other categories. Start by clicking on whichever section strikes your fancy. |
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Recommended because of its daily news report on the Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. News stories are brief, objective, and focus primarily on political developments. They are divided into the following areas: Russia; Transcaucasus and Central Asia; Central and Eastern Europe; and Southeastern Europe. Be aware of the fact that one can receive the daily RFE/RL news reports for free by e-mail (write to newsline-subscribe@list.rferl.org) or the reports can be accessed on the RFE/RL website, which also has a newsline archive. |
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Recommended because this lesson deals with one of the most dramatic environmental problems in the world today: the disappearance, due to diversion of water for irrigating cotton fields, of Central Asia's Aral Sea. The shrinking of the Aral Sea has led to a number of problems for people in the region of Central Asia. This lesson asks students to consider what happens when a sea shrinks and to compare pictures of the Aral Sea at different times. They'll conclude by pretending to be residents of the Aral Sea region, drawing "before" and "after" pictures of how changes to the sea have affected their lives. Be aware of the fact that this lesson was designed for grades 3-5. There is also a similar lesson designed for Grades 6-8 at Produced by the National Geographic Society. |
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Recommended because this is a lesson plan about an important, but little known part of the world. Start by reading the Overview, and then the Curriculum: Connection to World History sections. Be aware of the fact that this lesson plan was produced by CNN, which has other lesson plans on similar topics. See especially the lesson plan on Turkistan: A Patchwork Quilt of Nations and Peoples. Also be sure to notice the links to related articles at the bottom on the page. |
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Along the Silk Road
Author:
Curriculum unit for Middle School – Secondary School,
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Recommended because 187 pages/8 lessons, Includes: Videotape, Heelotia. Recommended because world history, geography, and world culture classes will benefit from this unit's treatment of the rich and colorful history and geography of the Silk Road. Engaging small group activities, which draw on many primary sources, will allow students to explore these historic routes through the lives of people who have lived and traveled these pathways from early days to the present. An adaptation of the simulation Heelotia is included. Available through SPICE (The Stanford Program in International and Cross Cultural Education) for $54.95. |
Central Asia, Past and Present
Author:
No author (1993)
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Recommended because These lesson plans are recommended for providing an introduction to the land, cultures, and nations of Central Asia. Topics and materials include maps and detailed histories, and also an overview of the environmental crisis the region faces. Grades 9-adult. (Arab World Almanac), 16 pages. Available for free loan from the University of Michigan's Center for Russian and East European Studies. |
Central Asia: The Crossroads of Civilization
Author:
(Cobblestone Publishing, 1996)
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Recommended because Designed for grades 9-12. This teachers' supplement is recommended as a short, comprehensive overview of the cultures of Central Asia including China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, etc. Contains short stories describing the lifestyles of various Central Asian cultures. Produced by Faces Magazine, this resource is available from the University of Illinois' Russian and East European Center. |
Polishing the Mirror: A Teaching Unit on Central and Inner Eurasia
Author:
No author(2000)
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Recommended because this is a unit prepared by Vika Gardner and R.T. Steponaitis which is intended to help American students come to a more complex understanding of their own cultural environment through examining the history and culture of Central and Inner Eurasia. Includes 50 color slides. Designed for grades 9-12 (Ann Arbor, MI: Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, University of Michigan), 367 pages. Available for free loan from the University of Michigan's Center for Russian and East European Studies. |
Central Asia: Kirghizstan & Uzbekistan (1997)
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Recommended because this Lonely Planet video serves as a great introduction to two former Soviet republics in Central Asia. With host Ian Wright, the viewer is taken on a ride in an old Red Army helicopter, joins in evening entertainments including ram butting and wrestling, meets an eagle trainer, and participates in a horse trek meeting nomadic shepherds. Available for free loan from the Ohio State University Center for Slavic and East European Studies (tel: 614-292-8770, or order it by e-mail), or may be purchased from Lonely Planet for $20. |
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Habiba: A Sufi Saint from Uzbekistan
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Recommended because its insights into the culture of Uzbekistan. Habiba is a Tabib, a Muslim healer. She belongs to the earliest Sufi "Chain of Mystic Transmission," a lineage of teachers whose main representative is a great master, Bahaudin Nacksband. Uzbekistan is a dream-like land, a crossroad of Western and Eastern civilization along the Silk Road (30 minutes). Available from Facets Multimedia for $25. |
In Search of Genghis Khan
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Recommended because this program looks at the legend and the traces of Genghis Khan as well as the people and culture of his descendants, whose lives are barely changed since the Mongol horde burst out of Central Asia in the 13th century to ride as far as the gates of Vienna and permanently change the face of most of Asia and Europe (54 minutes). This film is available from Films for the Humanities for $90. |
Realms of the Russian Bear, Volume 3: The Red Deserts
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Recommended because in this film one sees the surprisingly abundant wildlife of the deserts of Central Asia, which cover an area larger than the whole of Western Europe and contain a nature reserve that springs to life when melting snows bring poppy fields and pistachio groves to life (60 min). A BBC production from about 1990. Available from Facets Mulitmedia for $30. |
The Collapse of the Aral Sea Ecosystem (2000)
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Recommended because the Aral Sea used to be one of the world's largest and most productive inland bodies of water until a Soviet plan to turn Central Asia into the greatest cotton-producer on Earth destroyed it. Now mostly a sterile lake amidst a desert poisoned by decades of fertilizer and pesticide runoff, the Aral Sea, itself ruined, is ruining the lives of all who still live near it. This program is recommended because it details the irreversible damage to the ecosystem and the resulting health problems being faced by the remaining inhabitants of the region. "The Aral Sea and the tragic plight of its people is not a freak, isolated event, but a crisis that is just slightly ahead of its time," says host David Suzuki (54 minutes). Available for purchase from Films for the Humanities for $150. |
The Two Roads to the Pamirs
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Recommended because this video describes the little-known country of Tajikistan. The Pamirs are a formidably high mountain range in the Central Asian nation of Tajikistan. Kashgar is a Muslim town which can be seen caught up in the riotous celebration greeting the end of Ramadan. Here master craftsmen still transform silk and wood into precious commodities prized the world over. Finally, a Tajik wedding party shows the people of this often overlooked region engaged in an intimate ceremony which everyone can understand and enjoy (55 minutes). Part of the series, "The Silk Road," available from Facets Multimedia for $30. |
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Where Horses Fly Like the Wind
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Recommended because across the Tian-Shen mountains lies the region inhabited by Kazahks, descendants of the Mongols, former rulers of the great Mongol empire. In the West Land are the very horses used by Ghengis Khan and his men (55 minutes). Part of the series, "The Silk Road." Available from Facets Multimedia for $30. |
Last Updated: 9 February 2007
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