The Nature of a State

This activity is designed to introduce students to the term "nation-state." It is vital for further understanding that the students are aware of the four essential features of a nation-state and why each is important to the survival of that state.

Students should be able to explain the meaning of the terms civic life, politics, and government.

Students should have examined the following vocabulary terms prior to discussion: Territory, Population, Government and Sovereignty.

The teacher should have assigned a reading on this particular subject matter prior to class discussion. In addition, the teacher should have projection device to be used to present an effective PowerPoint presentation to stimulate class discussion.

A supplemental worksheet analyzing the four essential features of a state should be available for student use. In the past, I have used a worksheet which lists the features and several examples, allowing the student to match them accurately. A short quiz should follow to further assess comprehension.

Using the Internet, the students could research how the feature of "territory" and disputes over it led to massive political turmoil during the 20th century. (World War II, The Vietnam War, The Gulf War and/or the Crisis in Kosovo) The student can compare/contrast similarities and differences between these conflicts.

The student can analyze how a population shift in the United States could greatly disrupt a region's political dominance in the Congress and the distribution of House Seats. ( ex: The mass migration of people from the Great Lakes region to the Sun Belt and how this has affected Congressional politics and elections).

Teacher Computer/CD-ROM Materials
Computer Projection Device
TV
PowerPoint Capabilities