Scenario

Various nations of East Asia and Africa had unique responses to European imperialism during the years 1850 to 1914. India, China, Japan, and South Africa each underwent significant attempts at control from various European countries during this time.

The differing responses of these countries to European imperialism was influenced by the unique geography, culture, and resources that existed in each country at that time.

Task and Product

You will research one of the affected countries in order to answer these questions:

• How were the responses of individual countries to European imperialism unique?
• What aspects of these cultures influenced their unique responses?
• What means of resistance did individual countries use?
• Which means of resistance was most effective?

Choose one of the following countries for your research:

India

China

Japan

Thailand

South Africa

You will become a specialist about your particular country's culture and its response to European imperialism. You will present your findings during a panel discussion or video debate.

You will also listen to panel presentations about other countries in order to draw conclusions about European imperialism in a final essay.

Assessments

You will be graded on the following:

• Participation in a panel discussion which demonstrates your understanding of your researched topic. (Panel Discussion Scoring Tool)
• Your bibliography in correct MLA format.
• Your understanding of the concepts presented in an extended constructed response (ECR).

Question

Important questions for your research:

• What about your country was appealing to imperialistic nations?
• Which European countries attempted to control your country, and how did they go about it?
• How was your country's response to European imperialism unique?
• What aspects of your country's culture influenced its unique response?

Click here for Questions/Subtopic List.

Gather

Gather information from a variety of sources.

Use this page to locate internet resources

Use notecards to gather information according to the various subtopics.

Click here for tips and examples for using note cards.

Click here to print a copy of the Questions/Subtopic List for use with note cards.

Click here for Note-taking Organizers I, II, III, and IV.

Organize

Use the Questions/Subtopics List to evaluate the completeness of your notes. You may also use this list as an outline for your presentation.

Prepare your Works Cited page following the MLA Bibliographic Form guidelines.

Review the Panel Discussion Scoring Tool to ensure that you are prepared to present your information to the class.

Conclusion

Panel Discussion

As you listen to the panel discussions for each country, jot down key ideas and important details on the Listening for Details chart.

Conclusion

Using your notes or Listening for Details-Imperialism chart, choose two countries and compare their resistance to European control. Write an essay (extended constructed response) in which you discuss the following:

• How did each of these countries respond to European attempts at control?
• What cultural aspects of each country influenced this response?
• Which country's method of resistance seemed most effective? Why?
• How did each country gain its independence? To what degree did each country's response to imperialism lead to its achievement of independence?

This rubric may be used to score your response.