EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
The Land of
the Enlightened
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The Land of the Enlightened
Directed by Pieter-Jan De Pue
2015 | Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany | 87 min
In Persian, with English subtitles
TEACHER’S GUIDE
This guide has been designed to help teachers and students enrich their experience of The Land
of the Enlightened by providing support in the form of questions and activities. There are a
range of questions that will help teachers frame discussions with their class, activities for before,
during and after viewing the film, and some weblinks that provide starting points for further
research or discussion.
The Film
The Filmmaker
Winner of the Sundance Special Jury Award for Best
Cinematography, this captivating study of the next Afghan
generation shocks and awes. Shooting over seven years,
debut filmmaker Pieter-Jan De Pue artfully combines a
child’s fantasy of the future with arresting documentary of
the actual hardscrabble country that remains after decades
of conflict. While a young voice narrates his impossible
dream of riches and marriage, glorious 16mm footage
captures his fellow gang members as they roam the valleys
searching for undetonated explosives to sell or trade with
other children. Some mine lapis lazuli by hand, others steal
opium from passing caravans, and this informal mercenary
system of lost boys controls the territory in ways the U.S.
military could only admire. As the young hoodlums cheer the
news of American troops withdrawing, their future—and
the nation’s—is achingly uncertain. This lyrical portrait of
an embattled land celebrates a primary Afghan strength:
resilience. Myrocia Watamaniuk
Pieter-Jan De Pue is a graduate of the visual arts school,
RITS. O, his short creative documentary on water, received
the third prize at the United Nations Mediterranean
Environmental Awards and received special mentions at
several other festivals. He has directed commercials and
photographed Afghanistan and its people for organizations
such as the International Red Cross. His photography
on Afghanistan has also been exhibited in galleries and
museums in Brussels and Paris. The Land of the Enlightened
is De Pue ‘s first feature-length documentary.
Educational package written and compiled by Noelle Morris
[email protected]
Source: http://www.hotdocs.ca
1
VIEWING THE FILM WITH STUDENTS
The following three sub-sections are intended to provide you with a range of Pre-Viewing,
Viewing and Post-Viewing activities. They are followed by a set of questions based upon the
film’s larger thematic domains, some follow-up questions and quotations, sample curricular
outcomes and a page of weblinks for further investigation.
Pre-Viewing Activities
Show students the trailer (https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=rFniJRSgIkY) for The Land of the Enlightened.
Have students work in pairs or small groups to try to
identify themes or ideas conveyed by the trailer. As a larger
group, discuss with students how effective/affective
the trailer is as a media piece, and what the title of the
movie could represent.
Before watching the film, have students read the BBC’s
country profile on Afghanistan (http://www.bbc.com/ Type
“Afghanistan country profile” into the search function of
the website). This will provide students with context for the
country. They may wish to revisit the country profile tool
after the film. A more concise country profile is available
from http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/ Type “Afghanistan”
into the search function of the website.
Have students visit the Gallery section of the film’s website
(http://thelandoftheenlightened.com). Have students look
through the images individually or in pairs. They may wish to
return to these images as a Post-Viewing Activity.
Have students create a KWL chart for the following terms:
(a) opium, (b) nomadic, (c) caravan, (d) landmines, (e)
occupation, (f) King Nasrullah, (g) Genghis Khan and (h) lapis
lazuli. Students can add to this chart as they watch the film.
Print several of the questions or quotations from the
Extensions Activities section of this guide onto individual
sheets of paper. Have students work in small groups or
with partners to discuss if they agree with the ideas.
the film’s title appears. Discuss the references to King
Nasrullah and Genghis Khan and the accompanying imagery,
and the effectiveness of the voiceover in the introduction.
Have students make notes on the different types of
footage and techniques that are used throughout the
documentary, paying special attention to the radio
broadcasts, re-enactments, time lapses, landscape shots,
music and voiceovers. Students should consider the
purpose and effectiveness of these techniques.
Some of the scenes in the film have been re-enacted.
Have students make notes on any of the scenes that they
feel have been re-enacted, and use these notes in a postviewing discussion.
Have students complete the PBS viewing guide on
documentaries (http://www.pbs.org/pov/docs/Copies%20
of%20Viewing%20Guide.pdf). Students can revisit their
completed documents as a Post-Viewing Activity.
Have students jot down three to five ideas for discussion, or
questions that the film raises in their minds. As an Extension
and/or Post-Viewing Activity, students can enter their
questions into an online response or polling system and can
vote on the questions or issues they would like to explore in
further detail. Encourage students to use multiple levels of
Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Have students keep track of any words or terms they don’t
understand. After viewing the film, have students look up
the definitions.
Post-Viewing Activities
Viewing Activities
Pause the film at the 2:55 mark. Have students discuss
and consider the images, sounds and voiceover in the
introduction. Pause the film again at the 9:05 mark, when
Ask students for their takeaway—in one sentence, describe
the film. Have students share their takeaways in pairs or
small groups, and then as a class. What are the similarities
and differences between the students’ takeaways? You may
also wish to enter all of the takeaways into a word cloud
2
generator, such as Wordle (http://www.wordle.net), to
see the frequency of certain words used by students in
their takeaways.
Discuss with students their initial reactions to the film, its
subjects and Afghanistan. How did your students’ feelings
evolve over the course of the film?
Find a blank map of Afghanistan that includes the outlines
of the country’s provinces (blank maps can be found
at http://www.mapsofworld.com). Using an online search
engine, have your students identify the following provinces
that appear throughout the film: (a) Badhakshan, (b)
Kunar, (c) Kabul, (d) Nuristan and (e) Bagram. They should
also make note of the locations of the Sar-i-Sang mine
and the Bari Alai patrol area. What are some of the
geographical distinctions in these areas, and how do they
compare and contrast with other provinces in Afghanistan?
As an extension, have students read an article and
examine maps from The New York Times that illustrate the
Taliban’s ongoing power over portions of Afghanistan
(http://www.nytimes.com/ Type “14 years After US
invasion, the Taliban Are Back in Control of Large Parts of
Afghanistan” into the search function of the website).
As a class or in small groups, have students conduct
additional research on the consecutive conflicts that have
occurred in Afghanistan since the Soviet Union’s invasion
in 1979. Why did the conflicts begin in the first place?
How has the international community responded to these
successive conflicts? How has Canada responded? This
website (http://www.international.gc.ca/afghanistan/
index.aspx) includes detailed information about Canada’s
engagement in Afghanistan. You may wish to assign the
different conflicts to groups of students. Students can be
given two to three minutes to present their findings.
The film includes a group of children who are part of
a nomadic Kuchi tribe. First, discuss what it means to be
nomadic. Next, have your students read about how the
ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan have affected the nomadic
lifestyles of Kuchi farmers (http://www.theguardian.com/
Type “Hidden Casualties of Afghan War” into the search
function of the website). As an extension, you may wish
to have your students conduct additional research on the
history and lifestyles of the Kuchi tribes in Afghanistan.
In the film, children can be seen gathering sap from
poppy fields. We also see children who are involved in opium
trafficking. Use the following reports from the United
Nations as the starting point for a discussion on the reasons
why opium production, trafficking and addiction
are so prevalent in Afghanistan, and how children came
to be involved: The 2015 World Drug Report (https://www.
unodc.org/ Type “World Drug Report 2015 pdf” into the
search function of the website) and The Opium Economy
in Afghanistan (https://www.unodc.org/ Type “The Opium
Economy in Afghanistan pdf” into the search function of
the website). You may wish to have your students synthesize
this information into a written report.
At the end of the film, Gholam walks his horse through
the ruins of the Darul Aman Palace before he looks out at
Kabul and says, “It’s completely destroyed. We’ll take
all the pieces and build it again.” First, have your students
conduct an online search for the palace’s history and
images of the palace before and after its destruction. Next,
have your students consider the potential connotative
and denotative meanings behind Gholam’s declaration—
Is he talking about the palace, Afghanistan or both?
You may decide to have students explore and analyze his
declaration in a written response.
Pieter-Jan De Pue chose to use 16mm film to shoot the
film. Have students read about the history of the format
(http://www.indiewire.com/ Type “Why the History
of 16mm Film Matters” into the search function of the
website) and discuss why the director may have chosen this
format. After the discussion, have students read an interview
from Filmmaker magazine in which De Pue discusses
the equipment and mediums he used to make the film
(http://filmmakermagazine.com/ Type “We Got Attacked
by the Taliban” into the search function of the website).
In the film, a soldier talks about the rising importance of
the Afghan National Police and the Afghan National Army,
especially as the US Army prepares to leave. How were these
organizations connected to the US Army? What are each of
these organizations responsible for? What challenges do they
continue to face? To learn more, have students read and/or
listen to “Afghan Army Makes Progress; Will Government
Services Follow?” from May 7, 2015 (http://www.npr.org/
Type the title into the search function of the website).
At the beginning of the film and close to the end of the film,
we hear clips from two of President Barack Obama’s official
remarks on Afghanistan spliced together (from December
1, 2009, and June 22, 2011, respectively). President Obama
says: “We’re in Afghanistan to prevent a cancer from once
again spreading through that country. America has no
interest in fighting an endless war in Afghanistan. Afghans
will have to take responsibility for their security. We have
no interest in occupying your country. We won’t try to make
3
Afghanistan a perfect place. We will have to take away
the tools of mass destruction.” Direct students to the White
House website (https://www.whitehouse.gov). Using the
search function on the website, have students search for
“Remarks by the President in Address to the Nation on the
Way Forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan” from December
1, 2009, and “Remarks by the President on the Way Forward
in Afghanistan” from June 22, 2011. After reading the
transcripts, discuss why the filmmaker would have selected
the specific soundbites from each of the speeches. What did
he decide to include, and why did he incorporate soundbites
from both speeches? What did he leave out, and why?
Have students participate in a Socratic discussion on the
film. Guidelines for Socratic discussions can be found
here: http://www.authenticeducation.org/documents/
WhatSeminar04.pdf
Have students choose one of the events or stories from the film
and write a diary entry from one of the subject’s perspectives.
Show the students their quotations from the Pre-Viewing
Activity and see if their opinions were changed, altered or
enhanced by the film.
Have students complete an exit note. The exit note should
contain one idea that demonstrates what they learned from
the film, as well as one question that they still have about
the topic.
4
WEBSITES AND ONLINE RESOURCES
About the Film
http://thelandoftheenlightened.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelanddoc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
thelandoftheenlightened
Additional Resources
CNN: This article from June 8, 2012, investigates the
consequences of unexploded ordnance (UXOs) left behind
by the Soviet soldiers, and now the American soldiers in
Afghanistan.
http://www.cnn.com/ Type “Unexploded Munitions a
Dangerous Legacy of War in Afghanistan” into the search
function of the website.
Glimpses of Hope in the Shadow of War: This qualitative
study, which is in its initial stages, will focus on the
experiences of Afghan adolescents (aged 14 to 20 years)
who are dealing with the daily consequences of living
in a conflict zone.
http://afghanyouthproject.org
Kiana Hayeri: A documentary photographer and TED
Fellow, Kiana Hayeri’s work focuses on youth born in and
raised during conflict within their country. Born in War
(Afghanistan) is a recent work that depicts a generation
that has known only war, and a subculture that no one
really knows about.
http://kianahayeri.com/born-in-war
National Geographic: This resource includes photographs
and videos of soldiers stationed at the remote Bari Alai
outpost, which has been overtaken by the Taliban in the past.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/ Type “Caught
Outside the Wire—Eyewitness War Gallery” into the search
function of the website.
Reuters: In the wake of the Taliban profiting from smuggled
exports of the lapis lazuli gemstone, Afghanistan is creating
a new system to sell the gemstone, which comes from the
Sar-i-Sang mine in Afghanistan.
http://www.reuters.com/ Type “Afghanistan Aims to Choke
Taliban Smuggling Funds with Gemstone Bourse” into the
search function of the website.
The Atlantic: “Afghanistan’s Children of War” is a photo
series that focuses on the children in Afghanistan who have
grown up knowing little else but conflict and war. Forty-four
photos are included in the series.
http://www.theatlantic.com/ Type “Afghanistan’s Children of
War” into the search function of the website. You may also
wish to type in “In Focus Archives for Afghanistan” to see
the other photo collections from the series on Afghanistan.
The Atlantic: In “The Soviet War in Afghanistan, 1979–1989,”
Alan Taylor provides an overview of the Soviet invasion
of Afghanistan. Forty-one photos of the conflict accompany
the overview.
http://www.theatlantic.com/ Type the title into the search
function of the website. You may also wish to type in “In
Focus Archives for Afghanistan” to see the other photo
collections from the series on Afghanistan.
The GroundTruth Project: The GroundTruth Project’s podcast
series has included three episodes on Afghanistan (episodes
one, two and four). Episode two specifically examines the
legacy of the US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan.
The podcasts can be streamed directly from the website or
downloaded using iTunes.
http://thegroundtruthproject.org/projects/podcast
The New York Times: In “With US Set to Leave Afghanistan,
Echoes of 1989,” from January 1, 2013, Thom Shanker
compares and contrasts the Soviet Union’s occupation of
Afghanistan to the more recent US occupation of Afghanistan.
http://www.nytimes.com/ Type “US War in Afghanistan
Has Echoes of Soviet Experience” into the search function of
the website.
The New York Times: In the October 27, 2010, article, “In
Icy Tip of Afghanistan, War Seems Remote,” Edward Wong
explores the isolated Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan.
http://www.nytimes.com/ Type “In Icy Tip of Afghanistan,
War Seems Remote” into the search function of the website.
The Taliban–A CFR Info Guide Presentation: The Council
on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan
membership organization, think tank and publisher.
www.cfr.org/ Click Publications for drop down menu, then
Interactives, then scroll down for The Taliban.
5
The White House: On October 15, 2015, President Barack
Obama made a statement on Afghanistan and how he
thought lasting progress could be made in the country. The
speech also reinforced the mission of the 9,800 American
troops left in Afghanistan.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/ Type “Statement by the
President on Afghanistan October 15” into the search
function of the website.
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan: The
UNAMA is a political mission that wishes to reinforce Afghan
sovereignty, leadership and ownership. The Resources area
of the website includes a section dedicated to reports on the
children who have grown up in conflict-riddled Afghanistan
(Home, then Resources, then Documents & Reports, then
Children in Armed Conflict).
https://unama.unmissions.org
Various Links for Lesson Plan Ideas,
Media Awareness, Critical Literacy and
Documentary Films
Center for Media Literacy: A US website which provides
resources for making, understanding and criticizing media.
http://www.medialit.org
Media Awareness: A Canadian non-profit media education
and Internet literacy resource library.
http://www.media-awareness.ca
NFB: Valuable education resources for the classroom.
http://www.nfb.ca
POV: Media literacy questions for analyzing films.
http://pov-tc.pbs.org/pov/docs/POV_medialiteracy.pdf
Wakhan–An Other Afghanistan: This cinematic poem by
Cedric Houin and Fabrice Nadjari includes images and
video clips of the tribes who live in the Wakhan Corridor in
Afghanistan. The project’s intention is to portray a vision
of Afghanistan that differs from what we think we already
know about it.
http://wakhan-anotherafghanistan.com
War Child: In Afghanistan, this organization has been
involved in setting up early childhood development centres,
resource centres for street-working children and a child
helpline, working with local employers and supporting
internally displaced children and their families. Visit
the website to learn more about War Child’s efforts in
Afghanistan and around the world.
https://www.warchild.org.uk
6
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Questions for Pre-Viewing
or Post-Viewing Activities
What are the different issues and themes that surface in
this film?
What are some of the visual metaphors that appear
throughout the film? How do your students interpret these
visual metaphors?
What type of tone is created by the filmmaker throughout
the film?
What dangers are faced by the children in the film? Are they
aware of these dangers?
What are some of the long-term effects and consequences
of war and conflict? How are children affected?
What did you know about Afghanistan before watching the
film? What did you learn about the country as a result of
watching the film?
How will children shape the future of Afghanistan?
Can you think of other ways that the documentary could
have been filmed and edited? How would this change the
way you interpreted the film?
How is this film similar to and different from a conventional
documentary? Why do you think the director chose this
particular style of documentary?
Why would the filmmaker have chosen to include scenes that
were re-enacted?
What are the stylistic differences between the scenes with
Gholam and his gang, and the American soldiers at the
Bari Alai operating base? Why would the filmmaker choose
different approaches to filmmaking for each setting and
group of people?
How are the American soldiers portrayed throughout the
film? Are there any parallels between the soldiers and the
Kuchi boys?
Why do the boys look up to Gholam? Why is he their leader?
The film is heavily focused on the children, who are free to
wander through the landscape. After viewing the film, what
do you think it means to be a child in Afghanistan, as framed
by the filmmaker? What kind of activities were the children
involved in at different points in the film? What was your
childhood like in comparison to what you viewed in the film?
In the film, a soldier says, “I definitely want to have an army
of children because they frighten me and I think they’re like
clowns. They scare people just because they are so innocent.”
What does he mean by this? How can this be applied to the
children that we meet throughout the film?
Are boys presented in a different light than girls in this film?
7
QUOTATIONS FROM THE FILM TO EXPLORE
1. “Without their king, the Afghan warriors were weak.”
Voiceover (8:20)
12. “The Afghans are still waiting for their king. Soon the
night and day will become equal.” Voiceover (1:12:45)
2. “I don’t understand why they want to conquer our
mountains. Why are they important to them?” Voiceover
(21:35)
13. This is the Land of the Enlightened. Soon our visitors
will go home. Some of us will continue working with
the caravans. Some of us will grow up to be soldiers.
We won’t all fight for the same side. But at the very
end, everybody will have the same aim as I have. I will
never be a soldier. I will be a Khan and live in a castle.”
Voiceover (1:16:20)
3. We are all passengers in this desolate desert.” Voiceover
(36:52)
4. My goal is to have this place completely safe.” Soldier
5. “I’ll have to dig you out carefully…. A little more digging,
do it slowly. It’s flat, don’t explode anymore. I’m
unearthing you slowly. Don’t explode anymore. Wait, I’m
unearthing you a bit more. You’re my friend. I’ll get you
out of the ground. I’ve got you. No more war. Now we’ll
go home together. It’s quiet here. Together we’ll go home
now.” Child
14. “It’s completely destroyed. We’ll take all the pieces and
build it again.” Gholam Nasir 6. “I definitely want to have an army of children because
they frighten me and I think they’re like clowns. They
scare people just because they are so innocent.” Soldier
7. “Every time an Afghan kills an Afghan brother, a new
star is born. Soon the night became as bright as the day.
One day we will travel together to the night and give
back the light to the day.” Voiceover (55:32)
8. “Hey boy! Did you think you were gaming on the
Internet?” Soldier
9. “We give the brass to the ANA. Well, we don’t really give
it to them, but they—as soon as we’re done firing, or
as we’re firing—they put their hands out and catch the
brass in their hands. They’re like cockroaches looking
for crumbs, kind of. They grab the brass and put it in
sandbags, once again supplied by us. They take it down
the hill and give it to the little kids. The little kids give
them electronics and batteries, little packages of bread,
little toy soldiers…. But where do they put all this stuff?...
Brass bandits, could be.” Soldier
10. “A thousand years ago, our grandfather’s grandfather
made two cats fight. If the black cat wins, we take the
palace. If the white, we go home.” Gholam Nasir
11. “Salam al lequem, I brought you all this opium. I will
marry your daughter and take her to Kabul. We will live
in a palace. We will send whatever you need. Here, this
opium is for you now.” Gholam Nasir
8
CULMINATING ACTIVITY: VIDEO CAMPAIGN
Students will create a one- to two-minute video to shed light on the realities and consequences that children face as a result
of growing up in conflict zones. Students may wish to focus on the children in Afghanistan, or they can select another region.
The War Child website (https://www.warchild.org.uk) is a great place for students to begin when selecting their region.
Before creating the video, students will need to conduct research on the conflict(s) that have occurred in the region and
how these conflicts have affected (or will affect) the children in the region. Students should make notes and keep a list of all
external resources that they use or cite in their work.
After finishing their research, students can begin to brainstorm. They should consider their target audience and who they
need to reach, their overall message and how they will make their claims. Before shooting, they will need to complete a script
and storyboard, to be approved by the teacher.
After their videos are complete, encourage students to upload their videos to an online platform, such as YouTube.
Alternative assignment:
If video and/or video editing is not possible in your school, students can create a poster campaign.
9
ACTIVITY RUBRIC: VIDEO CAMPAIGN
Knowledge and Understanding
Understanding
of the issue
2.5 2.9
3.0 3.4
3.5 3.9
4.0 5.0
Student demonstrates
a limited understanding
of the issue
Student demonstrates
some understanding
of the issue
Student demonstrates
a good understanding
of the issue
Student demonstrates
an extensive
understanding of
the issue
2.5 2.9
3.0 3.4
3.5 3.9
4.0 5.0
Uses planning
skills with limited
effectiveness
Uses planning
skills with some
effectiveness
Uses planning
skills with considerable
effectiveness
Uses planning
skills with a high degree
of effectiveness
2.5 2.9
3.0 3.4
3.5 3.9
4.0 5.0
Makes connections
within and between
various contexts with
limited effectiveness
Makes connections
within and between
various contexts with
some effectiveness
Makes connections
within and between
various contexts
with considerable
effectiveness
Makes connections
within and between
various contexts with
a high degree
of effectiveness
2.5 2.9
3.0 3.4
3.5 3.9
4.0 5.0
Communicates for
the intended audiences
and purposes with
limited effectiveness
Communicates for
the intended audiences
and purposes with
some effectiveness
Communicates for
the intended audiences
and purposes
with considerable
effectiveness
Communicates
for the intended
audiences and purposes
with a high degree of
effectiveness
/5
Thinking and Inquiry
Use of planning skills
(gathering information
and research; scripting
and storyboarding)
/5
Application
Making connections
within and between the
film and personal knowledge
and experience, other
texts, and the world
outside school
/5
Communication
Communicates for the
intended audience(s) in oral,
visual and written forms
Comments:
/5
Total /20 =______________ /100
10
EXAMPLES OF CURRICULUM EXPECTATIONS
COURSE
OVERALL EXPECTATIONS
•  generate, gather and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience.
Grade 9-12 English
•  demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media texts.
•  identify some media forms and explain how the conventions and techniques associated with them are used
to create meaning.
•  demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media texts.
Grade 11 Media Studies
•  deconstruct a variety of types of media texts, identifying the codes, conventions and techniques used and
explaining how they create meaning.
•  analyze, through examination and reflection, their initial response to media art works, using various
strategies and modes of communication.
Grade 11 Media Arts
•  identify and explain the messages in and meanings of media texts.
•  describe the characteristics of particular media genres and forms, and explain how they help to convey
meaning and influence the audience.
•  use the political inquiry process and the concepts of political thinking when investigating issues of political
importance in various communities and ways to address them.
Grade 11 Politics
in Action
•  explain the political importance of some current issues and analyze various perspectives associated with
these issues.
•  analyze some issues of political importance in terms of their causes, their impact, and ways in which they
have been addressed.
•  identify and analyze a political issue, with the goal of developing a personal plan of action to address this issue.
•  use the political inquiry process and the concepts of political thinking when investigating issues, events
and developments of national and international political importance.
Grade 12 Politics
•  demonstrate an understanding of various political ideologies, theories and concepts, and analyze their
relevance to Canadian and international politics.
•  analyze how social, economic and geographic factors influence contemporary politics in and relations
between various countries around the world.
•  explain violations of human rights in Canada and abroad as well as the role of Canadian and international
laws, institutions, and processes in the protection of human rights.
Grade 11 Family Studies
•  identify and describe environments provided by families, care-givers and others that offer positive
conditions for child development.
•  analyze theories and research on the subject of individual development, and summarize their findings.
Grade 12 Family Studies
•  analyze theories and research on the subject of parent-child relationships and their role in individual and
family development, and summarize their findings.
•  demonstrate an understanding of the critical role that a family plays in the socialization of its members.
•  analyze the many relationships that are a part of human development.
•  demonstrate an understanding of how attitudes, behaviours, roles and norms relating to gender are socially
constructed, and of the complexity of gender as a concept and as a lived experience.
Grade 11 Gender Studies
•  analyze sexism and the dynamics of power relations with respect to sex and gender in a variety of contexts.
•  analyze a range of social, political, economic and environmental issues relating to gender in Canadian and
global contexts.
11
Grade 11 Dynamics of
Human Relationships
•  explain how self-concept and self-esteem influence personal well-being.
•  demonstrate an understanding of how self-concept influences an individual’s interactions with others.
•  demonstrate an understanding of various social and cultural influences on relationships.
•  explore topics related to world religions and belief traditions, and formulate questions to guide their research.
•  demonstrate an understanding of terms and concepts related to the study of world religions and belief traditions.
•  outline the central tenets, practices and teachings of various religions and belief traditions.
Grade 11 World Religions
•  identify and analyze ways in which various religions and belief traditions are embodied in cultural forms.
•  analyze the interaction between society and various religions and belief traditions.
•  demonstrate an understanding of the challenges that adherents of various religions and belief systems
experience in society.
•  explore topics related to equity, diversity and/or social justice, and formulate questions to guide their research.
Grade 11 Equity, Diversity
and Social Justice
•  create research plans, and locate and select information relevant to their chosen topics, using appropriate
social science research and inquiry methods.
•  assess, record, analyze and synthesize information gathered through research and inquiry.
•  communicate the results of their research and inquiry clearly and effectively, and reflect on and evaluate
their research, inquiry and communication skills.
•  demonstrate an understanding of how social activism can be used to support equity and social justice objectives.
•  explore topics related to equity, diversity and/or social justice, and formulate questions to guide their research.
•  create research plans, and locate and select information relevant to their chosen topics, using appropriate
social science research and inquiry methods.
•  assess, record, analyze and synthesize information gathered through research and inquiry.
Grade 12 Equity and
Social Justice
•  communicate the results of their research and inquiry clearly and effectively, and reflect on and evaluate
their research, inquiry, and communication skills.
•  demonstrate an understanding of a range of perspectives on and approaches to equity and social justice
issues, and of factors that affect inequity and social injustice.
•  analyze, in historical and contemporary contexts, the dynamics of power relations and privilege as well
as various factors that contribute to power or marginalization.
•  evaluate the contributions of individuals and groups and/or movements identified with specific aspects
of the struggle for equity and social justice.
•  demonstrate an understanding of the elements and functions of culture and of the nature of cultural influence.
•  analyze how cultural identities are socially constructed, preserved, transmitted and transformed.
•  Grade 11 Introduction to Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology
Grade 12 World Cultures
•  use a psychological perspective to explain how diverse factors influence and shape human mental
processes and behaviour.
•  use a sociological perspective to explain how diverse factors influence and shape individual and group
social behaviour.
•  use an anthropological perspective to explain how diverse factors influence and shape individual and group
social behaviour.
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•  demonstrate an understanding of key cultural and socio-economic characteristics of the selected region
and of individual countries in it.
•  describe patterns in natural features and population distribution in the selected region, and analyze
the relationship between them.
•  assess quality of life in the selected region, including factors that contribute to quality of life and policies/
programs that aim to improve it.
Grade 11 Regional
Geography
•  analyze aspects of inequality and economic sustainability in the selected region, including programs
intended to promote equality and sustainability.
•  analyze the role and involvement of intergovernmental organizations in the selected region.
•  analyze aspects of economic, social and political conflict and cooperation in the selected region.
•  analyze economic activity in the selected region as well as factors that contribute to the region’s
economic development.
•  analyze how globalization has affected the selected region and how the region has responded to it.
•  analyze current, as well as historical, patterns of population movement and distribution in the selected region.
•  analyze relationships between demographic and political factors and quality of life in various countries
and regions.
Grade 12 World Issues:
A Geographic Analysis
•  analyze relationships between quality of life and access to natural resources for various countries
and regions.
•  explain how various characteristics are used to classify the world into regions or other groupings.
•  analyze impacts of selected agents of change on society and quality of life.
•  analyze issues relating to human rights, food security, health care and other challenges to the quality
of life of the world’s population.
Grade 12 World History
since the 15th Century
•  analyze the significance of various social, economic and political policies, developments and ideas in various
regions of the world since 1900.
•  analyze interactions between various groups since 1900 and how key individuals and social, economic
and political forces have affected those interactions.
•  analyze the development of the rights, identity and heritage of different groups around the world since 1900.
•  explain the principles underpinning human rights law and the legal significance of those laws, in Canada
and internationally.
Grade 12 Canadian and
International Law
•  analyze issues associated with the development of human rights law, in Canada and internationally.
•  compare the roles of the legislative and judicial branches of government in protecting human rights
and freedoms, with a particular emphasis on Canada.
•  analyze various contemporary issues in relation to their impact or potential impact on human rights law.
Grade 12 Philosophy
•  demonstrate an understanding of the main questions in ethics, and of the positions of major philosophers
and schools of philosophy with respect to some of these questions.
•  demonstrate an understanding of connections between ethics and other areas of philosophy, other subject
areas and various aspects of society, including everyday life.
The Overall Expectations listed above are from the Ontario Curriculum. Complete course descriptions, including all Overall
and Specific Expectations can be found at: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/teachers/curriculum.html
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