Canadian and International Politics, University Preparation (CPW4U)

The Ontario Curriculum Grades 11 and 12 Canada and World Studies (2015) – Curricular Links to the Holodomor and Ukraine

Curriculum Expectations that Include the Holodomor, Canada’s First Internment Operations or Ukrainian Issues



Term/Phrase Unit Overall Expectation Specific Expectation Page
Communism B. Political Foundations B1. Political Thought: Demonstrate an understanding of various political ideologies, theories, and concepts, and analyze the relevance to Canadian and international policies. B1.1: Describe some key similarities and differences between various political ideologies (e.g. liberalism, conservatism, capitalism, fascism, socialism, communism, anarchism) and explain where these ideologies fall on a political spectrum.

Sample question “If communism and Nazism are both associated with totalitarian regimes, why are they situated at opposite ends of a left-right political spectrum?”

533
Ukraine B. Political Foundations B2. The Evolution of Modern Politics and International Relations: Analyze the role of ideology, diplomacy, and conflict, including conflict related to democratization, in the evolution of politics and relations between various countries around the world in the past century. B2.2: Analyze ways in which conflict and violence have influenced politics in and relations between various countries around the world since World War I (e.g. Ukraine). 534
Relations between Russia and Ukraine B. Political Foundations B3. Influences on Canadian and International Politics: Analyze how social, economic, and geographic factors influence contemporary policies in and relations between various countries around the world. B3.2: Analyze various ways in which national, ethnic, and/or regional identities influence politics in and relations between various countries, including Canada (e.g. relations between Russia and Ukraine). 534
The Holodomor E. Rights and Power in the International Community E3. Human Rights at Home and Abroad: 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. E3.1: Analyze some violations of human rights in Canada as well as the Canadian government’s responses to violations of human rights, humanitarian crises, and genocides internationally (e.g., the Holodomor). 541

Curriculum Expectations Where the Holodomor, Canada’s First Internment Operations or Ukrainian Issues that May Apply

Unit Overall Expectation Specific Expectation Explanation
A. Political Inquiry and Skill Development A1. Political Inquiry: Use the political inquiry process and the concepts of political thinking when investigating issues, events, and developments of national and international political importance. A1.1: Formulate different types of questions to guide investigations into issues, events, and / or developments of national and international political importance.

(e.g. Which ideologies are the extremes of the political spectrum? What are the main similarities and differences between the structures of government in Canada and in Great Britain).

Sample question: “What are the differences between a totalitarian system and a democratic system of government? Explain your answer by examining the government structure of the Soviet Union and Canada.”
A. Political Inquiry and Skill Development A2. Developing Transferable Skills: Apply in everyday contexts skills developed through investigations related to policies and identify various careers in which a background in political studies might be an asset. A2.3: Apply the concepts of political thinking when analysing current events relating to issues of national and international political importance (e.g., a political protest and the government’s response). November 2014 was the start of the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine, in which Ukrainian citizens protested against the authoritarian actions of the Ukrainian government and Russia’s heavy influence over Ukraine by using force. The government responded by trying to break up the protests through the use of government forces.

Sample question: “How did the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine affect the current political climate in Ukraine?”

Sample question: “What actions did the Ukrainian government, under President Yanukovych, use against its people during the Revolution of Dignity?”

B. Political Foundations B1. Political Thought: Demonstrate an understanding of various political ideologies, theories, and concepts, and analyze the relevance to Canadian and international policies. B1.3: Analyze the concept of nationalism and how nationalism and nationalist ideologies have affected and continue to affect politics in Canada and other countries. The concept of nationalism has affected Ukraine’s past and continues to effect its present. Today, the concept of nationalism has helped to motivate Ukrainians to protest and fight for Ukraine’s sovereignty against Russian aggression.

Sample question: “How have Ukrainian Canadians influenced the development of Canada’s international policies regarding Ukraine?”

B. Political Foundations B2. The Evolution of Modern Politics and International Relations: Analyze the role of ideology, diplomacy, and conflict, including conflict related to democratization, in the evolution of politics and relations between various countries around the world in the past century. B2.1: Analyse key policies of some governments, both historical and contemporary, in various regions, and identify the political approaches/ ideologies these policies reflect. The laws of the 1930s created by Joseph Stalin, were used to dehumanize a vast sector of the Ukrainian population. They specifically targeted the Ukrainian farmers and Ukrainians in an attempt to rid any and all opposition to Stalin’s policies.

Sample question: “What specific laws were enacted by the Soviet government, which targeted the Ukrainian population in the 1930s?”

Sample question: “How did the decrees of the 1930s in Ukraine bring on the Genocidal Famine of 1932 – 1933, as well as the destruction of the cultural, religious, and political leadership of Ukraine?”

B. Political Foundations B2. The Evolution of Modern Politics and International Relations: Analyze the role of ideology, diplomacy, and conflict, including conflict related to democratization, in the evolution of politics and relations between various countries around the world in the past century. B2.3: Analyze the role of some pivotal developments in diplomacy since the late nineteenth century. The 1994 Budapest Memorandum is an example of a pivotal development in recent diplomacy.

Sample question: “What implications does the lack of follow through on the Budapest Memorandum, have on the world order today?

Sample question: “How has the failure to comply with the Minsk agreement affected diplomatic relations between countries?”

B. Political Foundations B2. The Evolution of Modern Politics and International Relations: Analyze the role of ideology, diplomacy, and conflict, including conflict related to democratization, in the evolution of politics and relations between various countries around the world in the past century. B2.4: Describe key developments related to decolonization and how they have affected politics in and relations between various countries since World War II. Sample question: “What effect has the breakup of the Soviet Union had on Eastern Europe and the World Order?”
B. Political Foundations B3. Influences on Canadian International Politics: Analyze how social, economic, and geographic factors influence contemporary politics in the relations between various countries from around the world in the past century. B3.2: Analyse various ways in which national, ethnic, and/ or regional identities influence politics in and relations between various countries, including Canada. Sample question: “What impact did nationalism have on the disintegration of the former Soviet Union?”
B. Political Foundations B3. Influences on Canadian and International Politics: Analyze how social, economic, and geographic factors influence contemporary policies in and relations between various countries around the world in the past century. B3.4. Analyze various ways in which domestic political policies influence a country’s relations with other countries. Sample question: “What effect has the invasion of Ukraine by Russia had on relations between Canada and Russia and Canada and Ukraine?”
C. Governments and Canadian and International Politics C1. The International Influence of Governments: Analyze how strategies/ practices used by state or states can affect the policies and status of other states. C1.1: Explain, with reference to specific examples, the significance of diplomatic recognition for states and factors that can prevent countries from granting such recognition. Sample question: “How did Canada’s recognition of Ukraine as an independent state in 1991 shape Canada’s and Ukraine’s relationship?”

Sample question: “What effect did Canada’s recognition of Ukraine as an independent state in 1991 have on other countries’ recognition of Ukraine?’

C. Governments and Canadian and International Politics C1. The International Influence of Governments: Analyze how strategies/ practices used by state or states can affect the policies and status of other states. C1.3: Identify strategies used by individual countries or groups of countries to influence the internal policies of others in the international community. Sample question: “How effective have Canadian and world sanctions been on Russia in regards to the current Ukraine-Russia conflict?”
C. Governments and Canadian International Politics C1. The International Influence of Governments: Analyze how strategies/ practices used by state or states can affect the policies and status of other states. C1.4: Explain how various forms of dispute resolution are used to resolve conflicts between states, and assess the effectiveness in specific cases. Students are able to look at the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine in order to examine various forms of dispute resolutions. The current conflict allows students to look at current uses of economic sanctions.

Sample question: “How effective have Canadian and world sanctions been on Russia in regards to the current Ukraine-Russia conflict?”

C. Governments and Canadian International Politics C2. Intergovernmental Cooperation: Demonstrate an understanding of the role of intergovernmental cooperation in international politics. C2.3: Analyze how globalization and technological advances have created the need for new types of intergovernmental cooperation and explain what types of international organizations/agreements are being developed to address these changes. Sample question: “Which international organization can best deal with the Ukraine-Russia conflict? Why.”
D. Non-governmental Action on Canadian and International Political Issues D1. Civic Awareness and Responsibility: Analyze the role of civic awareness and responsibility among citizens and non-governmental stakeholders in the national and international community. D1.2: Analyze the role of information and technology and the media, including social media, in raising civic awareness of issues of national and global political importance. Russia Today, a Russian media station, is a great example of how information technology effects awareness of world issues. The use of Russian propaganda in Canada and in other countries is being used to convince people of Russia’s point of view on the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

Sample question: “How does Russia’s use of media influence Western opinion of the Ukraine-Russia conflict?”

D. Non-governmental Action on Canadian and International Political Issues D2. Challenges and Strategies: Demonstrate an understanding of key challenges relating to various issues of national and global political importance and of the strategies and effectiveness of various non-governmental stakeholders, including NGOs, in addressing them. D2.1: Explain key challenges relating to some specific issues of national and global political importance. The territorial integrity of sovereign nations is a key challenge that relates to the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Sample question: “How does the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of Ukrainian territories by Russia affect the world Order in the 21st century?”

D. Non-governmental Action on Canadian and International Political Issues D2. Challenges and Strategies: Demonstrate an understanding of key challenges relating to various issues of national and global political importance and of the strategies and effectiveness of various non-governmental stakeholders, including NGOs, in addressing them. D2.3: Analyze lawful and unlawful forms of political activism or civic engagement, and assess responses to such activism. Sample question: “Explain how Ukrainians during the early 1930s and leading to the Holodomor opposed Soviet policies of collectivization?”
E. Rights and Power in the International Community E1. Influence, Power, and Decision Making: Demonstrate an understanding of how power is distributed and exercised in Canada and other countries, and of factors that affects its distribution. E1.1: Analyze the effect of various factors (e.g. geography, demography, economic resources, military strength) on the power of individual states and the global balance of power. Sample question: “How has the balance of power in the world changed since the fall of Soviet Union?”

Sample question: “How has the fact that Russia is a nuclear power affected the resolution of the Ukraine-Russia conflict?”

E. Rights and Power in the International Community E1. Influence, Power, and Decision Making: Demonstrate an understanding of how power is distributed and exercised in Canada and other countries, and of factors that affects its distribution. E1.5: Identify countries or groups of countries that have supranational power, and analyze how such power affects international politics. Sample question: “What are the objectives of Russia and does this influence international politics today?”
E. Rights and Power in the International Community E2. Technology and Globalization: Assess the influence of globalization and technology of Canadian and international politics. E2.1: Assess the influence of communications and information technologies, including social media on politics in Canada and other countries. Sample question: “What role did social media play in the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine in 2013 and 2014?”
E. Rights and Power in the International Community E3. Human Rights at Home and Abroad: 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. E3.1: Analyze some violations of human rights in Canada. Example: Canada’s First Internment Operations of World War I.

Sample question: “How did the internment of Ukrainians during World War I in Canada violate human rights?”

E. Rights and Power in the International Community E3. Human Rights at Home and Abroad: 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. E3.3: Explain reasons for the success and failure of various Canadian and international agreements, institutions, and / or processes that were intended to protect human rights. Sample question: “What implications does the lack of following through on the Budapest Memorandum, have on the world order today?”