Students will learn how human-made catastrophes can help to shape federal policy on food safety.
Economics
Posted inLesson Plan
Lesson Plan: Future of Money
Students will learn about the ancient stones on a tiny Pacific island and what they can teach us about Bitcoin, blockchains and the future of money.
Posted inLesson Plan
Lesson Plan: Future of Work
Students will learn about historical examples of change in the labor force and how artificial intelligence can potentially impact the economy.
Posted inLaw and Public Policy
Lesson Plan: Who Pays for Progress? Public Goods and the Future of Cities
Examine the transformation of Medellín, Colombia, as it moved from a period of high levels of violence to one where the city was recognized for its urban development efforts. Medellín offers a case study in the role of public goods – investments in services like transportation and education that can benefit everyone, including individuals who might not be able to afford them.
Posted inCivics and Government
Lesson Plan: For Private Prisons, Detaining Immigrants Is Big Business
An inmate population surge in the 1980s led to the rise of for-profit prisons. This Retro Report short doc examines how private companies have expanded into immigrant detention, raising concerns about whether profit motives contribute to poor conditions and lack of oversight. The film offers a real-world example of how market failures, externalities and government contracts can shape outcomes in systems meant to serve the public interest.
Posted inCivics and Government
Lesson Plan: Future of Aging — Mini Lesson
Students will learn about the impact on financial systems and other supporting infrastructure of the increase of people 65 and older.
Posted inCivics and Government
Lesson Plan: A Trusted Pill Turned Deadly. Here’s How Tylenol Made a Comeback.
Students will learn how Tylenol responded when a mysterious killer spiked Tylenol capsules with cyanide and explore other crisis management strategies.
Posted inCivics and Government
Lesson Plan: The Birth of Free Agency
What determines where someone works? For most people, the answer involves choice. But for decades, professional baseball players had little say: Team owners controlled their careers, backed by a legal framework that treated baseball not as a business, but as a game. That changed when Curt Flood, a former major league center fielder, challenged the system. In taking his case all the way to the Supreme Court, Flood risked his career to fight for players’ rights. Though he lost in court, his stand laid the groundwork for free agency and reshaped the economics of professional sports.
Posted inLesson Plan
Lesson Plan: Can Plant-Based Meat Mitigate Climate Change?
Students will assess the nutritional value, economic success and environmental impact of plant-based meats – a current trend with roots in a movement that took off in the 1970s with the bestselling book “Diet for a Small Planet.
Posted inCivics and Government
Lesson Plan: Health Risks of Vaping
Students will learn that like cigarette manufacturers decades ago, e-cigarette makers have pitched their products as fun and safe. But nobody knows what the risks of vaping are.
