Thematic Concepts
These eight thematic concepts that provide a few basic hooks on which students can hang their growing knowledge of the world. The concepts are the focus of major discussions in each chapter, and are related to each other and to other global patterns in the end of chapter "Reflections on the region." The eight thematic concepts are:
• Global Warming
• Water
• Food
• Population
• Urbanization
• Globalization
• Democratization
• Gender
Some Questions to Consider
Early in each chapter, this feature highlights major issues they will encounter when studying a particular. Based on one or more of the thematic concepts, the questions help students draw connections between regions, highlight global patterns, and give instructors options for classtime discussions.
Views of the Region
These striking two-page spreads tie the eight thematic concepts visually to specific places and people in the region, combining photos, a composite satellite image of the region, and captions relating the images to the major issues of the chapter. The feature is complimented by web-based "fly throughs" with commentary that can be run on many different virtual globes or using videos accessible from the student Web site.
Emphasis on global warming and other environmental issues.
In response to demand from students and instructors, our environmental coverage is extensive and focuses on some of the most current global environmental problems—global warming (including major sources of greenhouse gases, efforts to reduce emissions, and vulnerability to the effects of global warming in each region), water, and food production, as well as many other environmental issues. Reflecting the importance of this topic, the "Environmental Issues" section comes early in each chapter, right after "Physical Patterns."
Ten Key Aspects of the region
This feature provides a thumbnail sketch of each region by highlighting ten specific aspects of the region that echo the thematic concepts. Like "Some Questions to Consider," it is designed to help students focus on the main points of each chapter and to avoid being overwhelmed by the amount of information.
Videos
Videos in the Pulsipher collection (over 260 2 to 6-minute clips in all, about 24 per chapter) cover key issues discussed in the text. Each video is keyed into the text with the icon at the point in the discussion where it is most relevant. These videos are available on our Web site, and are accompanied with multiple- choice questions that can be automatically graded and entered into a grade book.
Current Content
Major news events covered in the text are:
• the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing
• the conflict between Russia and Georgia
• the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan
• political change in Zimbabwe
• mass resistance to the government of Burma
• political change in Nepal
Other examples of current content:
• The melting of glaciers in the Himalayas and associated vulnerabilities to global warming in South, East, Southeast, and Central Asia
• Vulnerability to global warming in Africa
• Democracy and Islamism in North Africa and Southwest Asia
• Aging populations in Russia and China
• The growth of India as a global manufacturing power
• Africa’s partial but growing re-orientation toward China and India as trade and investment partners
• Growing pressures for democracy in China
• Globalization, urbanization, and the rise of democracy in Europe