Trade

Overview:

You will be called upon to role-play in an international oil summit. This lesson will provide you with an opportunity to learn about the production, distribution, and consumption of oil, particularly in Asia.

Objectives

	describe production, distribution, and consumption of oil in Asia;
	research an Asian country's production, distribution, and consumption of oil and petrochemical products; and
	demonstrate an understanding of oil's impact on an increasingly interdependent international community.

Opening:

	To what extent is the United States dependent on foreign oil imports?
	How much oil do Americans use in a day, week, month, or year?
	Where does our oil come from?
	What boundaries need to be crossed to ensure the flow of oil to and within the United States?
	What cycles impact the cost, availability, or use of oil in the United States?

You have been selected to represent an Asian nation at a summit on the current and future use of oil. Instead of answering the discussion questions from an American perspective, you will answer similar questions from the perspective of a citizen of an Asian country. You will be assigned to delegations, or small groups, that will represent different Asian countries and/or regions. The delegations will include two to three students. Each delegation should research, organize information, analyze data, synthesize new solutions to anticipated problems, and present their findings.

In preparation for your presentations, you will research the past, present, and future of oil dependence in their own country and Asia. Assign each delegation one of the following countries to study:

	Russia
	Iran
	Iraq
	Saudi Arabia
	China
	India
	Kazakhstan
	Japan
	Afghanistan
	Azerbaijan

Complete the Oil Survey worksheet (PDF, Adobe Reader required) as you research their Asian country's access to oil. You will need to complete the survey three times; once for the past (1950), once for the present, and once for the future (2050). You will be using this information to understand trends in oil production and consumption in Asia over time.

Some suggested Web sites are listed in the Related Links section of this lesson.

Closing:

Each delegation present their findings to the class. Each group explain how oil production and consumption has changed in Asia over time and the extent to which Asian countries are interdependent on oil.

Upon completing this lesson, you will have a thorough understanding of the impact that oil production, distribution, and consumption has had on nations and Asia. You will understand the importance of place, boundaries, flow, and cycles as geographers might apply them to the oil economy. You should also engage yourself in higher-level thinking strategies that lead to an understanding of future trends, options, and public policy that might govern or regulate the use of oil in Asia.

We may do this also:

Create a line graph showing both the production and consumption of oil per capita in your Asian country between 1900 and 2000. Then have students analyze the trend to predict how production and consumption will change between 2000 and 2100.