Course Number: SS220

Course Title: Contemporary Issues in Micronesia

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 

General  

The general objective of this course is to enable and develop student's abilities to think, read, write, and analyze through discussion and empirical research the various contemporary issues in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). This course will discuss in general and specific manners each issue in the FSM, with the view to encourage students to pay keen attention to the importance and magnitude of each issue.

Being required to discuss the issues will increase students' understanding of the rapidly changing societies of the FSM and the social, political, and economic issues and problems. It will increase students' awareness of the dilemmas facing a very small island nation in a world dominated by global powers. And it will increase students' ability to analyze and interpret the interdisciplinary materials employed in the course.

Specific 

Students will be able to:

PART I: (Overview)

1. List and describe the major islands of the Micronesian region.
2. Identify and discuss general issues shared by the different islands in the Micronesian region.
3. Define traditional society in FSM by examining traditional practices throughout the Micronesian region.
4. In an essay explain how traditional societies in Micronesia differ from modern day Micronesia.

PART II: (Colonialism, decolonialization, current status, problematic areas, and prospects of the future)

1. Define colonialism and discuss the different colonial era in Micronesia, specifically the FSM.
2. Write a critical paper on the influence of colonialism on the islands' social, political and cultural practices.
3. Define decolonialisrn and discuss events leading to the process of decolonialization in Micronesia.
4. Write an essay on the Compact of Free Association and its role in FSM's sovereignty.
5. Critically discuss the 1986 Compact of Free Association and its implication to the current re-negotiation of the Compact.

PART III: (Examination of prospects and problems of economic development)

1. Differentiate individualist from communalism.
2. Define traditional leaders in Micronesian and their roles in the islands' economic development.
3. List and discuss influence of the Compact of Free Association to economic development of the islands.
4. Discuss the economic potentials and constraints of the FSM.
5. Write a critical essay on how modernity and rapid economic development have influence the social, political and cultural changes in the islands.

PART IV: (population, environment, education, public heath, and other issues)

1. Define infant mortality, death mortality and life expectancy and discuss how these influence the demography of ESM.
2. Discuss by comparing and contrasting population trends in the Pacific islands with the population of FSM.
3. Discuss the impact of pollution on tropical islands and atolls and give suggestions as to what can be done about it.
4. Differentiate traditional education in Micronesia from the Western educational system.
5. Write an essay on how Western education has influenced the social, political, and cultural beliefs in the islands.
6. Discuss the status and condition of the health system in the FSM.
7. Discuss by comparing and contrasting traditional Micronesian gender roles with the modern day Micronesian gender roles.
8. Write a critical essay on how modernity has influenced Micronesian gender roles and how this has in turn influence the
    contemporary societies in Micronesia.