SPICE draws upon the diverse faculty and programmatic interests of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. All of our materials are developed to reflect the scholarship and research interests of FSI faculty members, who serve as scholarly advisors for our curricula.
Since these curricula are still in development, the titles below are working titles and are used for descriptive purposes only.
If you are interested in either fieldtesting (using the lesson with your students) or reviewing (reading through the lesson and offering pedagogical feedback/suggestions without student participation) any curriculum modules from this list, fill out our online form.
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Unit in Development
South Korea stands as one of the largest economies in the world, producing some of the largest ships and inventing some of the most advanced consumer electronics. With its roots in a traditional agrarian economy, South Korea grew rapidly during the 1960s and 1970s under an export-led and heavy-industry-focused strategy, led by the state and large conglomerates called jaebol. In less than 50 years, South Korea's gross domestic product increased from $2.7 billion in 1962 to over $1 trillion in 2007. But such growth was not without it challenges. In 1997-98, the South Korean economy faced its greatest difficulty during the financial crisis that swept through Asia. Through tough restructuring and renewed focus on high technology, South Korea overcame the crisis and has developed into a much more complex economy. Today, South Korea not only exports goods, but has also developed a strong service sector and exported its popular culture in the form of movies, songs, and dramas. The story of South Korea's economy is a fascinating tale of the promises and risks of capitalism in modern economic development. Appropriate for high school and community college students.
Unit in Development
As the host of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, Tokyo, Japan will be in the global spotlight and aims to showcase itself as a high-tech city of the future. Preparations are underway to develop driverless vehicles to transport athletes around the congested city, and technology companies are working to complete high-tech gadgets they hope to introduce at the 2020 Games. For Japan this is an opportunity to reinvent itself as a force in the high-tech industry and demonstrate its recovery from economic recession. While hosting the Olympics offers a great opportunity for a host city, it also presents many challenges. For Tokyo these challenges include retrofitting for earthquakes, updating its expressways, and stabilizing the Fukushima nuclear power plant, among others.
SPICE is developing twelve lessons on various historical and contemporary topics related to Tokyo that will help students better understand the host city. Contemporary topics will range from Tokyo’s preparations for the 2020 Games to its transportation system to its environmental and demographic concerns. Historical themes will include the legacy of the Edo Period and a snapshot of Tokyo in 1945 near the end of World War II. All lessons will be provided on the SPICE website and offered for free. Appropriate for middle and high school students.
