Issues in Our Changing World, Book 1, features lessons that are supplementary to the high school social studies curriculum. They are intended to inspire students to think on a national and global scale and to act on the local level. This text does not attempt to treat all of the important issues of contemporary society, but aims to elevate students’ awareness of specific concerns affecting their present and future. Emphasis is on enabling students to recognize the personal relevance and social significance of developing concerns and crises and preparing them to deal conscientiously and intelligently with changing and continuing issues.

Critical thinking skills are incorporated throughout the unit. Lessons are tools to manage the challenge of teaching complex problem-solving skills and controversial issues.

Examples of topics included in the unit include demographic cycles, urban growth and megacities, our planet’s resources and conservation, multinational organizations, advances in information technology, economic inequities, and globalization. Topics not addressed in this unit may be covered in the other unit in The Center for Learning’s Global Education series: Issues in Our Changing World, Book 2.