AP® World History Teaching Unit E3: Consumerism and Global Cultures

[Electronic Document] This unit explores the impact of consumerism on world history in the twentieth century, with case studies focusing on Mexico and Iran. The unit demonstrates that the emphasis of advertising and consumerism on middle-class populations has been a worldwide phenomenon for over a century. In the first two lessons, students analyze visual and printed sources to learn how advertising at the beginning of the century was directed toward the growing middle class on all continents. The advertising used popular culture and ideas about "raising" one's class or prestige by using certain products. In the third lesson, students participate in a scripted role play to investigate how rock music was redefined in Mexico and how Mexican youth's attraction to rock affected family structure and gender identity there. In the fourth lesson, students analyze the rejection of Western popular culture in the speeches, writings, and government documents produced by the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the subsequent modification of that rejection by the citizens and leaders in Iran. In the fifth lesson, students write a comparative essay about the reactions to consumerism and popular culture in the twentieth century.

Length of Document:
46 pages

File Size:
Approximately 320 kb