|
Home
> Examples >
Tasks &
Rubrics > Social
Sciences
Mercantilism Case Study
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the economic system of
mercantilism
Students will write in a clear, coherent manner
Students will analyze data and draw inferences
Students will organize thoughts
Students will logically defend an argument with facts
Students will make decisions based upon a set of facts
Students will cooperate, collaborate, and compromise with classmates
Students will present ideas in an understandable manner to the class
In class we have discussed the economic system of mercantilism, and
the role it played in the English colonies. Now, you are going to see
how mercantilism might function in today’s society. You and several
other classmates will be grouped together in order to examine a case scenario
about mercantilism. Your group will analyze data, keeping in mind the
goals of mercantilism, and then develop a proposal, which you will share
with the class.
Task Specifics:
1. In this scenario, the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
wants to go back to a system of mercantilism in order to secure more valuable
resources for the U.S., and to make the country richer through trade.
2. The mission of your group is to write a proposal for the FTC which
explains which nation the U.S. should attempt to colonize and set up a
system of mercantilism with.
3. Before you begin to analyze the data, your group should review
the following:
-What are the goals of mercantilism (what kinds of things does the “home”
country want to import, and what do they want to export, and why)?
-How does mercantilism work?
-What is a favorable balance of trade?
**If your group has trouble answering any of these questions, it will
be very difficult to do this analysis correctly!
4. Analyze the data on the following page and determine which of these
foreign nations would provide the U.S. with the most gains from a mercantilistic
type of relationship (look carefully at all of the data, and keep
in mind the goals of mercantilism).
5. Write a proposal to the FTC which includes answers to the following
questions:
-Which country should the U.S. start a mercantilistic relationship with?
-Why? Support/explain your answer with the relevant evidence (data).
-How would the U.S. benefit from this relationship?
6. I will randomly select one member of your group to share your proposal
with the class.
Criteria:
Your proposal should be clear, understandable, well-organized, and your
answer should be supported with facts (data). Your proposal should be
free from grammatical or spelling errors, and should be written neatly
or typed.
Data for United States FTC Study on Mercantilism
|
|
U.S.
|
Japan
|
Germany
|
Brazil
|
France
|
|
Steel Autos
|
200
|
150
|
40
|
30
|
40
|
|
Wooden Furniture
|
300
|
120
|
100
|
120
|
100
|
|
Wine
|
500
|
400
|
700
|
300
|
700
|
|
News- papers
|
10
|
12
|
6
|
3
|
5
|
|
Clothing
|
750
|
500
|
500
|
350
|
400
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Iron Ore
|
300
|
700
|
700
|
200
|
50
|
|
Trees
|
50
|
10
|
60
|
100
|
30
|
|
Cotton
|
20
|
5
|
10
|
90
|
30
|
|
Grapes
|
10
|
6
|
50
|
15
|
50
|
Citizens’ Demands:
Country’s Resources:
|
Criteria
|
Points
|
Levels
of Performance (Points)
|
| Writing
Clarity |
|
|
|
Writing is clear and coherent; information and thoughts are well-organized
|
|
10 - clear and well-organized 5 - some organization present 0 - disorganized
|
|
Spelling and grammar are correct |
|
5 - mistake free 3 - few errors 0 - many errors |
|
Paper is typed or neatly hand-written |
|
5 - very neat 3 - readable 0 - unreadable or very messy |
| Support
|
|
|
|
Arguments are supported logically with facts |
|
10 - many facts used; facts help argument 5 - few facts used; moderate
support of argument 0 - no facts used |
|
Arguments demonstrate a clear understanding of concepts |
|
10 - arguments are strong 5 - arguments show a moderate grasp of the
concepts 0 - arguments do not make sense |
| Presentation
|
|
|
|
Presenter(s) demonstrates a necessary degree of seriousness to get
his/her point across |
|
3 - demeanor is appropriate 0 - demeanor is inappropriate |
|
Eye contact is made during the presentation; voice is loud enough
to hear |
|
3 - strong eye contact 0 - no eye contact |
|
Presenter(s) demonstrates a clear understanding of the concepts and
explains information clearly to the class |
|
5 - clear understanding demonstrated 3 - moderate understanding 0
- does not understand concepts |
|
Presenter(s) understands and can pronounce all words in the presentation
correctly |
|
3 - all words are understood and pronounced correctly 0 - many words
are not understood or pronounced correctly |
| Raw
Score = /54 Final Score = /27 (Final Score = Raw Score X .5) |
|
|
|
