The Africa in Transition educational package is divided into 6 lessons, including 20 lesson plans, that correspond to the accompanying videotape. One of the few publications of its kind, Africa in Transition looks at all 53 independent African countries. It explores a wide range of issues facing the continent today including the impact of war, AIDS, the role of Colonialism, the slave trade, and the role of women. The following topics are discussed in the instructional guide and the videotape:

1. Africa: An Overview
   A broad overview is given of Africa's history and geography, as well as its peoples, cultures, and languages. Particular attention has been given to Africa's contact with Europeans and the ensuing Transatlantic slave trade and European rule in the early 20th century.
2. Politics and Government
   Students are introduced to the diverse political systems and types of governments that exist among Africa's 53 sovereign states. In order to understand the continent's present politics, students will review how states achieved freedom and how they have developed politically since independence.
3. Economics
   The materials briefly examine the evolution of African economic development, from the onset of the slave trade through the post-colonial period. Included is a focus on leading economic activities, several country snapshots and prospects for future economic development.
4. Health, the Environment, and the Impact of War
   Students are introduced to the major challenges that Africa faces in the areas of health, the environment, and war. Some of the issues that will be looked include the current state of Africa's health situation and how it is worsened by poverty, malnutrition and insufficient health care; environmental problems ranging from drought and desertification to deforestation and poor water quality; and the destruction and dislocation that comes with war.
5. Social and Cultural Issues
   This lesson explores the complex mix of tradition and change that pervades Africa's many societies and cultures today. The seven key areas that are examined are the concept of culture, family, the role of women, religion, the arts, urbanization, and ethnic relations.
6. Continental and World Affairs
   The relationships among independent African countries, major conflicts in Africa, relations outside Africa, the relationship between the United States and Africa, and other international issues are examined.

Each topic is featured on the accompanying videotape which contains historic and current news footage as well as excerpts from the SCIS television programs of former Secretaries of State and Defense, former world leaders and former ambassadors to the UN. The news footage and the issues discussed by the secretaries are directly related to the instructional manual and the lesson plans. The instructional manual contains 334 pages and the videotape is 2 hours long. Both are divided into 6 segments.

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Free Downloads and Other Resources
NCSS Correlation Chart [PDF-format file]	Correlation of this package to NCSS standards. Explains which skills are developed in each lesson and the appropriate grade level for each lesson.
GPS Correlation Chart [PDF-format file]	Correlation of this package to Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) standards.
Pronunciation Guide [PDF-format file]	Phonetic spelling of key terms.
Index [PDF-format file]	Index to the Instructional Guide.
Updates	Updates to this package, additional activities and other resources, available in PDF.
Timelines	Timelines of recent events in this region and the world.
Infolinks	Other web sites with information about Africa and other regions of the world.

The updates are presented in PDF format, which requires the free Adobe^® Acrobat ^® Reader ^TM. Download Acrobat ^® here.