Social Studies 6

Urbanization means more and more people moving into cities rather than rural areas — today, most people in the world live in urban centres.

Class structure is the gap between rich and poor in a society — in some places this shows up as a strict caste system, and everywhere it affects who has wealth, power, and opportunity.

Gender inequality means people are treated differently, and often unfairly, based on whether they are seen as male or female — this is a separate kind of inequality from class or wealth.

People migrate for many different reasons: jobs, safety, family, or opportunity — migration is a choice or a necessity, not a random event.

The unequal distribution of wealth means a small number of people can hold most of a society's money and resources while many others have very little — which keeps poverty going across generations.

Individuals matter: activists can push for change and draw attention to issues that governments and organizations then act on.

Governmental organizations are made up of countries working together — the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, and the World Trade Organization are the main examples.

NGO stands for non-governmental organization — a group that works on issues WITHOUT being run by any government, like an international aid group (Médecins sans Frontières / Doctors without Borders), a private foundation, or a lobby group.

Governments differ in their decision-making structures and forms of rule — monarchy, republic, dictatorship, and parliamentary democracy are different ways of deciding who holds power and how.

Lobby groups are people who organize to try to influence decision-makers on an issue they care about — a way for individuals to add their voices together.

An economic policy is a choice a society makes about its economy — how to raise and spend money, what to support, and what to tax — and every choice benefits some people while costing others.

Resource management means deciding how to use natural resources — deforestation, mining, oil and gas, fisheries, and infrastructure development each use land or resources in ways that benefit some people while creating costs for others.

Globalization means countries, businesses, and people around the world are increasingly connected through trade, imports and exports — buying and selling goods across borders.

Some issues cross borders and cannot be solved by one country alone — environmental issues, epidemic/pandemic response, and food distribution and famine all require international co-operation.

There is rarely one 'right' answer: an economic policy that helps one group (say, a new industry) can create costs for another (say, higher prices or lost jobs elsewhere).

Conflict between regions or countries can take many forms: war, genocide, terrorism, and boundary disputes are all examples of regional and international conflict.

Who owns a media source can shape what stories get told and how — ownership of media, propaganda, and editorial bias can all slant coverage of an event.

Conflict is often driven by religious and ethnic violence — disagreements or hatred rooted in identity, belief, or history, not just competition over territory.

Media can distort events through sensationalism (making a story seem more dramatic or shocking than it really is), which changes how serious an issue appears.

Conflict has serious human costs, including the use of child soldiers, showing how conflict affects even the youngest and most vulnerable people.