 Learn more about tourism and its positive and negative impacts on the world

and on your country, and any related issues that you find particularly
interesting and make notes and share what you learn with your partner(s) in
class.
 Think about any of the topics below and make a short 2-minute presentation
about tourist industry in your country or abroad, using the tips given at the
beginning of the Unit.

TOPICS
 Social impact of tourism: how society affects tourist areas? How can negative impacts be
reduced?
 Economic benefits: how can tourism contribute to economic development?
 Attractions: What are the most important peculiarities of popular tourist attractions?
 Political impact: How politics affects tourism? How political change can influence tourist
points?
 Benefits and disadvantages: What are the major advantages of tourism? Are there any
drawbacks?
 Ecotourism: Is it popular today? What are the main peculiarities of it?
 Different types of tourism: pro-poor tourism, dark tourism, doom tourism, educational
tourism, etc.
 Religious impact: How are tourism and religion combined? Does this influence harm
tourism?
 Impact on the environment: How does it affect tourist areas? Are there negative
influences?
 Employment in tourism: Are there possible jobs in this industry? What vacancies are the
most popular now? Are the jobs well paid?
Reading
2
BEFORE YOU READ

A GLOBAL CULTURE TO
FIGHT EXTREMISM
MAAJID NAWAZ Anti-extremism activist and radio-presenter, TED speaker

Maajid Nawaz works to promote

conversation, tolerance and democracy
in Muslim and non-Muslim communities.
As a teenager, British-born Maajid Nawaz was recruited to the global Islamist party Hizb ut-Tahrir,
whose goal, broadly put, is to unite all Muslim countries into

one caliphate ruled by Islamic law. He spent more than a decade there, rising into its leadership, until
he was sentenced to four years in an Egyptian prison for belonging to the group. But he left prison
feeling that Hizb ut-Tahrir was hijacking Islam for political purposes and that its aims were
dangerously similar to the aims of fascism. While remaining a Muslim, he was no longer an Islamist.

His goal now is to help Muslims in the West engage in their current political frameworks, while
encouraging non-Western Muslims to work for a democratic culture that values peace and women’s
rights. In the UK, he co-founded Quilliam, a think-tank that engages in “counter-Islamist thought-
generating” -- looking for new narratives of citizenship, identity and belonging in a globalized world.

He says: "I can now say that the more I learnt about Islam, the more tolerant I became."
Watch Maajid Nawaz’s TED talk on:
https://www.ted.com/talks/maajid_nawaz_a_global_cult
ure_to_fight_extremism
UNDERSTANDING THE MAIN MESSAGE AND REFLECTING

 What do you think about Nawaz’s assumptions?

Has he persuaded you of the reasons why democracy is not moving
ahead?

 Throughout the world history, what factors do you think have

encouraged the culture gap between societies and civilizations?
Think of/explore the reasons and share them with your partner in
class.

 Do you think there are realistic chances to transform current

extremist societies to democratic cultures? How? Think of the ways
and share your ideas with your partner in class.

 Write a short summary of Nawaz’s talk and share what you learn
from the talk with your class.
 Listen to more TED talks or visit other websites to learn more about
contrasting cultures, the clash of civilizations or any related issues that you
find particularly interesting and make notes and share what you learn with
your partner(s) in class.
 Think about any of the issues below and make a short 2-minute presentation
to the class.
 You can also record the video of your presentation and bring to class.

TOPICS

 What are some things that define the Georgian culture? For example, music,
language,..
 What kind of reputation does your culture enjoy globally?
 If you could change anything about your culture, what would it be?
 If a group of people just came to your country from overseas, what advice would you
give them?
 What is the best/most important thing your culture has given to the world?
 What is the best/most important thing your culture/country has adopted from
another culture?
 What do you like most about your own culture?
 What do you like least about your culture?
 Whose influence does your culture experience more: Western or Oriental?
Reading
3
BEFORE YOU READ

Watch Brian Cox’s TED talk on:

https://www.ted.com/talks/brian_cox_why_we_need_the_explorers
UNDERSTANDING THE MAIN MESSAGE AND REFLECTING

 What do you think about Cox’s ideas? Has he

persuaded you that cutting funding for science is
 “ridiculous”? Why, or why not? Write down your
arguments and discuss with your partner in class.

 Where does he think we will find life in our solar

system?

 Cox suggests an important role for serendipity –

the making of new discoveries by chance – in
scientific research. Why does he think it is
important? Do you agree or disagree?

 Write a short summary of Cox’s talk and share

what you learn from the talk with your class.
Reading
4
BEFORE YOU READ
Watch Bono’s TED talk on:
https://www.ted.com/talks/bono_the_good_news_on_poverty
_yes_there_s_good_news
UNDERSTANDING THE MAIN MESSAGE AND REFLECTING

 What is the main message of Bono’s talk? How would you assess
his efforts to fight poverty and inequality in the world?

 Does Bono think it is realistic to eradicate poverty completely?

Do you agree?

 According to Bono, what is the biggest “disease” we are fighting

right now?

 Write a short summary of Bono’s talk and share what you learn
from the talk with your partner(s) in class.

 Analyze/evaluate the current situation in the world: what do you

think are the root causes of extreme poverty? Think of the
reasons and share with your partner in class.

 What do you think is the psychology behind society’s obsession

with material wealth and money? Share your ideas with your
partner.

 Learn more about poverty and inequality in the world today.

Make notes and share your findings with your partner(s) in class.