PHI THETA KAPPA International Honor Society of the Two Year College

Work with a local National Honor Society chapter to trace the role of salt in your geographic area. Salt is a commodity that has been prized by humans across time and around the world.  Find out if trade routes were made in your area based on control and/or acquisition of salt.

Read the newspaper daily and conduct a Case Study on the ongoing power struggle between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.  Be sure to explain the origins of the two groups and outline the sources of their conflict.

Create a migration map that shows the backgrounds of families in your area who were originally religious refugees.  Begin by asking members of your Phi Theta Kappa chapter or students on campus if their families would be willing to share their experiences.  Be sure to discuss how their religious traditions continue to influence their daily lives.

Stage a debate on the pros and cons of a quest for personal glory.  Strengthen your arguments by citing historical figures or local heroes as examples.

Choose two subcultures from your geographic area that have different definitions of power (e.g. Amish and yuppies) and interview members of those subcultures.  Based on your interviews, write an article for the school newspaper that demonstrates how the meaning of power influences the behavior of members of each group.

Arrange for a lively discussion between an economics instructor and a political science instructor on the local impact of globalization.  Discussion should address whether local jobs have been outsourced and whether Wal-Mart (or another large retailer) has replaced locally owned stores.