2008-2009 Curriculum

The overall theme of the 2008-2009 World Scholar's Cup is The Fall of Empires.

Mathematics treats The Essentials of Standardized Assessment. Competitors will be tested on arithmetic, probability, geometry and algebra, with a focus on the skills required for success on a wide array of standardized exams. See the Mathematics outline

History treats Empires on the Brink. Competitors will study the decline and fall of empires from every habitable continent, from the ancient Romans and the Asante Empire of Africa to colonialist powers Great Britain and Portugal. Teams will also independently research the aftermath of empire, including in the former Soviet bloc. See the History outline

Fine Arts treats The Art of Decline and Decadence and, in the annual film segment, Empires of the Past and Future. Competitors will study artworks of different imperial cultures and historical periods. Teams will also independently research the hallmarks of modern industrial and post-industrial empires: skyscrapers such as the Sears Tower and Burj Dubai. One film, The Last Emperor, explores the fall of the last Chinese dynasty through one man's difficult journey; the other, Serenity, depicts the aftermath of a failed revolution in the future. See the Fine Arts outline

Literature treats Literature of the Fall. Competitors will read Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist, and six poems, including works by Du Fu, William Wordsworth, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn. See the Literature outline

Economics treats The Essentials of Economic Thinking. Competitors will study fundamental elements of microeconomics, macroeconomics and international trade and development, as well as a special module exploring The Economics of Spectacular Collapse. See the Economics outline

Science treats Sustainable Development. Competitors will study the science and application of energy and agriculture, with a special emphasis on the ecological and political consequences of unsustainable development. Teams will also research recent activity in the market for oil and possible energy sources of the future. See the Science outline