Poto Mitan: Haitian Women, Pillars of the Global Economy

Lesson Guide
Author: Ke Wang, Vanderbilt University, Center for Latin American Studies

Overview
Grade levels: 7th to 12th grade
Subject areas: Social studies (Economics, Geography, Human geography, Sociology)
Duration: 3 sessions, 50 minutes/session

Key words: Haiti, Globalization, Neoliberalism, Collective power, gender, labor, Women’s role and voice, African Diaspora

In Poto Mitan, each of the five women’s personal story explains neoliberal globalization, how it is gendered, and how it impacts Haiti: inhumane working/ living conditions, violence, poverty, lack of education, and poor health care.

This lesson has been designed to use this 45-minute documentary Poto Mitan as a case study for in-depth discussion on:

  • Globalization
  • Indicators of economic development: GDP, Gini coefficient, CPI, inflation, etc.
  • Economic concepts including but are not limited to: Reaganomics, Neoliberalism, and Structural Adjustment
  • Individual-level, national-level, and international-level facts and policies about Haiti’s economy

Poto Mitan: Haitian Women, Pillars of the Global Economy Lesson Plan (includes Alabama, Tennessee, and Common Core Standards!)

Poto Mitan Official Study Guide