You will come up with ideas based on the book you have read. The discussion on Monday, January 16 will have guided questions that can lead to ideas as well. Your essay must have a thesis, a description of the situation, and arguments to prove your thesis.
Essay Ideas
1. Describe the differences in women's experiences in Bagladesh compared with Canada.
2. - or between poor women's experiences in Bangladesh compared with Canada.
3. Would you want to take a job as a bank staffer with the Grameen Bank? Are Canadian young adults suited for this type of job?
4. How is Yunus different than many business people, adults, and traditional ways of thinking that you see in Canada today? In your opinion, should Canadian business people be more like him, or less? Would his attitudes work in Canada?
5. What do the recipients of Grameen loans do with the money they borrow? Would you consider them to be more or less entrepreneurial than people in North America today?
6. Is it easier to start a small business today in Bangladesh than in Canada?
7. See p. 149-151. Is credit a human right? Yunus has a new way of looking at people - he sees them as creative entrepreneurs and he sees micro-credit as an empowering, liberating force. This is different than the traditional economic view that sees people as consumers and labourers and results in credit being an enslaving force.
8. See p. 140-142 and p. 161. Why are the poor poor? Is this similar to the way people here view young people? Do they already have skills or do they need more and more training? Is the Ontario Summer Company program similar to Grameen?
9. See p. 176-188. Could micro-credit work in Canada?
10. See p. 201-212. What is actual economic growth? Is profit maximization the way to go? Look at our local businesses here and the value they place on trust and relationships. Are small town businesses in Canada similar to the ones described in this passage? Has Yunus changed the way you think about economics?
