World Concerns & the United Nations

TOC Return To The Lesson

What Would You Do? A friend of your brother's sells you a motorbike. He tells you that the bike is in top condition and that he has taken very good care of it. A week after you pay him, the bike begins to make terrible grinding noises and loses its power to accelerate. The local garage mechanic tells you that the bike is really in terrible condition and was probably in a major accident recently. You call the seller and explain that you want to return the motorbike and get your money back. He refuses. What would you do? Give the groups adequate time to read and discuss this scenario. One pupil in each group should be designated as the recorder. Ask each group to attempt to reach a consensus on the best course of action. After approximately 15 minutes, reconvene the whole group and have recorders summarize solutions. Write these on chalkboard or chart. (Some of the pupils will suggest legal solutions, others will resort to violence, while some might be philosophic about the loss). Discuss implications of each strategy. Debrief the class: What did you decide to do? Why? What are the advantages/disadvantages of each strategy? How could you categorize the strategy? "How do you think the methods used by states or groups of states to deal with conflict might be different from the ways in which individuals or groups also deal with conflict?"