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Activity 7
World Issues: Whose Side Are We/They On?

Adapted from "Pairs in...Isolation," by H. Thomas Collins. Project LINKS, George Washington University.

Grade Level

Secondary

Introduction

In the globally connected world in which we live, many issues, political, economic and religious, etc., sometimes divide peoples both within a nation, between two nations or among nations in a regional or world area.  The issue may be the result of traditional perceptions; technological or scientific advances; conservative, liberal or radical views of the world; political advantage or suppression; or fundamental rights of survival or dominance.  Whatever the cause, people around the world find themselves involved, if only peripherally, because of the interconnectedness of global economies and political alignments.   In each of the pairs of nations or interest groups below, are parties that are, or potentially are, opposed on one or more issue.

Teacher/Student Objective

The goal in this lesson(s) is to develop in students the ability to identify significant and meaningful issues as they peruse the newspapers, periodicals, television or Internet sources.  They should gain the understanding that most issues and challenges are interrelated, complex and changing, and that most issues have a global dimension in which the United States, and they personally, may well have a stake.  Additionally, students will develop a conscious awareness of the nature of strongly held positions and how they must be examined for the relative truths involved.

Gauging Student Understanding

The progress indicators cited reflect desirable end goals. Teachers should be prepared to use a wide variety of observational, testing and authentic achievement evaluation measures in judging the progress of students.

In a classroom activity directed by the teacher, students will examine news accounts of various world events, and proceed to select major issues of the day and identify the major players in the issue and their positions on the issue.  In so doing, the class will begin to build a list of major issues of the day (some of which may be included in the list of contending parties below), and indicate the conflicting sides of the issue.

Suggested Materials

• Copies of Handout 7A, Opposing Views.

Initial Data for Consideration and/or Process

By setting off pairs or teams of students to select and investigate both (or more) sides of one of the contentious issues identified, the students will first plan a research agenda and process, gather the necessary data and then develop a presentation of their findings.   The teacher, along with student observers, will monitor the progress of teams.   The following questions will assist students in fleshing out such issues and may guide their research of positions:

• How do the two sides perceive each other?
• What misunderstandings, if any, exist in these perceptions of each other?
• What perceived threats by or from each other exist?
• What indicators suggest a basic lack of respect (or sympathy) for the other's views, positions or statements which they make for publication?
• For each other?
• Are there any indications that each of the sides has accurate/inaccurate information about the other?
• Is there any indication of negative stereotyping or "name-calling" on the part of either or both sides?

Other Possible Activities

• Role Reversal: Once the students are secured in their knowledge of any one side of the issue, have them take that position and rewrite it as if it were being prepared by the opposing side.  Alert students to take care that the negative opinions of the other side are effectively reversed.
• Analogy:  Ask students to prepare a list of terms they or their friends sometimes use to describe persons different from themselves.  Are those terms negative or unflattering?  Are they based on stereotypes learned from their particular sub-culture?   Do they have particular terms for other people such as: teachers, older persons, persons of a different cultural or sexual orientation, less able people, siblings, strangers?  What might this reveal about the sides of the larger issue with which they have been dealing?
• Them:  To the "other guy" you may be the "other guy."  What does this statement say, or imply about people and their relationships with others?   How do their conclusions apply to the pair of protagonists they originally selected.  Have students prepare a list of these misperceptions, and a parallel list dealing with their chosen contending sides.   Compare and contrast how they are related.
• Historic Pairs:  Teachers of World/Global History or American History can easily apply these suggested activities to events in history.
  
  
  

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