Lesson Name: Country Simulation or Philosopher’s Salon

 

Category: Canadian and World Politics

Course Code: CPW 4U1

Created By: Mark Melnyk

School: Markville Secondary School

Level: Grade 12

Time: 7 periods for various amounts of time. Please refer to Sample Schedule to see how to divide and allot time during the first month of classes

 

 

 

 


Rationale:

Country Simulation Students will be introduced to the Country Simulation, also called the Philosopher’s Salon. This simulation will run throughout the first month of class allowing students to practice and live the theories and actions that they will be studying.

 

 

Expectations:

Ø      describe the main ways in which sovereign states and non-state participants cooperate and deal with international conflicts;

Ø      evaluate the extent to which the rights and responsibilities of states in the international community are parallel to the rights and responsibilities of citizens in democratic national communities;

Ø      describe the participation of several states in international relations in terms of their objectives, resources, and methods;

Ø      identify ways of preventing war and conflict between states (e.g., military preparation, international law, peace movements);

Ø      explain the effects on national sovereignty of the trend towards global decision making (e.g., the decreased power of states to make policies to control the flow of goods and services, ideas, and cultural products);

Ø      identify the causes and consequences of non-governmental international conflict and violence (e.g., terrorism, tribalism, organized crime).

Ø      analyse the need for new international organizations as a result of globalization and the advent of new technologies (e.g., organizations for regulating extra-governmental firms, controlling drug trafficking, regulating activities in outer space).

Ø      describe factors that make states powerful and factors that make states weak;

Ø      identify key influences in the history of international relations;

Ø      explain the role and function of ideologies in national and international politics;

Ø      explain how nationalist and internationalist ideologies shape ideas, as well as conflict or cooperation within and among nations;

Ø      demonstrate an understanding of the many similarities and differences in the aspirations, expectations, and life conditions among the peoples of the developed and the developing nations.

 

 

Instructions:

  1. Introduction: The fact that this course is designed for University preparation should be stated to the students each lesson.

  2.  Students are reminded that University professors will use simulations to help involve all students and increase understanding of material. Students must be made aware that the tables where they sit will be their country for the rest of the month.

  3. The Philosopher’s Salon or Country Simulation. The names will be used interchangeably.  Students are given the Handout for the Philosopher’s Salon. It is essential for the instructor to outline the key elements:

    a) The end goal of the simulation is for the entire class to succeed on the Salon Test
    b) There will be a limited number of resources (textbooks, computers, paper, markers, LCD projector), and it will be up to each country how they will share these resources, trade and work with other countries.
    c) The instructor might want to provide incentives for the new international community being created for success as a class. Example: Offer 2 extra marks to each student if the class average on the test is 80% or higher. This will provide incentive to the class to work together.
    d) The idea of Utopia should underlie the explanation of the simulation. Students should be encouraged to create the perfect society.

  4. Set Up: A typical class of 30-35 students will mean that there will be 6 groups of 6 or 5 groups of 6. It is important for the Simulation and the Student Led Tutorials that  the groups have at least 5 or 6 students. The classroom will need to be set up in co-operative learning group style (tables that accommodate 6 students).

  5. Resource Distribution: The instructor will now hand out resources that the students will have for the first month of the class. Each country will get various resources. In my class we have 3 computers with Internet access, 1 computer on wheels that will be used for presentations, but can also be used by one group (there are only 3 internet drops, so students will have to negotiate for the use of the internet). For a class of 30, hand out 15 textbooks, keep the resources scarce, it will necessitate greater co-operation and competition. Resources can be spread out in various ways. I will typically give 2 textbooks to the countries that have access to the computers. The country with the mobile computer and LCD will get 2 textbooks as well. The other non-computer groups will get 3 textbooks each, a single library pass and finally one country without a computer will start with Chart Paper and Markers.

 

  1. Activity - Students will now be asked to make a country name, symbol, and start to think about how they hope to achieve the highest level of success for the Test. The following list of days is flexible and can be split depending on your set up in the classroom.

 

  1. 2nd Day: Students will need to make a short presentation about their country using Chart Paper and Markers that one of the countries possesses. They will need to trade, make treaties or barter to get paper and markers. This presentation will be assessed on Communication, Thinking/Inquiry skills. The instructor can then provide discreet feedback to each country in its quest to define itself and its place in the new evolving international community.

 

  1. 3rd -4th Day: Divide the Philosopher’s in the textbook (if possible according to the ideology that the students are adopting in their own country. Students will be doing a Powerpoint Presentation using the one LCD and Computer controlled by one country. Countries will create their own –ism and study one or two political philosophers from the following list:
    Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Marx, Sun Tzu, Morgenthau, von Clausewitz, Kautilya, and any others in the textbook. Students will be given 2 periods to work specifically on their philosopher. Parts of other periods will also be given when there is time to negotiate with other countries and work on the ppt presentation.

 

  1. 5th Day: Powerpoint presentation day. All countries will have to present on this day. The instructor will provide an order 3 days prior to the presentations and students wil need to negotiate how they will be able to divide the time so that all countries have access to the computer and LCD and have enough time to complete their presentation. Presentations will be marked out of 20 based on the Philosopher’s Salon Rubric.
    Note: Look at the examples of the Student PPTs on the Website under :
    Student Area> Exemplars

 

  1. 6th Day: Upon completion of the presentations, depending on time restraints, allow students parts of the next week before the test to figure out how everyone in the class can be most successful. At this point there may have been alliances, power struggles, all elements that happen in the real international community. Students again need to be reminded of the end goal (success on the Salon Test).

 

  1. 7th Day: The Salon Test. On this day hand out Envelopes to the Leaders of each country. Based on their performance during the simulation give them incentives in the envelope (it could be “Salon Currency” valued at 1 mark each…). The test consists of 50 Multiple Choice questions based on Chapters 1-3 in the text and the country presentations, and lectures during the month. This is hoped to prepare students for high stakes Multiple Choice testing that they will face in University. I include a 10 mark Essay question as well.

  2. Activity Closure: Debrief the simulation and ask students how they feel that the simulation mirrored actual historical or current events. Try to analyze the power structures, the collapse or maintenance of the international system, the differences between Multipolar, Bipolar and Hegemonic control. Also show how an international system is anarchical in nature.

 

 

 

Materials:

Þ    LCD Projector and Computer

Þ    3 Computers with Internet (flexible element)

Þ    Course Pack

Þ    Chart Paper, Markers

Þ    Philosopher’s Salon Handout

Þ    Textbooks: Allen Sens, Peter Stoett, Blobal Politics: Origins, Currents, Directions, 2nd Edition, Nelson – Thomson Learning, 2002. For more information go to the publishers website: http://www.globalpolitics2e.nelson.com/

 

 

Assessment & Evaluation:

The evaluation of the Country Simulation is outlined in the Handout, but the main components involved are the Simulation, the Presentation and the ultimate end goal, the Salon Test.