1. Break into cooperative learning groups:
First, you will be assigned by the teacher into heterogeneous cooperative learning groups that will be composed of four members. If some students want to form a group by themselves choosing their own group mates, they are allowed to do so.
2. Come together and share the task:
Group members will decide which parts of the task to do and which aspects of the issue to handle. Members will do research through online to gather information about what type of policy the U.N., the U.S., Britain, and Iraq followed when coping with the crisis in Iraq. Each member will select one of these countries to do research. In addition, foreign policies of four major world powers, Russia, Germany, France, and China, towards the Iraqi issue will be researched. Group members will jointly decide which country will be researched by which member.
3. Construct several questions including analytical ones:
Devise several questions that can help you focus your attention on fundamental aspects of the issue, and thus pinpoint the essence of the issue under investigation. Here are a few example questions:
What were those major historical events prior to the intervention and how could they affect the crisis in Iraq?
What events took place at the UN before the war started?
What arguments and rationale did the Bush administration give for waging war against Iraq? What beliefs, goals, interests, and motivations could lead the Bush Administration to go to that war?
Why did the Bush administration quit efforts and attempts to secure a united diplomatic policy against Iraq?
How have other countries reacted to the Bush administration's policy against Iraqi issue?
How did the public in the U.S. and other parts of the world respond to possibility of war with Iraq?
How do people in the Middle East view and evaluate the U.S. policy towards the region?
What is the view of United Nations towards the use of military action against Iraq?
Why did the United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan said, before war, in reference to America's intention to go war with Iraq, "If this action is to take place without the support of the Council, its legitimacy will be questioned...?
What is the nature of America's relations with other nations?
What is the nature of the relationship between the United States and other Nations?
4. Research the World Wide Web:
First determine which of the following web links will be scrutinized by which member, and then look for information that is relevant, useful ,and helpful in completing the task. You are not required to research web links other than the ones given below on this page. However, if you would like to have access to more resources, feel free to broaden your knowledge base on the issue.
Below are the Internet resources along with brief descriptions.
http://www.crf-usa.org/Iraqwar_html/iraqwar_links.html#hussein Provides a variety of web links concerning the War in Iraq. Some issues addressed in the site are the profile of Iraq, prewar developments, Bush doctrine, antiwar movement, and analysis of media coverage.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/877174.asp?0cb=-119101489&cp1=1 Iraq: The Interactive Library: This site supplies users through slide shows and videos with such information on the war with Iraq as political and military backgrounds of the war, the course of the battle, domestic and international debates over the war, the oil question, views from abroad on the war and so on.http://www.stimson.org/iraq/?SN=IR20030401529 Provides online resources on the War with Iraq. Included in the web site are such topics as history of weapon inspections in Iraq, a collection of short essays by experts on the analysis of various aspects of the Iraq issue.
http://www.ciponline.org/iraq/ The Center for International Policy's Project on Iraq: Experts evaluate the U.S. Iraq policy from different standpoints, elucidate the U.N. Security Council Resolution on Iraq. Several news agencies' reports on Iraq are also included.http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/iraq.htm The Iraqi Conflict: The site contains a variety of links to resources including primary documents about The U.S.-Iraq Relations from 1950 to Present.
http://www.socialstudies.org/resources/moments/iraq/ Current events: War with Iraq. The site is owned by The National Council for Social Studies which gives links to diverse and multiple perspectives, articles and media resources about historical, political, economic, and geographic background of the conflict.
http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/iraq Past and current information on Iraq reflecting official perspective of the U.S. government.
http://www.crimesofwar.org/expert/bush-taylor.html Expert Analysis of Iraq and the Bush Doctrine.
http://www.cfr.org/reg_index.php?id=6|35||1 Iraq Resource Center owned by Council on Foreign Relations: As a very comprehensive site, it highlights such isuues and topics as Iraq background, the Bush doctrine, Iraq response to the U.S. Iraq policy, the debate over Iraq war, alternatives to war, costs of war, and aftermath of war.
http://www.hnn.us/ Includes articles written by historians on both the left and the right who provide historical perspective on current events.
http://boards.historychannel.com/forum.jsp?forum=3 Online discussions aimed at reflecting perspective or producing answers to the question, "What roles should the U.S. play in post war Iraq."
http://www.1stheadlines.com/iraq.htm Online news on Iraq by ABC, BBC, Boston.com, CBS, Christian Science Monitor, CNN, Guardian - UK, MSNBC, and USA Today.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/ Presents transcripts of the day's broadcasts.
5. Consult experts in history and social sciences:
Each member is to seek experts' opinions on different sides of the issue such as economic, social, cultural etc. and then incorporate their views into their the final report.
The link to those experts is http://www.allexperts.com/browse.asp?Meta=7.6. Meet with the other members of your group:
After you are done with gathering relevant information about the issue, you will share, discuss and decide what you want to include in your final project. Combine the ideas you've come up with and the information you gathered with those of your teammates.
7. Make judgment about the issue:
Evaluate and make judgment about whether the war with Iraq was justified and the reasons the U.S. gave for going to war were acceptable on the basis of evidences and information you obtained. You will judge either the U.N. or the U.S. and Britain failed to comply with what they were expected to do in the face of the Iraqi crisis according to the charter of the U.N.
8. Write a report:Write a report on the issue putting across your evaluation of and judgment about the issue. Your evaluation and judgment will be based on clear, coherent, and logical argument and the analysis of substantial evidences.
9. Present your report:
Prepare a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the main points in your report. You will present your report in the class.
When doing research, keep in mind the following precautions and suggestions:
The sources (i.e., newspapers, magazines, governments' and independent institutions' web sites etc.) may not contain correct and reliable news or information. Check the accuracy of a given source against other sources. Test the data source for its credibility, authority and authenticity; and detect and evaluate bias, distortion, and propaganda by omission, suppression, or invention of facts. Analyze and critique newspaper articles and media news reports by comparison and contrast of content and presentation. Pay attention to the points of view of several people, organizations, and governing bodies regarding the issue. Be aware of your own biases and minimize their possible impact on your writing.
If you would like to be provided with a brief overview of divergent perspectives and opinions about the Iraqi issue before the war started, click here.
