The Great Parley

The French and Indian War

BLaST I.U. 17BLaST I.U. 17

Fall ColloquiaNovember 18 & 19, 2010

The Debate• You can assign students to work in four to eight groups. Each group will

represent:• A party in the negotiations such as Great Britain, France, Virginians, the

Iroquois Confederacy, and the Algonquin tribes.– Or, other interested parties involved in the Seven Years War, such as Austria,

Prussia, Sweden, Saxony, Russia, Spain, and Hanover in the conference.• The project will be to argue the belligerents’ position according to

Augustine’s “Just War Theory,” which would be very familiar to all European belligerents at that time. They will use this fictitious forum to negotiate an end to the war.

• The topics and the issues are real, but the meeting of all belligerents and interested parties is fictitious.

• Students are aware that the forum is constructed as a vehicle for debate.• The data have to be deeply anchored in substantive historical content.

AIHE © 2010

Each Group:

• Will be broken down into three subcommittees.– The Position Committee– The Opposition Committee– The Propaganda Committee

AIHE © 2010

Subcommittees• The White Paper

Author• The Orator• The Researchers

AIHE © 2010

The Author

• The whole group is responsible for the White Paper.

• This person will be responsible for writing a double-spaced, five-page explanation of their group’s official position.

• This is a formal paper. • They must cite at least five sources and

include at least 10 footnotes. • It must be written in the third person.

AIHE © 2010

The Orator

• Will present a PowerPoint presentation addressed to the nation on television.

• The presentation will be based on the text of the group’s White Paper.

• The Orator will not just read the PowerPoint presentation.• He must discuss the substance of the White Paper. • The Orator must be prepared to answer two questions

from each of the other groups. • She should research, or have other group members

research, what the other groups will probably ask her. • She should be prepared to answer those probable questions. AIHE © 2010

The Researchers• If there are enough

students in the class, some students can serve as researchers.

• They can help research the White Paper and/or the PPT content.

• The researchers will investigate what questions the opposition inquisitors might ask.

AIHE © 2010

The Inquisitors

AIHE © 2010

The Inquisitors• This committee (2 or more) or person must research the other groups.This committee (2 or more) or person must research the other groups.

• They will compose two questions to ask each group’s orator.They will compose two questions to ask each group’s orator.

• If the other group supports their position, they will prepare If the other group supports their position, they will prepare questions questions that will allow them to strengthen their own position. that will allow them to strengthen their own position.

• If the other group opposes their position, they will look to createIf the other group opposes their position, they will look to create questions that will be hard for them to answer. questions that will be hard for them to answer.

• They will look to make the position weaker of those they question,They will look to make the position weaker of those they question, while making their own position look stronger. while making their own position look stronger.

• This subcommittee should also help their own orator prepare for the This subcommittee should also help their own orator prepare for the questions that will be asked of him.questions that will be asked of him.

AIHE © 2010

The Rhetoricians

AIHE © 2010

The Rhetoricians:

• Will prepare a propaganda piece to convince the general public to support their cause.

• It will be much more informal than the White Paper. • This person (committee) may prepare handouts, posters, brief PowerPoint presentations, short video commercials, etc. • The Propaganda author will give a three-minute presentation to advance his group’s cause.

AIHE © 2010

The PresentationsDay One• Everyone should receive all

White Papers.• Each Orator will give a FIVE-

minute presentation regarding her topic. – The Presentation will include

PowerPoint• After each Oration, each

group’s Inquisitor will ask TWO questions (if 4 groups) of the Orator, (one question if 8 groups – 7 questions).

AIHE © 2010

The Presentations

Day One, continued• The Orator shall have one

minute to answer each question (six to seven depending on the number of groups.)

• She must look to counter the opposing views of the other groups.– She may pass her time to

another in her group.

AIHE © 2010

Once the Orators are done answering the questions,

the Propaganda committees

will give their presentations.(Three minutes

each)AIHE © 2010

TO WRAP IT UP

Once all of the proposals are complete, the teacher will assign a five-paragraph essay to give the students the opportunity to express their personal opinions on the topic in their essays. • They will establish their thesis (main idea) in the first paragraph.• In the next three paragraphs they will express their supporting details. • They will get the details from the groups’ White Papers and presentations. • Their last paragraph will conclude their thoughts and should lead back to the thesis.

AIHE © 2010