Decoder Replay: Is there a role for a monarch in a democracy?

Decoder Replay: Is there a role for a monarch in a democracy?

King Charles III now sits on the British throne. In Denmark, Crown Prince Frederik is expected to ascend. What role do these royals have in the modern world? Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary at Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark,...

With the ascension of King Frederik X to the Danish throne in January 2024, we reconsider the role of monarchs in a modern world. Using this republished piece from correspondent Harvey Morris, help students develop evidence-based reasoning skills with an accompanying classroom debate activity. 

Exercise: Read the article with your class, then divide students into two debate groups. One group will represent a pro-monarchy opinion, and the other group will represent an anti-monarchy opinion. Students will answer the following debate question: Should monarchies around the world be abolished? To answer the question, students should prepare an argument using the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning framework. The claim answers the question. The evidence should be collected from the article or another reputable source. The reasoning should explain why the evidence supports the claim.

Decoder Replay: Tackling climate change with good COPs, bad COPs

Decoder Replay: Tackling climate change with good COPs, bad COPs

For years, governments have engaged in marathon annual talks to try to end global warming. But they often fall frustratingly short. A giant sculpture tops the Museum of the Future in Dubai. Credit: Lyonerov CC by 4.0 Editor’s note: Beginning 28 November, some...

With COP28 beginning in Dubai this week (late November 2023), help your students contribute to the climate conversation with this article originally published in October 2022 ahead of COP27 in Egypt. Climate journalist Alister Doyle runs down what to expect with these global summits — and why they often fall short.

Exercise: Read the article with your class to cover the background and purpose of COPs. Then, have students find current media coverage of the event. How does today’s coverage compare to Doyle’s piece from one year ago? What, if anything, has changed? Is the general consensus on climate change mitigation more or less optimistic than it was a year ago?

Decoder: All’s fair in love, but not war

Decoder: All’s fair in love, but not war

There is an evolving global consensus that some acts of violence in warfare are not acceptable. But how in the world can we enforce that? Headquarters of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.   This article was produced exclusively for News...

Headlines about today’s international conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine paint atrocious pictures of war crimes and violent attacks. Are these actions sanctioned in the eyes of international humanitarian law? Correspondent and political science professor Daniel Warner of the Graduate Institute in Geneva gives an overview.

Exercise: Using this summary document from the Red Cross, print out 30-40 articles from the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. Cut each article out separately. Then, prepare a large board/poster for sorting and pasting the articles, divided into four sections: civilians, prisoners of war, wounded/sick, critical infrastructure. Have students read through each article and sort them within the four categories. As they learn more about the Conventions, you may consider bringing in current headlines to evaluate whether or not today’s conflicts have abided by these international humanitarian laws. Note: Consider creating 4-5 sets of article texts and sorting posters if you have a large class, or create a digital version via Google Slides.

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