Russia and Georgia: Conflict and War (Fall 2008)

The violence and war in Georgia has brought the U.S. relationship with Russia back to the front pages and rekindled an important debate. How should the United States view Russia? How do Russian policies affect the United States? What policies should the United States follow to manage its relationship with Russia? Russia's Transformation: Challenges for U.S. Policy provides background and lessons that can help your students make sense of the news and explain why American leaders are paying close attention to the conflict.

Events in Taiwan, Tibet, and China (Spring 2008)

Events in Taiwan, Tibet, and China are in the news. In and around Tibet, protests against the Chinese government have been met with a crackdown from Chinese security forces. The violence in Tibet has escalated to levels not seen in twenty years, and influenced the spring 2008 presidential elections in Taiwan. China on the World Stage: Weighing the U.S. Response (2008 edition) provides background on these issues, including an extensive lesson plan on the relationship among China, Taiwan, and the United States. These resources can help your students make sense of the news and explain why American leaders are paying close attention to the conflicts.

North Korea and Nuclear Weapons (Winter 2007)

The six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program have resulted in a tentative agreement. This promises to be the beginning of a long and challenging process. North Korea and Nuclear Weapons engages students in consideration of the range of options that continue to face policymakers. The material is available at no charge from the Choices web site.

See also The Challenge of Nuclear Weapons.

Conflict in Iraq: Confronting Policy Alternatives (Winter 2007)

Conflict in Iraq: Confronting Policy Alternatives engages students in consideration of a balanced range of views on the question of U.S. policy in Iraq. What is our purpose? Who should be involved in solutions? Are our troop levels right? How long should U.S. troops stay? What does this mean for the larger question of America's role in the world today? The material is available at no charge from the Choices web site.

This online resource is drawn from Conflict in Iraq: Searching for Solutions

The U.S. in Iraq: Confronting Policy Alternatives (Fall 2006)

The U.S. in Iraq: Confronting Policy Alternatives engages students in consideration of a balanced range of views on the question of the U.S. presence in Iraq. What is our purpose? How long should we stay? The material is available at no charge from the Choices web site.

Multiparty Elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Summer 2006)

The Democratic Republic of Congo has been plagued by violence and misrule for most of its existence, yet many in the United States are unaware of the country's history. The historic election in the DRC has the potential to bring stability to the region and strengthen Africa's place in the international community. Colonialism in the Congo: Conquest, Conflict, and Commerce engages students in the history of precolonial Congo and European imperialism in the area and helps them to connect this history to the present.

See Colonialism in the Congo: Conquest, Conflict, and Commerce for resources on this topic.

Considering Genocide in Sudan (Spring 2005)

Recent news articles highlight an on-going civil war in Sudan that has been raging for more than 20 years. What is taking place in Sudan today is characterized as government-sponsored ethnic cleansing by some, genocide by others. This online lesson is available at no charge from the Choices web site. This lesson is adapted from Confronting Genocide: Never Again?.

This online lesson was replaced in fall 2006 with "Violence in Darfur, Sudan".

Iraq: The Challenge of Securing the Peace (Spring 2005)

Critical questions about Iraq's future and about the U.S. role in the region have risen to the top of the American agenda. Iraq: The Challenge of Securing the Peace is an online lesson plan that engages students in consideration of a balanced range of views on how the situation in Iraq should be handled and then asks them to articulate their own considered judgment on what U.S. policy should be. The material is available at no charge from the Choices web site. This online resource was replaced in fall 2005 by Iraq: What's Ahead and in fall 2006 by The U.S. in Iraq: Confronting Policy Alternatives.

The Tsunami Disaster: Putting it in the Context of Foreign Aid (Winter 2005)

The tragic events surrounding the tsunami disaster in Asia have brought the question of foreign assistance to the front burner. What kind of aid should be provided and how much are topics discussed on a daily basis as the world moves to cope with this terrible tragedy.

This lesson is a supplement to Dilemmas of Foreign Aid: Debating U.S. Priorities, Policies, and Practices.

Iraq After War: The Challenge of Securing the Peace (Spring 2004)

One year after the war in Iraq, critical questions about Iraq's future remain. Iraq After War: The Challenge of Securing the Peace engages students in consideration of a balanced range of views on how the post-war period in Iraq should be handled and then asks them to articulate their own considered judgment on what U.S. policy should be. The material is available at no charge from the Choices web site.

Responding to Terrorism (Spring 2004)

The terrible tragedy in Spain provides sharp reminders that the United States and the world are still threatened by terrorism.Recently updated, the curriculum unit Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracyhelps students explore the threats to the United States, the motivations ofterrorists, and the challenges for our international and domestic response.

9.11 Two Years Later: Teaching about Terrorism (Fall 2003)

The second anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon has provided an opportunity to consider the challenges presented by the issue of international terrorism. Updated in fall 2003, the curriculum unit Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracyhelps students explore the threats to the United States, the motivations ofterrorists, and the challenges for our international and domestic response.

Teaching about Terrorism (Spring 2003)

The terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia the death of more Americans provide a sharp reminder that the United States is still threatened byterrorism. Simulations in American cities of radiological or biologicalattacks remind us that the threat is real and of immediate concern.The curriculum unit Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracyhelps students explore the threats to the United States, the motivations ofterrorists, and the challenges for our international and domestic response.

Crisis with Iraq (Fall 2002 - Revised Winter 2003)

Crisis with Iraq is a lesson plan and set of policy options that was developed to engage students in the issue of Iraq prior to war. The materials engage students in consideration of a balanced range of views and then ask them to articulate their own considered judgment on the issue. The material is available at no charge from the Choices web site.

Attack on the United States (Fall 2001)

In the weeks following the September 11 attacks, the Choices Education Program posted a framework of policy options to help teachers and students address the issues raised by these attacks in a construction manner in classrooms. To assist students in understanding the issues, Choices asked several of the Watson Institute researchers to respond to a series of questions. Students and teachers may find these interviews helpful as they consider the issues addressed in Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracy.

Teaching about Terrorism - Scholar Interviews (Fall 2001)

Responding to Terrorism - Interviews is a series of interviews conduced with Watson Institute researchers in the weeks following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Students and teachers may find these interviews helpful as they consider the issues addressed in our full unit, Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracy. The interviews are available at no charge from the Choices web site.