The Great Court of History is in session. Qin Shi Huang is accused of ‘limiting the development of Ancient China’. Is he guilty of the charge or not? In groups of three or four students, prepare to defend or prosecute (trying to find guilty) the First Emperor of China.
How to prepare?
-
Carefully examine the wording of the ‘crime’ of which Qin Shi Huang is accused.
-
Take two lessons to research and prepare your case. Refer to the sources you have studied in this unit as well as anything else you can find on the Net or in books.
-
List arguments, witnesses and sources, modern or ancient, either for or against the Emperor.
-
Think about the points that your opposition might make and how you might argue against them.
-
One of the main witnesses will be Sima Qian. What points strengthen/weaken the credibility of his evidence?
The trial
Once your research and preparation is done, your teacher will choose a defence and a prosecution team (the rest of the class will be the jury). Each side will:
-
Present its case (2-3 minutes)
-
Argue against the opposition case (1-2 minutes)
-
Summarise the strengths of its case (1 minute)
Finally, the judge (your teacher) and jury will decide which side has won the trial.