1. Begin class by showing students the cartoon. Ask students to interpret the meaning of the cartoon.
2. Hand out the article on the ICC. Allow students some time to read over the article, and answer the following questions:
- Why was the ICC developed?
- Why is it important for the ICC to have "the best-qualified people, men and women, from the broadest range of backgrounds".
- Explain what Dicker means when he says "We need the highest common denominator, not the lowest."
- Why would the US want to provide its citizens with immunity from the court?
- What are some of the concerns that have arisen from America's request for immunity?
3. Debrief as a class, and focus the discussion on the benefits and challenges to the International Criminal Court. Explore what countries have signed the statute, and examine the countries that have not ratified the treaty. Why have some chosen to sign and others not?
4. Break students into teams of 4 or 5 and distribute the country profiles to each group. After they have had an opportunity to review the profiles, have each group select a country to represent.
5. Groups will prepare to participate in a classroom conference on the International Criminal Court. The purpose of the conference will be to enable students to explore the challenges that have been faced in establishing an International Criminal Court. Students will partake in a round-table debate where they will negotiate which conditions and allowances will be made by the ICC in order to gain the support of all countries attending the conference. The objective of the conference will be for students to come to a collaborative agreement about these allowances by the end of the period.
6. In order to help groups prepare for the conference, provide students with the Debate Organizer. Students must also be given class/library time to ensure that they are knowledgeable about the following:
- The position of the country which they are representing, as well as the reasons for this position
- The position of each of the other countries represented by the various groups in the class, as well as the reasons for this position
- Rome Statute
7. On the day of the conference, each group should be given an opportunity to present an opening statement which addresses the following key points:
- A summary of their country's position
- The compromises they are willing to make with each country in order to come to an agreement on the successful establishment of the ICC. In doing this, students should make specific references to articles from the Rome Statute
- The conditions they feel are not negotiable in order for the successful establishment of an ICC. In doing this, students should make specific references to articles from the Rome Statute.
8. Following each group's opening statement, students are free to debate the issues and will be required to come to a final agreement by the end of the class.
Note: For an updated list of countries that have signed/ratified the Rome Statute, visit the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade website at:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/foreign_policy/icc/ratification-en.asp
Each student will hand in a summary of their opinion on the merits and disadvantages of the establishment of an ICC. This paper should also include a reflection piece about the agreement that was reached by the end of the classroom conference.
