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Education

Diplomacy Negotiation: Classroom Summit

Length
One 60-90 minute class period
Grade Level
High School, Higher Education

Learning Objectives

Through a mock diplomatic summit, students will work together to design, critique, and modify a policy that responds to a school-related issue.

Instructional Plan

  1. (5 min) - Begin class with a brief discussion of the CFR Education “What is Diplomacy?” resource assigned as homework prior to class session (slides 3-4).
  2. (5 min) - Explain to students that today, they will participate in a mock diplomatic negotiation regarding a particular school issue. Work with students to select a topic, then divide students into two teams. Each team should represent a relevant stakeholder group, i.e. Students and Teachers, or Students and Administrators (slides 5-8).
  3. (10 min) - Students work within their teams to identify their assigned group’s goals, nonnegotiables, and areas of possible compromise. Each team should also appoint a spokesperson to speak for the group during the summit (slide 9).
  4. (15-20 min) - Have students position their desks so that the teams are facing one another. Explain the rules and structure of the summit to students, then proceed through the following rounds: opening statements, exchange of goals and nonnegotiables, initial proposals, and counter-proposals (slides 10-17)
  5. (10 min) - Once students have exchanged counter-proposals, have students write a joint statement summarizing the final, mutually-agreed-upon plan, what each side gained, and where each signed compromised. The joint statement or agreement should be approximately one paragraph in length, written within the slide deck or on a board so that all participants can see and comment (slides 18-19)
  6. (5 min) - Ask students to reflect on the activity, particularly the strategies required for a successful negotiation and what their experience might reflect about actual diplomatic negotiations (slides 20-21)
  7. (5 min) - Transition the class discussion back to real-world diplomacy. Emphasize to students that the activity they completed mirrors the ways in which real-world countries negotiate on issues, like climate agreements, military deescalation, humanitarian aid, or technology governance (slides 22-26).
  8. (Optional) - Assign students the following prompt as homework: “Select a current global issue. What might the involved country’s goals, nonnegotiables, and compromises look like? Outline a potential real-world solution that respects each side’s goals and concerns” (slides 27-28).

Instructor Notes

  • The issue discussed in the mock negotiation should be real enough for students to feel meaningful, but not so sensitive that the activity becomes inflammatory or emotionally charged.
  • As in any diplomatic negotiation, civil discourse is key. Students must agree to follow the code of conduct outlined in the slide deck before participating in the summit.

Materials