The Summer Olympic Games -- Boycott or Not?

The Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008, will take place in August. The Games in Beijing will play host to the 28 summer sports currently on the Olympic program. Approximately 10,500 athletes are expected to participate in the Games with around 20,000 accredited media bringing the Games to the world.

Concerns over the Beijing Olympic Games 2008 include the potential for boycotts from pro-Tibetan organizations such as Students for a Free Tibet, as well as from organizations such as Amnesty International that are upset with China's involvement in the crisis in Darfur. China has also been battling problems with air pollution, both in the city of Beijing and in neighboring areas, which the Beijing Organizing Committee says it hopes to remedy before the games.

While no state has indicated a willingness to boycott the 2008 games, some groups are initiating independent campaigns to do so and other notable groups have called for protests.

Leading Issues provides a topic on Human Rights. It gives students an opportunity to understand this issue in the context of the talk of possible protests directed at the Chinese by the U.S. and other countries at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

• Are the Chinese guilty of human rights violations?
  
  
• Who stands on the high moral ground and will cast the first stone?
  
  
• What good would a protest do?
  
  
• Could a protest provide even greater motivation for China to deny human rights?

Assign students either a pro or con position on the Leading Issue of Human Rights. My Analysis provides the unique five-step process that ensures critical thinking through the use of these essential questions (step four):

• Are there universal standards for human rights?
  
  
• Should human rights be limited or pushed aside during times of war or in the fight against terrorism?
  
  
• What role should the United Nations and other international organizations have in promoting and defending human rights?
  
  
• Can human rights violations by one country justify military intervention by others?

Leading Issues also provides the models that help students address these essential questions in a variety of formats.

Step five: Apply your knowledge: Using the guidelines provided, apply what you've learned to one of the formats below:

1. Guide to Writing a Research Paper (student)
   
   
2. Guide to Writing a Mini-Research Paper (teacher and student versions)
   
   
3. Guide to Creating a PowerPoint Presentation (student)
   
   
4. Guide to Creating a Mini-Debate Outline (teacher and student versions)

CultureGrams & World Conflicts Today
Standards-Aligned Insight into Daily Life & Global Conflicts