Un-Debate Student Activity
Have students conduct an un-debate on issues that arose in the discussions prompted by the two articles and class discussion questions in Diversity in News Media.
The un-debate is an activity where students explore the consensus and common ground in debated statements. Divide the students into groups of 6-8 members and have each group select a topic from the issues previously discussed.
Suggested Topics
- Diverse community-owned media is needed to reflect Canadian diversity
- Diverse community-owned media will lead to a segregated society
- Diverse community-owned media will result in a more tolerant society
- Diverse community-owned media should be required to show only Canadian-made programs
- Mass media outlets should be required to reflect the diversity of Canadian society
Once students have researched their topic, divide each group in half and randomly assign one half the “pro” position and the other the “con” position, as in a traditional debate. Give each side time to come up with five statements that support their assigned position, outlining reasons or evidence for their side of the argument.
After both sides have prepared their statements, they will share them with each other and work together to identify which statements both sides can agree on. These common statements reflect shared values or points of understanding between the opposing sides, forming a consensus.
Have students create a consensus list for these common statements. If the teams cannot come up with five statements they agree on, have students re-group with their side to come up with five more statements that support their opinion.
Have teams repeat this process until both sides agree on five consensus statements. The student material provides a space for students to record statements that the groups disagreed and agreed with in Un-Debate Activity. Please note that student work in the documentation tool can be exported as a Word document.
Optional: If you have time, have students present their consensus statements to the class. Students may consider sharing:
- how they found common ground (e.g. discussion, brainstorm, voting, ranking system, etc.)
- the reason(s) the “pro” and “con” sides agreed to each of their final consensus statements
- what the ability to find common ground means to their overall issue (e.g. a foundation for constructive dialogue, a bridge between opposing views, a method by which to broaden one’s perspective)
- what complexities were highlighted by the process of agreeing on consensus statements? (e.g. reflecting diversity versus segregation, cultural protection versus global exposure, freedom of expression versus mandating diversity, etc.)