Introduction:
China, the most populous country in the world and the second largest country in Asia, has been involved in several territory disputes over the past 70 years since it became a Communist country. One of the most contested areas is Tibet, a region whose residents largely consider themselves to be oppressed members of an independent state. In this Webquest, you will explore the various perspectives on this debate and form your own opinion about which group has the best claim to control over Tibet.
To the Chinese, the international furor over Tibet parallels Western intrigues in Chinese affairs dating back to the 19th Century Opium Wars, the Boxer Rebellion, U.S. support of the Nationalist Chinese during the Chinese Civil War, the Great Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen Square. On the other hand, Westerners, spurred by efforts of the Tibetan exile community and Hollywood feature films like "Seven Years in Tibet" and "Kundun", tend to quickly assume that the Chinese are at fault. The true story about Tibet lies somewhere in between.
Your Task:
An international news agency is doing a special on "The Tibet Question". They will be interviewing members of the Tibetan groups, the Chinese and US government officials, representatives of human rights organizations and Chinese scholars. You will be assigned to one of these groups in preparation for this news special.
You will be assigned to one of these groups to present your group's point of view. You will need to take into account the historical background of the issue as well as anticipating the positions held by other groups. When you are finished with this activity, you will complete a MEAT-Con paper responding to the question "Are Tibet and its people oppressed by the Chinese Government?"
Your Task:
You will be placed into one of the following groups and should research the questions in the Historical Background section on your Question Guide as if you belonged to that group and were trying to prove its point:
Additionally, each member of the group will be responsible for researching one of the major historical questions listed below. The researcher should take time to read their article linked below and familiarize the rest of the group with their event. Each member should answer their question with a focus on explaining the significance of each event in the context of the question of Tibetan freedom. Each researcher is encouraged to conduct Google searches and seek information beyond simply the articles linked for each question below:
After researching your group's opinions, you will present your group's position to the class and educate the other groups about "your" ideas.
**Adapted from "The Tibet Question" Lesson Plan by Mark La Porte, History Department Chair, Temescal Canyon High School, Lake Elsinore, CA.**
China, the most populous country in the world and the second largest country in Asia, has been involved in several territory disputes over the past 70 years since it became a Communist country. One of the most contested areas is Tibet, a region whose residents largely consider themselves to be oppressed members of an independent state. In this Webquest, you will explore the various perspectives on this debate and form your own opinion about which group has the best claim to control over Tibet.
To the Chinese, the international furor over Tibet parallels Western intrigues in Chinese affairs dating back to the 19th Century Opium Wars, the Boxer Rebellion, U.S. support of the Nationalist Chinese during the Chinese Civil War, the Great Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen Square. On the other hand, Westerners, spurred by efforts of the Tibetan exile community and Hollywood feature films like "Seven Years in Tibet" and "Kundun", tend to quickly assume that the Chinese are at fault. The true story about Tibet lies somewhere in between.
Your Task:
An international news agency is doing a special on "The Tibet Question". They will be interviewing members of the Tibetan groups, the Chinese and US government officials, representatives of human rights organizations and Chinese scholars. You will be assigned to one of these groups in preparation for this news special.
You will be assigned to one of these groups to present your group's point of view. You will need to take into account the historical background of the issue as well as anticipating the positions held by other groups. When you are finished with this activity, you will complete a MEAT-Con paper responding to the question "Are Tibet and its people oppressed by the Chinese Government?"
Your Task:
You will be placed into one of the following groups and should research the questions in the Historical Background section on your Question Guide as if you belonged to that group and were trying to prove its point:
- Tibetan government in Exile
- Chinese Government
- International "Free Tibet" Student Groups
- Human Rights Groups
- United States Government
Additionally, each member of the group will be responsible for researching one of the major historical questions listed below. The researcher should take time to read their article linked below and familiarize the rest of the group with their event. Each member should answer their question with a focus on explaining the significance of each event in the context of the question of Tibetan freedom. Each researcher is encouraged to conduct Google searches and seek information beyond simply the articles linked for each question below:
- What was the significance of 19th Century Western Imperialism in China?
- What was the Boxer Rebellion?
- How did the Chinese Civil War and the Chinese "occupation" or "reassertion of control" over Tibet in 1951 impact this debate?
- What was the Great Cultural Revolution?
- What happened in Tiananmen Square?
After researching your group's opinions, you will present your group's position to the class and educate the other groups about "your" ideas.
**Adapted from "The Tibet Question" Lesson Plan by Mark La Porte, History Department Chair, Temescal Canyon High School, Lake Elsinore, CA.**