William Golding sued for slander, humanity claims it's been wronged!!!

William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies, is being sued for slandering the human race. Does humanity have a case against him? Can he defend himself?

Court

Task:

The class is split into two groups. One will be defending William Golding and the other side will prosecute him. At issue is whether he was right in claiming that humanity is naturally flawed. His novel shows that people are prone to descend into violence and chaos.

Roles:

Once the class is divided, each side will select three people to serve as lawyers. Lawyers are responsible for an opening statement and a closing statement and asking questions to witnesses. Other students will be witnesses. Each witness is responsible for providing one exhibit and compiling the questions to be asked by the lawyers along with the answers. Each witness must also investigate a witness from the other side and find questions for cross-examination. Some witnesses will be selected, but some witnesses below MUST be covered. Finally, the rest of class will serve as jury members, who will research both sides of the argument to be able to better decide which side makes the more convincing argument. During trial preparation time, jury members will analyze events in history and make connections to the central ideas raised by the trial.

Required witnesses:

You must use characters from the following books: Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm.

You must use two of the following philosophers: John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Socrates, Rousseau, and Confucius.

Other potential witnesses:

Historical figures from time periods

Characters from other literature

Characters that personify ideas or concepts

Anyone else you deem appropriate – must be approved.

You may choose any other witness but they must be approved. Also, if both groups decide on a neutral witness, we can have one of those.

The Trial:

We will find an honorary neutral judge that will preside. Each witness is responsible for researching the characters and coming up with the questions your lawyers will ask. These must be handed in before the trial so lawyers have time to prepare. Witnesses need to know the order and answers to the questions asked. Each witness must also research a witness from the other side and prepare cross-examination questions for your lawyer to ask. Your performance in the trial is a big part of your grade. Reading directly from a piece of paper will be heavily penalized. Lawyers will be expected to know their opening and closing statements and hand in an outline of their comments by Friday. During the trial, the jury will take notes on the witnesses presented and evaluate the argument. Once the testimony ends, the jury will confer and reach a decision. There is no presentation requirement for jury members, but the expectation that you will be responsible for related research will be a big part of your grade.

DO NOT BE ABSENT ON THE TRIAL DAYS!!!!!

Grading:

You will get two grades: an individual and group grade, which are interrelated. Put it this way, if your group does not work together as a team, your final product will suffer. However, each person will be graded on his or her individual productivity. Lawyers will be graded on their opening/closing statements and court demeanor. Witnesses will be graded on the information gathered, quality of the questions, and performance on the witness stand. Jury members will be graded on the thoroughness and quality of their research.

Final decision:

At the end of the trial, the judge will render a decision and the judge will also decide which side had the strongest argument.

Have fun! Be creative when selecting witnesses and who should play each witness on the stand. Remember, an important aspect of this assignment is how your groups interact and work with each other. Choose your lawyers wisely.