Classroom Activities - Media Literacy
These lessons are based on the documentary Your Serve or Mine. Although there may not be time to use the entire documentary, short excerpts from the film are available to screen or download online. Teachers can use any of the lessons as they teach about American and Chinese history, especially during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. They will work best in Jigsaw groups of 6 students in 3 pairs.
HOW DID “PING PONG” BECOME A BRIDGE BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES? (click to see video)
SPORTS AND POLITICS
While sports are often regarded as separate and distinct from national and international politics, in fact they often are a central element. One need only look at the Olympics. The “ping-pong diplomacy” of the 1970’s is one of the most prominent examples. American athletes often make the best people-to-people diplomats, given their strong name recognition and perceived embodiment of American values.
FROM ANTI-COMMUNIST TO DIPLOMAT
Richard Nixon, one of the leading anti-communist politicians of his day, seemed unlikely to engage in any high-profile diplomatic efforts with America’s chief rivals: China and the Soviet Union. Yet it was precisely this background which allowed him to take the political risks associated with such moves. The Watergate scandal pretty much erased any and all of Nixon’s accomplishments, including a move which saw the United States and the People’s Republic of China eventually normalize diplomatic relations.
WHY DID RICHARD NIXON VISIT CHINA? (click to see video)