Each student is assigned to a country and asked to represent that country's views in a simulated debate to represent the War Guilt Clause negotiations at Versailles.
The students prepare for the debate by doing the readings with their country's perspective in mind. They are asked to represent the country to the best of their ability, even if they do not believe what they are saying. This allows the students to understand the proximate causes of World War I through different lenses. The students prepare individually, then have time in class to discuss their platform with the other students assigned to the same country before the simulation.
See also: Debate, Observational, GOVT S-1732: War Crimes, Genocide, and Justice, The Origins of Modern Wars, Specific/Deep, Data for Discussion, Friedman, Jeff, Authentic Learning (Simulations, Lab, Field), Expanding Depth and Breadth, Collaborate, Defend a Position in a Model or Argument, Full Class, Whole class, Group, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), Single Class