On a wild swim tour of Greece you might not brush aginst ancient stones. But each stroke you take breaks through a history as deep as the Ionian Sea. “Wild” swimmers in the Ionian Sea near the island of Mathraki. (Photo courtesy Tira Shubart) This article...
For two centuries Great Britain and Greece have fought over artifacts taken from the Acropolis. In Athens, the matter of the Elgin Marbles is complicated. Ancient stones at the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. (Credit: tilialucida) We climbed to the top...
News Decoder editorial intern Kaja Andrić covers the contested rights to the Greek Elgin Marbles in this text. In our present day, should the Elgin Marbles be returned from England to their historical home in Greece? Help students learn to suspend biases and adopt multiple perspectives in this accompanying classroom activity.
Exercise: Read the article as a class, instructing students to make two lists: (1) why the Elgin Marbles should remain in England and (2) why the Elgin Marbles should be returned to Greece. Then, have students draft a resolution to this dispute. If one country gives up the rights to the sculptures, what stipulations should be in place to ensure both sides are satisfied?
Dogged by corruption and politics, the Olympic Games may seem outmoded. But their ideals survive, and the Games motivate athletes and excite fans. Greek actress Xanthi Georgiou lights the Olympic Torch, Athens, Greece, 19 March 2020. (EPA-EFE/ARIS MESSINIS / POOL)...
Paul Radford has covered 17 Olympic Games, and he displays his vast experience in this “decoder” that shows why the global sporting event still matters. Radford acknowledges the scandals and politics that have tarnished the image of the modern Games and made skeptics of many fans, while examining the high ideals that led to their creation. Like the Games, youth today are torn between idealism and skepticism born of frustration with their elders’ inability to resolve the world’s biggest problems. As Radford writes, it’s a tricky balance between idealism and skepticism.
Exercise: Organize a debate in class on the resolution, “The Olympic Games Should Be Abolished”.
Plans to expand the European Union to include the volatile Western Balkans appear to be going ahead after an agreement ending a 27-year dispute. European leaders during an informal European Union summit with Western Balkans countries in Sofia, Bulgaria, 17 May 2018...
By Nelson Graves U.S. populists such as Donald Trump share grievances with supporters of Britain’s campaign to leave the European Union, including antagonism towards immigrants and antipathy towards elites, but not all contemporary populists are cut from the...