The Trial Of Napolean

A Case Study For Using Mock Trials

Abstract

During a recent semester, in an effort to promote active learning in the classroom and get students involved in history, I structured a class around a fictitious trial of Napoleon I, Emperor of France. I wanted the students to share my enthusiasm for the French Revolutionary period and I hoped the structure of the course would encourage students to engage in meaningful research and critical analysis and to foster a sense of student camaraderie. I also hoped that the competitive aspects of the mock trial would motivate students to work harder than they might in a more traditional classroom setting. It was my first experience with such a format and I had some concerns with how I would handle course organization, format, grading, performance, and anticipated outcome. The course that resulted, "HIS 399: The Trial of Napoleon Bonaparte," was the most rewarding teaching experience of my academic career and, based on student responses, one of their best courses as well. I offer this essay as a case study of the course: The paper will outline some of the constraints and difficulties in implementing the course, explain some of the rationale for the choices I made, offer some observations on the strengths and weaknesses of the course, and make some suggestions for how I might change the same course in the future.