A Brief History of Democracy: Where'd The Right to Vote Come From?
Ancient Greece, the Declaration of Independence, and Tiananmen Square: A 5 Week Survey Course on the whole idea of Democracy
Clark Vandeventer
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:(653)
What's included
5 live meetings
4 hrs 35 mins in-class hoursAssessment
Parents looking for materials to submit as work assignments are always happy with the materials I provide.Class Experience
US Grade 5 - 8
In 5 weeks we are going to fly through more than a few thousand years of history, meet some fascinating characters, and witness some watershed moments in history. This course is divided into five parts. Week 1: The foundations of democratic rule and look at Ancient Greece and Rome. Week 2: We’ll learn about the oldest known representative democracy on Earth -- the Iroquois Nation -- the Native American tribe that established the Great League of Peace in 1142 and then discuss two more huge moments in the history of democracy: The Mayflower Compact and the Magna Carta. Week 3: Democracy has been built up to this crescendo moment: The Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. Week 4: We’ll learn about expanding views of democracy. Like, you don’t have to be a white landowner to vote! We’ll learn about Women’s Suffrage and the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Week 5: We’ll learn about modern democratic movements and challenges to democracy. Students will be introduced to Nelson Mandela in South Africa and his fight against apartheid and we’ll talk about Tiananmen Square in China and other modern democratic efforts. This is just a great survey course of world history. Students are going to learn about some watershed moments and colossal figures in world history. And we have fun doing it!
Learning Goals
Students will know some of the key moments and figures in the history of democracy and they'll have a basic understanding of how history has unfolded from Ancient Greece to the modern world.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Democracy is a big idea! And there are some crazy moments in the history of democracy that require some heavy conversation. Parents should be aware that particularly in weeks four and five of this class that we get into discussions of African American voter suppression in the United States, South African Apartheid, and limits to freedom of speech and expression in modern China. We also use a third party program called Nearpod in this class. Students should login to Nearpod prior to coming to class each week.
Supply List
Students will be provided with a detailed syllabus at the beginning of the course and weekly notes with additional links and videos. so they can continue their own research or discuss these items with their parents. Parents looking for materials to submit as work assignments are always happy with the materials I provide.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
Noe of this material is required for class, but I have pulled from these sources, among others, to create the content of this course. Students wishing to go deeper in any area of this course would benefit from these sources.
A Companion to Greek Democracy and the Roman Republic
by Dean Hammer
A Companion to the Political Culture of the Roman Republic
by Valentina Arena (Editor), Jonathan R. W. Prag (Editor), Andrew Stiles (Co-editor)
The Magna Carta
The Iroquois Confederacy: Its Political System, Military System, Marriages, Divorces, Property Rights, etc.
by Rufus Blanchard
The Mayflower Compact
Declaration of Independence
Constitution of the United States
The Vote, PBS Documentary, An American Experience
Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Invictus, Film by Clint Eastwood
The Gate of Heavenly Peace documentary film produced by Richard Gordon and Carma Hinton
Tiananmen and Beyond: After the Massacre, Wuer Kaixi, Journal of Democracy
Joined December, 2019
4.8
653reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
2002 graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University with a bachelor of science degree in political science and history, with an emphasis on American history. Former Intercollegiate Studies Institute Honors Fellow. Lifelong student of history. Former deputy director of the historic home of former United States President Ronald Reagan.
We live in a big and fascinating world and one of my goals with my classes is to help kids develop an interest and appreciation for the world around them and different cultures. My classes draw from my own experiences as a world traveler. I've visited and lived abroad in twenty-two countries. I also have several years of experience in working with students as a teacher and mentor and look forward to having the opportunity to invest in the life of your learner. I love teaching but more than anything I love investing in the lives of young people and bringing them along on a journey.Reviews
Live Group Class
$65
for 5 classes1x per week, 5 weeks
55 min
Completed by 12 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 10-15
4-14 learners per class
This class is no longer offered
Financial Assistance
Get The App
Tutoring
More to Explore
Create A Comic BookTutoring For Reading Writing And Other English TopicDungeons And Dragons Crash Course For Absolute BeginnersLearn About The HorseWriting ProgramCoding RetroElapsed Time MathScreenplay WritingMath Made Easy MiddleOt HandwritingPhonics SpellingBallet DanceMaster DrawingCreepyDino-mite Standard