English
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Political Philosophy of the Western World
Class Experience
US Grade 8 - 11
Politics are all around us, and it is important to be able to discuss them. The goal of this class is to help students develop opinions based on original source material and learn to discuss them in a respectful and mature way. Students will learn through reading primary source documents and discussing them as a group. Towards the end of class, students will synthesize their thoughts into a written argumentative essay. In this class, students will read the philosophy of different political...
15 lessons//15 Weeks
Week 1Lesson 1Introduction to political philosophy-Guiding Questions What is the function of the state? How should we read primary source documents?Week 2Lesson 2MercantilismA Letter Addressed by Louis XIV to the People of Marseilles, Louis XIV and Jean-Baptiste Colbert, 1664Week 3Lesson 3Classic Liberalism-John Locke, Two Treatises of Government, 1689Week 4Lesson 4The Free Market-Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, 1776Week 5Lesson 5Republicanism-Common Sense, Thomas Paine, 1776Week 6Lesson 6Constitutional Monarchy-Immanuel Kant, Perpetual Peace, 1795Week 7Lesson 7Anarchy-What is Property? Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, 1840Week 8Lesson 8Communism-Anti-Dühring, Frederick Engels, 1877Week 9Lesson 9Leninism-The Marxist Theory of the State and the Tasks of the Proletariat in the Revolution, V. I. Lenin, 1918Week 10Lesson 10Fascism-The Social and Political Doctrine of Fascism, Benito Mussolini and Giovanni Gentile, 1932Week 11Lesson 11Libertarianism-Atlas Shrugged; Ayn Rand, 1957Week 12Lesson 12Developing a thesis & Writing an outlineHW: Write an outline and hand it in, due before next class.Week 13Lesson 13Conservatism- Speech to Conservative Party Conference; Margaret Thatcher, 1987Week 14Lesson 14Writing an essay and citing sourcesHW: Complete essay, due before next class.Week 15Lesson 15Presentations and closing discussions
- Students will read and respond to primary source documents. Students will lead discussion about political theory with respect for different opinions and interpretations. Students will find similarities and differences in different political beliefs. Students will refine their beliefs through oral and written communication.
I have a Master's Degree in Adolescent Social Studies Education, which specifically trained me to teach teenagers to discuss difficult topics based on primary source documents. While in graduate school, I studied political thought from the Enlightenment through the 20th century. This class is structured like a "lite" version of a university seminar, which I have extensive experience with. Many of my classes currently offered are discussion based. In this class, students will be almost entirely responsible for the discussion, with myself acting as a mediator. I have experience teaching about political topics to both teenagers on Outschool and in person, and to adults at community centers.
1 - 2 hours per week outside of class
Homework
Frequency: includedFeedback: includedDetails: Each week, students will read an excerpt of a primary source document (400-800 words) and write a 3-5 sentence reaction to it. At the end of class, students will write an outline for an essay. Students will submit a 5 paragraph argumentative essay by the last day of class and give a brief presentation.Assessment
Frequency: includedDetails: Students will receive detailed feedback on their final essays, as well as to their weekly responses.
Students will receive a 16-page Google Document with all the readings required for class, a syllabus, a guided reading sheet, and an essay outline. Students may want to print out the 16-page google doc and guided reading sheet, but don't have to. Students may want to take notes either on paper or digitally. There is a guided discussion sheet that students can use to prepare for their presentation week. Please note that the documents are written out rather than scanned from books. This is so students with learning differences can, for example, change the font to be very big, or use text-to-speech technology.
Students will read about political philosophies that many consider to be "fringe" such as communism, anarchism, and libertarianism. We will also discuss colonialism. Students will be encouraged to build their own opinions while maintaining respect for others, particularly respect towards marginalized groups. No political ideology will be promoted during this class.
Primary Source Documents: A Letter Addressed by Louis XIV to the People of Marseilles, Louis XIV and Jean-Baptiste Colbert, 1664 John Locke, Two Treatises of Government, 1689 Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, 1776 Common Sense, Thomas Paine, 1776 Immanuel Kant, Perpetual Peace, 1795 What is Property? Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, 1840 Anti-Dühring, Frederick Engels, 1877 The Marxist Theory of the State and the Tasks of the Proletariat in the Revolution, V. I. Lenin, 1918 The Social and Political Doctrine of Fascism, Benito Mussolini and Giovanni Gentile, 1932 Atlas Shrugged; Ayn Rand, 1957 Speech to Conservative Party Conference; Margaret Thatcher, 1987 Secondary Sources: The Political Economy of Mercantilism by Lars Magnusson, 2005, first edition, London. Liberalism and Republicanism in the Historical Imagination by Joyce Oldham Appleby, 1992. Harvard University Press. Big Leagues: Specters of Milton and Republican International Justice between Shakespeare and Marx by Christopher Warren, 2016. Humanity: An International Journal of Human Rights, Humanitarianism, and Development. Socialism and Labor Unionism by Anton Pannekoek, 2017. The New Review, vol 1, no. 18, July 1913. From Politics Past to Politics Future: An Integrated Analysis of Current and Emergent Paradigms by Alan James Mayne. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999.
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Master's Degree in Education from CUNY College of Staten Island
Bachelor's Degree in English from CUNY Brooklyn College
Hi! My name is Melissa Quijano (she/her) and I teach classes focused on history and fashion. Whether my classes are focused on the contemporary or the past, I want students to come away with a greater understanding of their culture and themselves....
Reviews
Group Class
$210
for 15 classes1x per week, 15 weeks
60 min
Completed by 3 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-18
5-13 learners per class
Financial Assistance
Tutoring
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