Speeches that Shaped the Modern World: From the Famous to the Infamous
In this 26-week online course we will read & discuss some of the most famous speeches ever spoken from 1901 - 2022. We will examine the corresponding world events of the time & learn about the power of persuasion & the qualities of leaders.
Pamela (she/her)
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:(90)
What's included
26 live meetings
13 in-class hoursAssessment
Students are invited to write an optional essay regarding any of these speeches, these speakers, and/or the events surrounding these speeches. If you would like assistance in choosing a topic or title, please send me a message. If you would like advice on drafts before submitting your assignment for a final result, please send them to me either directly or share them in the classroom if you are happy for other students to read your work too. Students may also like to - or instead of - write and/or perform a speech of their own that can be submitted either via writing and/or audio/visual recordings, or live in class if you choose to by prior arrangement.Class Experience
Week 1: - One speech from The Old World - 1901-1919 - Emmeline Pankhurst "Freedom or Death" 1913 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Emmeline-Pankhurst Week 2: - One speech from Between the Wars - 1920-1939 - Lou Gehrig "Farewell to Baseball" 1939 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lou-Gehrig Week 3: - One speech from War, Peace, & Freedom - 1940-1949 - Mohandas K. Gandhi "Quit India" 1942 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mahatma-Gandhi Week 4: - One speech from The Cold War - 1950-1959 - Bertrand Russell "Russell-Einstein Manifesto" 1955 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bertrand-Russell Week 5: - One speech from Revolution - 1960-1969 - Neil Armstrong "One Small Step" 1969 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Neil-Armstrong Week 6: - One speech from Absolute Power - 1970-1979 - John Kerry "Against the War in Vietnam" 1971 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Kerry Week 7: - One speech from The Big Chill - 1980-1989 - Bob Geldof "Live Aid" 1985 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bob-Geldof Week 8: - One speech from The Dawn of Enlightenment - 1990-1999 - Nelson Mandela "Release from Prison" 1994 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nelson-Mandela Week 9: - One speech from The New Millennium - 2000-2022 - Arundhati Roy "Peace and the New Corporate Liberation Theology" 2004 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arundhati-Roy Week 10: - One speech from The Old World - 1901-1919 - Emma Goldman "Address to the Jury" 1917 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Emma-Goldman Week 11: - One speech from Between the Wars - 1920-1939 - Franklin D Roosevelt "The Only Thing We Have To Fear" 1933 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Franklin-D-Roosevelt Week 12: - One speech from War, Peace, & Freedom - 1940-1949 - Winston Churchill "Our Finest Hour" 1940 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Winston-Churchill Week 13: - One speech from The Cold War - 1950-1959 - Charles De Gaulle "I Have Understood You" 1958 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-de-Gaulle-president-of-France Week 14: - One speech from Revolution - 1960-1969 - Martin Luther King "I Have a Dream" 1963 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther-King-Jr Week 15: - One speech from Absolute Power - 1970-1979 - Barbara Jordan "Keynote Address" 1976 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Barbara-Jordan Week 16: - One speech from The Big Chill - 1980-1989 - Ronald Reagan "Tear Down This Wall" 1987 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ronald-Reagan Week 17: - One speech from The Dawn of Enlightenment - 1990-1999 - Paul Keating "Redfern Speech" 1992 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-Keating Week 18: - One speech from The New Millennium - 2000-2022 - George W Bush "A Great People Has Been Moved" 2001 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-W-Bush Week 19: - One speech from The Old World - 1901-1919 - Patrick Pearse "Ireland Unfree Will Never Be At Peace" 1915 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Patrick-Henry-Pearse Week 20: - One speech from Between the Wars - 1920-1939 - Clarence S Darrow "Against the Death Penalty" 1924 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Clarence-Darrow Week 21: - One speech from War, Peace, & Freedom - 1940-1949 - Harry S Truman "An Atomic Bomb Destroys Hiroshima" 1945 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harry-S-Truman Week 22: - One speech from The Cold War - 1950-1959 - Margaret Chase Smith "Declaration of Conscience" 1950 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Margaret-Chase-Smith Week 23: - One speech from Revolution - 1960-1969 - John F Kennedy "The Cuban Missile Crisis" 1962 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-F-Kennedy Week 24: - One speech from Absolute Power - 1970-1979 - Shirley Chisholm "For the Equal Rights Amendment" 1970 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Shirley-Chisholm Week 25: - One speech from The Big Chill - 1980-1989 - Indira Gandhi "The Liberation of Women" 1980 - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Indira-Gandhi Week 26: - One speech from The Dawn of Enlightenment - 1990-1999 - Earl Spencer "Eulogy for Diana, Princess of Wales" 1997 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Spencer,_9th_Earl_Spencer
Learning Goals
Students will learn about major historical events in modern history.
Students will learn about persuasive speech and leadership qualities.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
- Websites listed under "Sources" are for the teacher to access for curriculum and material.
- The learners do NOT need to access anything on the internet outside of Outschool for this class.
- When applicable, I may screen share slides from Google Slides, and I may also screen share YouTube.
Supply List
Handouts will be provided in the classroom as applicable to the sessions.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
"Speeches That Shaped the Modern World" by Alan J Whiticker
https://www.amazon.com.au/Speeches-That-Shaped-Modern-World-ebook/dp/B005PSULOM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
- https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au
- https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au
- https://www.britannica.com
- https://www.aljazeera.com
Joined June, 2022
4.8
90reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I am a lawyer in Australia, and I have homeschooled my own children for the past 8 years and will continue to do so for at least another 17 years (my youngest child is 1y as of 2022).
I have degrees, post-graduate, and professional qualifications in the following:
- Law - Bachelor of Laws, Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice, Admission as a Lawyer;
- TESOL - I have completed 8 out of 8 units towards the 150-hour qualification. When I receive my official professional certificate from Arizona State University I will update this here as it is expected to take up to 8 weeks to arrive;
- Criminology;
- I.T. Security;
- Applied Linguistics;
- Investigative Services;
- Bachelor of Arts in Security, Terrorism and Counterterrorism from Murdoch University which covered the following topics:
Ethnic Conflict and Multiculturalism
Ethnic Questions in East and South-East Asia
Chinese Political Economy and Business
Islam: Past and Present
Power and Legitimacy in Modern Political Thought
Practical Ethics
Politics in Contemporary China
Terrorism in a Globalised World
War and Peace in World History
Body and Mind
Crime, Business and Politics in Asia
News and Politics
Australian Foreign Policy
Authoritarianism and Democracy
Terrorism: Its Causes and Consequences
International Security Studies
Knowledge and Information Security
Spies, Saboteurs and Secret Agents
Structure Thought and Reality
Introduction to University Learning
Globalisation: The Asia Pacific
Perspectives on Security and Terrorism
Introduction to Global Politics
I have also completed the following short courses which are relevant to the classes I teach here:
- How Forensic Science should speak to the Court;
- Introduction to Key Constitutional Concepts and Supreme Court Cases (USA);
- An Introduction to American Law (USA);
- English Common Law: Structure and Principles (UK);
- Economic Growth and Distributive Justice;
- Water Supply and Sanitation Policy in Developing Countries;
- Reason and Persuasion: Thinking Through Three Dialogues By Plato;
- Technology and Ethics;
- ADHD: Everyday Strategies for Elementary Students;
- The Clinical Psychology of Children and Young People;
- Everyday Parenting: The ABCs of Child Rearing;
- A Brief History of Humankind.Reviews
Live Group Class
$9
weekly1x per week, 26 weeks
30 min
Completed by 4 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 12-17
3-6 learners per class
