In 55 minutes 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 class is divided into five parts.

Part 1:
The foundations of democratic rule and look at Ancient Greece and Rome.

Part 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.

Part 3:
Democracy has been built up to this crescendo moment: The Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.

Part 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.

Part 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! Students are invited to participate and ask questions. This is an interactive class.