This can be an activity to use with your colleagues in assessing your unit design with the new Iowa Social Studies standards or with students as an intro (or closing) activity for a "Atlantic Revolutions" unit. A teacher could use SS-WH.9-12.14. Compare various systems of government, such as monarchies, democracies/republics, empires, and dictatorships, and their methods of maintaining order and/or control.SS-WH.9-12.23. Critique primary and secondary sources of information with attention to the source of the document, its context, accuracy, and usefulness of sources throughout world historySS-WH.9-12.20. Evaluate methods used to change or expand systems of power and/or authority.or choose from: https://iowacore.gov/sites/default/files/k-12_socialstudies.pdf 

This interdisciplinary course surveys modern European culture to disclose the alignment of literature, opposition, and revolution. Reaching back to the foundational representations of anarchism in nineteenth-century Europe (Kleist, Conrad) the curriculum extends through the literary and media representations of militant organizations in the 1970s and 80s (Italy’s Red Brigade, Germany’s Red Army Faction, and the Real Irish Republican Army). In the middle of the term students will have the opportunity to hear a lecture by Margarethe von Trotta, one of the most important filmmakers who has worked on terrorism. The course concludes with a critical examination of the ways that certain segments of European popular media have returned to the “radical chic” that many perceive to have exhausted itself more than two decades ago.

Have you ever stopped to think about the incredible risks the Founding Founders took when they rebelled against British authority? They were starting a war with the greatest military power of the time even though they did not have a mighty fighting force themselves. And they were fighting for a type of government that most people thought was impossible. In this video mini-course, Professor Sarah Burns of the Rochester Institute of Technology explains the historical and philosophical context of the American Revolution from the changing role of the British army in the colonies to Radical Whig theory.

Interdisciplinary survey of people of African descent that draws on the overlapping approaches of history, literature, anthropology, legal studies, media studies, performance, linguistics, and creative writing. This course connects the experiences of African-Americans and of other American minorities, focusing on social, political, and cultural histories, and on linguistic patterns.

Interdisciplinary survey of people of African descent that draws on the overlapping approaches of history, literature, anthropology, legal studies, media studies, performance, linguistics, and creative writing. This course connects the experiences of African-Americans and of other American minorities, focusing on social, political, and cultural histories, and on linguistic patterns.

The decades leading up to the Atlantic revolutions of the late eighteenth century were formative moments in the rise of capitalism. The novel instruments of credit, debt, and investment fashioned during this period proved to be enduring sources of financial innovation, but they also generated a great deal of political conflict, particularly during the revolutionary era itself.  This seminar examines the debates surrounding large-scale financial and trading corporations and considers the eighteenth century as a period of recurring financial crisis in which corporate power came into sustained and direct contact with emerging republican norms. The seminar ends with a look at the relationship between slavery and the rise of “modern” or “industrial” capitalism in the nineteenth century, as well as some of the critiques of capitalism that emerged out of that experience.

Explore the future through modeling, reading, and discussion in an open-ended seminar! Our fields of interest will include changes in science and technology, culture and lifestyles, and dominant paradigms and societies.

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Iranian journalist and human rights activist Akbar Ganji for a discussion of the dynamics of change in Iran. Topics covered include the Iranian Revolution in comparative context, the problem of establishing democracy in Islamic societies, power in Iran, and U.S. Iranian Relations. Ganji also talks about his work as an investigative journalist in Iran and his political imprisonment. (59 min)

This seminar considers “difference” and “sameness” as they have been conceived, experienced, and regulated by peoples of the Middle East, with a focus on the 19th and 20th centuries. The first half discusses the Ottoman Empire by exploring how this multiethnic, polyglot empire survived for several relatively peaceful centuries and what happened when its formula for existence was challenged by politics based on mono-ethnic states. The second half of the course focuses on post-Ottoman nation-states, such as Turkey and Egypt, and Western-mandated Arab states, such as Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq. Finally, the course concludes with a case analysis of Israel.

Students practice their multiplication skills using robots with wheels built from LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT kits. They brainstorm distance travelled by the robots without physically measuring distance and then apply their math skills to correctly calculate the distance and compare their guesses with physical measurements. Through this activity, students estimate parameters other than by physically measuring them, practice multiplication, develop measuring skills, and use their creativity to come up with successful solutions.

This course explores fundamental questions about the causes and nature of revolutions by looking at how people overthrow their rulers and establish new governments. Considers a set of major political transformations throughout the world and across centuries to understand the meaning of revolution and evaluate its impact. Examines how revolutionaries have attempted to establish their ideals and realize their goals. Asks whether radical upheavals require bloodshed, violence, or even terror. Seeks to explain why some revolutions succeed and others fail. Materials include the writings of revolutionaries, declarations and constitutions, music, films, art, novels, memoirs, and newspapers.

This course is designed as an introduction to Latin American politics and society for undergraduates at MIT. No background on the region is required. Overall workload (reading, writing, class participation, and examinations) is similar to that of other HASS-D courses. Many of the themes raised here are covered in greater detail in other courses: 21G.020J (New World Literature), 21G.716 (Introduction to Contemporary Hispanic Literature), 21G.730 (Twentieth and Twentyfirst-Century Spanish American Literaturere), 21G.735 (Advanced Topics in Hispanic Literature and Film), 21A.220 (The Conquest of America), 21H.802 (Modern Latin America), 3.982 (The Ancient Andean World), 3.983 (Ancient Mesoamerican Civilization), 17.507 (Democratization and Democratic Collapse), and 17.554 (Political Economy of Latin America).F

Why does the Moon not always look the same to us? Sometimes it is a big, bright, circle, but, other times, it is only a tiny sliver, if we can see it at all. The different shapes and sizes of the slivers of the Moon are referred to as its phases, and they change periodically over the course of a lunar month, which is twenty-eight days long. The phases are caused by the relative positions of the Earth, Sun, and Moon at different times during the month.

Students work in teams of two to discover the relative positions of the Earth, Sun and Moon that produce the different phases of the Moon. Groups are each given a Styrofoam ball that they attach to a pencil so that it looks like a lollipop. In this acting-out model exercise, this ball on a stick represents the Moon, the students represent the Earth and a hanging lightbulb serves as the Sun. Students move the "Moon" around them to discover the different phases. They fill in the position of the Moon and its corresponding phase in a worksheet.

This course surveys Japanese history from the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603 to the present and explores the local and global nature of modernity in Japan. It highlights key themes, including the emergence of a modern nation-state, the rise and fall of the Japanese Empire, the development of mass consumer culture and the middle class, and the continued importance of historical memory in Japan today.

This course examines some of the most important political revolutions that took place between the 17th century and today, beginning with pre-revolutionary Europe and the Enlightenment and continuing with the English Revolution of the 17th century, the American and the French Revolutions, the Mexican Revolution, the Russian and the Chinese Revolutions, the Iranian Revolution, and finally, the Eastern European revolutions of 1989, which brought about radical changes without recourse to violence. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: provide a concise historical narrative of each of the revolutions presented in the course; identify the origins and causes of each revolution, and compare revolutions with respect to their causes; analyze the goals and ideals of the revolutionaries, and compare how these functioned in various modern revolutions; discuss how revolutions in various parts of the world have affected womenĺÎĺ_ĺĚĺ_s rights; analyze how religious and secular worldviews came into conflict during times of upheaval and revolution; discuss the patterns and dynamics of revolutionary violence, and evaluate how revolutionaries have used non violent tactics against oppressive regimes; evaluate connections between revolutionary ideologies and revolutionary events; analyze how the legacies of each revolution are present in modern politics; describe and evaluate competing theoretical models of revolutionary change; interpret primary historical documents. This free course may be completed online at any time. (History 362)

In this class we will come to understand the vast changes in Spanish life that have taken place since Franco’s death in 1975. We will focus on the new freedom from censorship, the re-emergence of movements for regional autonomy, the new cinema, reforms in education and changes in daily life: Sex roles, work, and family that have occurred in the last decade. In so doing, we will examine myths that are often considered commonplaces when describing Spain and its people.

After a unit or after viewing four Crash Course videos (French revolution, American Revolution, Haitian Revolution, Latin American Revolutions) students will prepare the following "presentation"(using Chalkboard Splash, YouTube,etc.) and create a version of the Sesame Street song demonstrating their content knowledge (revolutions) and 21st Skills (Collaborative Work, Compare and Contrast, etc.) 

This is a module framework. It can be viewed online or downloaded as a zip file.

As taught Autumn Semester 2010/2011.

This module introduces students to the ideas of key thinkers in the history of western political thought. We look carefully at the canonical works of five thinkers in the history of political thought: Plato, Aristotle, Niccolo Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. The module considers the impact of these thinkers on ancient and modern political thought and practices, with reference to the different contexts in which they wrote. We consider the way in which these thinkers have approached the ‘big’ questions and ideas that lie behind everyday political life.

The module examines questions such as: What is justice? What is the purpose of government? What is the best form of government? Is the state ever entitled to restrict our freedom to do what we want? Why should we obey the state? When is it right to have a revolution?

Module Code and Credits: M11001 (10 credits) M11151 (15 credits)

Suitable for study at: Undergraduate level 1

Dr David Stevens, School of Politics and International Relations

Dr Stevens' research is focussed primarily within the area of contemporary normative political philosophy. Specifically, he is concerned with issues of socio-economic justice within liberal democratic societies.

Modules taught: Social Justice (level 3); War and Massacre (level 2); Justice Beyond Borders: Theories of International and Intergenerational Justice (level D).

Areas of Research Supervision: Social justice; educational; justice; Rawlsian political philosophy. In particular, David Stevens encourages applications for PhD topics in the following areas: Social justice and schooling; State education and the rights of minority cultures. Political liberalism and the creation of civic virtue; Reflective equilibrium/moral constructivism.

Dr Adam Morton defines a political concept in 60 seconds for those with a spare minute to learn something new. This videocast focuses on passive revolution as a political concept.

Warning: video does contain bloopers and out takes.

May 2010

Suitable for Undergraduate study and Community education

Dr Adam Morton, School of Politics and International Relations

Dr Adam Morton is a Senior Lecturer and Fellow of the Centre for the Study of Social and Global Justice (CSSGJ) in the School of Politics and International Relations at The University of Nottingham. Before joining the University of Nottingham, he was a Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Lancaster University (2002-5) and an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of International Politics at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth (2001-2). He specialises in the themes of political economy, state theory, historical sociology, globalisation and development.

Dr Adam Morton was awarded the inaugural 'Latin American Perspectives Visiting Fellowship' in 2008 which involved a period of affiliation at the University of California, Riverside linked to the journal Latin American Perspectives. His monographs have been published in prominent book series and his journal publications include articles inter alia in International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Peasant Studies, Millennium: Journal of International Studies, New Political Economy, Review of International Political Economy, Review of International Studies, and Third World Quarterly. Dr Morton's published work has also been translated into Spanish, Italian, Portuguese-Brazilian, German and Japanese.