Mr.
Cohen
Christopher
Columbus High School
Webquest-
The Enlightenment
I.
Introduction
II.
Task
III.
Process
IV.
Resources
V.
Evaluation
VI.
Standards
VII.
Conclusion
Imagine that
you are a peasant living under the suffocating rule of absolute monarchs like
King Louis XIV of France or Czar Peter the Great of Russia. Your life is very difficult. You work all day to pay takes to the king and
you cannot criticize him at all. One
mistake and you will be thrown in jail or, even worse, killed.
But then,
something happens. You learn about
enlightenment thinkers, brave men and women who are challenging the idea that
humankind has to live under the harsh rule of absolute rulers. They call for democracy and freedoms of
speech and thought. Kings and other
rulers all over the world feel the pressure and try to change their ways. Some successfully reform themselves and
become enlightened rulers, or rulers who use their power to bring about
positive political and social changes for the people. Others, however, do not change and get swept
out of office in revolutions, like in France.
|
Thinker |
Major Ideas |
|
Thomas Hobbes |
People are greedy and selfish. To avoid chaos, a government needs to
ensure order |
|
John Locke |
People have a natural right to life, liberty and
property. |
|
Baron de Montesquieu |
Government should be separated into executive,
legislative and judicial branches, to prevent any one group from gaining too
much power. |
|
Jean-Jacques Rousseau |
Ideally, people would make their own laws and obey them,
but since people become corrupted by society, some form of government is
necessary. |
|
Voltaire |
Freedom of speech and thought |
|
Denis Diderot |
All men are born free and equal in rights, so no man may
buy or sell the person of another |
|
Adam Smith |
Free market. The
natural forces of supply and demand should be allowed to regulate business
(not government). |
|
Mary Wollstonecraft |
If men are born free, then women should be free also. |
TASK
There are
three separate parts to the Task.
Task #1
Your first
task is to complete the five step Global History public policy analysis, which
is outlined in the PROCESS section below this one. This five step process, which also has five
separate worksheets, must be completed in a three student group.
Task #2
Your second
task is, in a group of three students, to create a visual proposal that the
President can quickly review to understand the problem and your proposed
solution. This can be in the form of a
one page official proposal with pictures or drawings, a flyer with pictures and
text, a small poster, a PowerPoint presentation, drawings with comments, maps,
or any other creative, visual proposal.
Task #3
Your third
task is to write a two paragraph summary informing me of the work each group
member did for the first two tasks. Each
group member must sign this summary. You
must inform me if a group member is not working and I will take the appropriate
action.
Make sure all of the information you research
on the internet is confirmed in the textbook or other printed reference
materials.
PROCESS
As a public
policy analyst, you need to develop the following policy skills:
- Defining the social problem
- Gather evidence to support the existence of the
problem
- Determine the causes and factors contributing to the
problem
- Evaluate the policy
- Comparative Analysis
Developing
these skills will help you fill out the five worksheets due as part of the
second task.
The
links to the Five Worksheets are located at the bottom of each page linked
below:
1. IDENTIFY A SOCIAL
PROBLEM IN THE WORLD. (Worksheet #1)
What social problems are affecting
people in the world? These problems can
include environmental, political, or health concerns.
2. GATHER EVIDENCE OF THE
SOCIAL PROBLEM. (Worksheet #2)
How do you know that this social
problem exists?
3. DETERMINE THE CAUSES
AND FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE PROBLEM. (Worksheet #3)
Why is this problem happening? Look at all sides to the problem.
4. EVALUATE YOUR POLICY. (Worksheet #4)
Discuss whether your policy will
succeed. If not, discuss alternative
solutions.
5. COMPARE YOUR SOCIAL
PROBLEM WITH A SIMILAR PROBLEM THAT HAS EXISTED IN THE WORLD. (Worksheet #5)
How are these two problems
similar? Is your proposed policy similar
to the way in which this other problem was solved?
RESOURCES
I.
SEARCH ENGINES (to find websites on your own):
II.
WEBSITES
News
Human Rights
Environment
III.
TEXTBOOK
IV.
NOTES
EVALUATION
Each group will be graded according to the
following table:
