In this unit students examine how ideas of governance and citizenship influence the human experience. In Unit 1, students learned that one of the consequences of the Neolithic Revolution was urbanization. As large numbers of people gathered together, one of the necessities of this trend was the need for a system of governance to meet the requirements of those in society.
In this unit we expand on the role of governance and citizenship. Three forms of governance structures are explored and students will examine how different governmental models emerge over time. As societies become more complex the role of the citizen develops and evolves, particularly with regard to those who qualifies for citizenship and what rights and responsibilities are inherent for those who do.
While many forms of governance exist over time the emergence of early forms of democracy (government of the many) will be examined in detail in Ancient Athens and Rome. The collapse of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Feudalism as a way and means to provide for and protect population of Europe is briefly examined. Students will spend the majority of their time tracing the evolution of British Parliamentary democracy over several hundred years from the birth of Common Law, the Magna Carta to the Bill of Rights in 1689 which made Parliament preeminent over the Monarchy.
Students will then delve into the work of a variety of Enlightenment thinkers whose ideas about power, rights, freedoms, and responsibilities revolutionized public thought and perception concerning the role, status and position of the citizen in society. These writings were instrumental in informing and inspiring the leaders of the American and French Revolutions, unleashing a transformation in governance, rights and citizenship which has dominated political thought and action for the last two centuries.
Students will conclude Unit 3 by determining the possible significance of a current political event or emerging political trend.