About This Lesson
This unit is about the principles that shaped Western political ideology and forms of government. The unit objective is that students will be able to relate the moral and ethical principles found in Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian philosophy to the development of Western political thought, with particular emphasis on the US Democratic system. These are the standards addressed in the two-week unit:
10.1 Students relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, in Judaism, and in Christianity to the development of Western political thought
- Analyze the similarities and differences in Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman views of law, reason and faith, and duties of the individual
- Trace the development of the Western political ideas of the rule of law and illegitimacy of tyranny, using selections from Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Politics
- Consider the influence of the U.S. Constitution on political systems in the contemporary world
