Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

March

April

May

June

Units

1- Early Greek Civilizations

2- Golden Age of Athens

3- The Peloponnesian Wars

4- Introduction to Western Philosophy

5- The Life & Death of Socrates

6- Justice

7- The Legacy of Greece

8- The Roman Republic/ Empire

9- Stoicism & Christianity

10- “My Philosophy” Project

Primary Texts

History Alive

The Ancient Greek World

The Ancient Greek World

Sophie’s World

The Last Days of Socrates , the “Apology”

“The Clouds”

The Last Days of Socrates , “Crito”

MLK’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

The Ancient Greek World

Aristotle for Everybody, Adler

The Ancient Roman World

The Ancient Roman World

The Emperor’s Handbook

Library Books

Internet Articles

Student Work

Major Skills

Demonstrate and explain ways that humans depend on, adapt to and alter the physical environment.

Give examples of the visual arts, music, theater and architecture of the major periods of history and explain what they indicate about the values and beliefs of a society.

Identify various parties and analyze their interest in conflicts from selected historical periods.

Describe, explain and analyze the impact of the exchange of ideas on societies, philosophy, religion, etc.(edited)

Explain the significance of the achievements of selected individual philosophers from around the world and from various periods (edited).

Initiate questions and hypotheses about historic events being studied.

Demonstrate an understanding of the ways that cultural encounters and the interaction of people of different cultures have shaped new identities and ways of life.

Use primary source documents to analyze multiple perspectives.

Describe basic tenets of the world religions and philosophies that have acted as major forces throughout history.

(edited)

Make connections between historical subject matter, current issues, and personal experiences. (edited)

Themes & Essential Questions

How does geography influence how people live?

Why do people go to war?

What makes a city glorious?

Who benefits most from this glory?

Why does glory end?

Why do people go to war?

What does it mean to be “great”?

Who are you?

Where does the world come from?

How do we know about the world around us?

What is truth?

What does it mean to be wise?

What is virtue?

What is justice?

How is justice determined?

How does where and when we live affect how we think?

What is reality?

How do we achieve true happiness?

Why do people conquer others?

How does the ancient world still influence us today?

How do empires grow?

Why are people treated differently in a society?

Why does a civilization need laws and government?

How do religions originate? How do they spread?

How do we achieve true happiness?

What does it mean to “live rightly”?

Students will pose essential questions to guide their research and develop a “philosophy”.

Topics

Introductory activities

Geography of Greece

Early city-states

Persian Wars

Delian League

Tributes

Golden Age of Athens (drama, art, architecture, sports, pottery)

Women and slaves

Sparta

Athenian imperialism

Peloponnesian War

Plague

Pericles

Sicilian expedition

Outcome of the war

Pre-Socratic cosmology

Mythology

Sophistry

Introduction to Socrates

The Apology- trial and death of Socrates

Aristophanes- a different perspective on Socrates

Justice

Socrates

MLK

Malcolm X

Myth of the Cave

Happiness

Ends & Means Alexander (empire & spread of Greek ideas)

Legacy of Greece

Government

Roman Republic

Roman Empire

Daily Life

Rich and poor

Role of women

Religion

Marcus Aurelius

Stoicism

Christianity as a philosophy

Students will choose topics related to ancient civilizations and philosophers.

Seminars

Excerpts from Herodotus on the Persian Wars

Sophocles’ Antigone

Picture of the Parthenon

Pericles’ “Funeral Oration”

Excerpts from Thucydides

Plutarch, Alcibiades

Passages from pre-Socratic philosophy

“Death of Socrates” painting

Excerpts from “Apology”

Excerpts from “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

Auto. of Malcolm X

Aristotle, Politics

Map of Alexander’s conquest

Horace, Satires

Seneca, Moral Epistle 47

Pliny, Letter to Tacitus

Excerpts from Stoicism

The Prodigal Son

Pliny, Letter to Trajan

Students will determine seminar text