Political Theory Teacher Resources

Upper graders take a critical look at art criticism, music, and politics. They watch one segment of "True Spin," produced by VH1 music television and then discuss myths that relate to art and music. Several modern songs are analyzed...

A 20-page curriculum guide for Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince includes five lessons and related worksheets. For background, class members research and create travel brochures for Florence, Italy, in 1500. Next, they analyze...

How does the modern television show House of Cards and its dramatization of a power-hungry congressman in American government illustrate public choice theory—the concept that politicians retain personal interests after being elected into...

Students recognize that our legal-political system hasdeveloped through a process of moving from philosophical ideals to compromised working models. They apply John Locke's views to the development of U.S. political theory and systems.

Students gain an understanding of the Darwinian theory of evolution, examine how Darwin's theory has been adopted by ruling elites in order to justify their position in power, compare religious and historical responses to Darwin's...

Using an article from The New York Times, students answer discussion questions about gun control. They are divided into four groups to research different standpoints on gun control, including the Executive Office, Congress, Gun Control...

Students explore the U.S. form of government and illustrate other forms of government found throughout the world. They explain the similarities and differences between the U.S and other governments.

Are you a liberal or a conservative? UC professor Peter Ditto, an experimental social psychologist who studies human judgement and decision making, shares the results of his research into moral foundation theory and how a person's morals...

Never heard of Alexander von Humboldt? Don't miss the opportunity to tell your class about "the most important forgotten man of science." The narrator describes an array of Humboldt's scientific accomplishments in his five-year journey...

In theory, at least, indentured servitude and slavery were two different practices in the American colonies. Class groups conduct a close reading of two primary source documents, one written by a slave and one by an indentured servant,...

Does a nation define a culture or members of a single political unit? A video summary of Ernst Gellner's Nations and Nationalism, part of a larger playlist about the world's greatest ideas, shares Gellner's definitions of nations and...

Students study humanitarian intervention and its role in society.  In this politics activity students view a video on Darfur and discuss what they learned. 

Students investigate early presidents of the United States. Students complete a series of lessons in which they research the contributions and political climate during the terms of U.S. presidents from George Washington to Andrew Jackson.

Students study the relationship between Cold War politics, the people who were affected by it, and the artists who examined it. They create their own "walls" using a spray paint graffiti procedure.

Twelfth graders study micro- and macro-economies. They examine theories about fiscal policy and the relationships between consumption and output, tax policy and government spending changes. They also consider how economic perspectives...

In this United States history learning exercise, students reference their textbook to answer 18 fill in the blank questions and 8 short answer questions regarding different types of government.

Students define "group" and list American social and political movements throughout history. They examine one model of a successful team and positive group mentality by reading and identify the traits of a successful group and those of...

Discuss the full travesty of the Vietnam War. Whether it's for history class, Memorial Day, or Veterans Day, this slide show is sure to make an impact on learners in the upper grades. Vivid images, concise language, and the complete...

Scholars use the Cosmic Times and the Internet to create a timeline of events from 1916 when Einstein presented the Theory of General Relativity to 2016. Scientific discoveries are the main focus, then pupils add in events from culture,...

What a great way to make a psychology lesson on personality development socio-politically relevant! Class members investigate causes of radicalism--specifically, becoming a terrorist. This resource includes background information, key...

Genius, scientist, activist Albert Einstein is the subject of a short biography certain to interest viewers in learning more about this amazing man.

Sixth graders study the history of China. They explore the Chinese people, the Great Wall of China, religions, government and Dynasties. In groups, 6th graders collect information on China. They write a report on their findings and...

Humor offers a great tool teach the basics of economics to scholars via video clips, satire, and political cartoons. Individuals create their own economic humor to present to the class—with the assistance of Daryl Cagel's online...

Introduce viewers to the ideas in The Social Contract with a short video that explains Rousseau's theories of personal and civil liberty, general will, and political authority.