Through the use of various primary and secondary sources, including excerpts from John Calvin’s famous book, Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536), students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain Calvin’s basic arguments behind salvation through predestination and how the spread of his ideas left an indelible and lasting legacy on the Protestant Reformation in Europe in the 16th century and later with the Puritans would settle the New England colonies in the 17th century.

Students in this lesson will interpret written text in the target language regarding the controversy surrounding the Valley of the Fallen, compare and contrast both sides of the argument, then develop a logical argument as to whether Franco’s remains should remain at the Valley or be moved to a different location. Students will then use debate structure and expressions to debate, in a formal setting, the future of Franco’s remains.

In this lesson, students will interpret an English version of Federico García Lorca’s Ballad of the Spanish Civil Guard, critique the work using a list of guided questions, and analyze how it serves as a social commentary for both the Spain of Lorca’s time and of today.

Through an in-depth analysis of various primary and secondary sources, including a full reading of Dostoevsky’s short story, The Little Orphan, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain how Dostoevsky’s works focused on the moral depravity he saw as inherent in the emerging industrial society of mid-late 19th century urban Russia, and specifically how his stories used strong religious and moral overtones to send a message warning the emerging urban middle class of its responsibilities to society’s less fortunate members.

Through an in-depth analysis of various primary and secondary sources, including a full reading of the parable of the Grand Inquisitor from Dostoevsky’s novel, The Brothers Karamazov, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain the story and character development found in the parable, how Dostoevsky’s last work focuses on the moral contradictions he saw as inherent in organized Christianity, and yet how the ending passages also show the author’s undeniable hope he has for humanity through its reliance on faith and beliefs.

Through an in-depth analysis of various primary and secondary sources, including a full reading of Dostoevsky’s novella, Notes from Underground, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain how Dostoevsky’s works focused on the moral depravity he saw as inherent in the emerging industrial society of mid-late 19th century urban Russia, how the major characters in Notes from Underground solicit both sympathy and disgust from readers, and finally how the novella fits into the genre of 19th century existential philosophy.

In this lesson, students will compare and contrast the format, components and purpose of the photo essays “On the Border” by Alan Taylor and “Marisol: The American Dream” by Janet Jarman, defining what a photo essay is based on their observations of both. Students will also analyze individual photographs of Mexican-American borders using an in-depth guide, then create a photo essay expressing their views on either Mexican-American or Spanish-Moroccan borders.

In this full analysis of Machiavelli’s literary masterpiece, The Prince, and through the use of various other primary and secondary sources, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain Machiavelli’s theories behind power and government, his ideas on how a ruler should deal with religion and the Church, and finally what he believed should be the relationship between a ruler and his or her subjects.

Through the use of various primary and secondary sources, including selections from the Travels of Marco Polo, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain the story of Marco Polo’s adventures in Asia, how he described what he saw during his visit to China, and how Polo’s book inspired later generations of dreamers, merchants and monarchs across Europe in their push to explore the world looking for his riches.

In part 2 of this full analysis of Dante’s Divine Comedy, through an in-depth analysis of various primary and secondary sources, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain the images and stories of characters found in the second part of Dante’s masterpiece: Purgatorio, including what the different levels represent in terms of sin, why Dante might have chosen the different characters for each level and what overall message medieval Europeans were supposed to get out of reading the piece.

In part 3 of this full analysis of Dante’s Divine Comedy, through an in-depth analysis of various primary and secondary sources, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain the images and stories of characters found in the third part of Dante’s masterpiece: Paradiso, including what the different levels represent, why Dante might have chosen the different characters for each level and what overall message medieval Europeans were supposed to get out of reading the piece.

In part 1 of this full analysis of Dante’s Divine Comedy, through an in-depth analysis of various primary and secondary sources, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain the images and stories of characters found in the first part of Dante’s masterpiece: Inferno, including what the different levels represent in terms of sin, why Dante might have chosen the different characters for each level and what overall message medieval Europeans were supposed to get out of reading the piece.

Through the investigation of selected primary and secondary sources, including readings from the Odyssey, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain the story of Odysseus and his trip home from Troy as told in Homer’s epic poem the Odyssey, the role gods and goddesses play in the story through their interaction with humans, how the poem set the standard for the ideal Greek epic hero in battle, and why the story is seen as important to the development of western literature.

Through the investigation of selected primary and secondary sources, including readings from the Iliad, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain the story of the Trojan War as told in Homer’s epic poem the Iliad, the role gods and goddesses play in the story through their interaction with humans, how the poem set the standard for the ideal Greek epic hero in battle, and why the story is seen as important to the development of western literature.

Through an in-depth analysis of various primary and secondary sources, including a thorough examination of the Communist Manifesto itself, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain Marx’s ideas behind history and class struggle, how the Manifesto seeks to explain changes in history through revolutionary activities, and finally how and why Marx and Engels called on the proletariat of their time to revolt against the bourgeoisie. Secure in the knowledge gained in this lesson, students will then be able to judge the effects of Marx’s theories over the last 160 years and also to theorize as to whether the Manifesto is still relevant to the global society of the 21st century.

Through the use of various primary and secondary sources, including selections from All Quiet on the Western Front, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain the story behind the main characters and plot of Remarque’s novel, how the character of Paul develops over time, and how the novel itself might be seen by some as socialist propaganda.

Through an examination of both primary and secondary sources on the subject, including various types of visual media in addition to electronic and written sources, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain the basic plot of Hemmingway’s novel, The Sun Also Rises and how the main characters in the book represent different aspects of societal change and the rejection of Victorian social norms inherent in the “lost generation” of the 1920s.

Students in this lesson will analyze and understand the basic story behind Voltaire’s satire by reading Candide (1759). In doing such analysis, students will also gain an appreciation and understanding of how Voltaire challenged the French government, the French system of taxation and social ideas behind wealth, and the Roman Catholic Church. Finally students will understand and be able to explain how a little bizarre story about a simple dim-witted character later inspired French Revolutionary leaders to topple the entire system.

Through an in-depth analysis of primary and secondary sources, specifically by reading and analyzing excerpts from two of Jean Jacques Rousseau’s major works, The Social Contract (1763) and Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality among Men (1754), students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain Rousseau’s philosophical ideas and how those ideas inspired French Revolutionary leaders after 1789.

Students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain how Winston Churchill, through his speeches in 1940-1941, contributed to the formation of a collective British resolve to continue fighting during the Blitz, a critical time period when Britain was alone in fighting Germany.