Cycle 1

Social Studies - 8th Grade

Shift from Medieval Age to Modern Age
A New Social Order: Feudalism
1. The feudal system was based on rights and obligations. In exchange for military
protection and other services, a lord, or landowner, granted land called a fief. The person
receiving a fief was called a vassal.
2. The Feudal Pyramid

3. Modern Age – Revolution. Change of ideas and Political (Bourgeoisie).

4. Activity – If you were a monarch, what changes you will make to the country.

Social Studies - 8th Grade

Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance
1. Europe suffered from both war and plague. Those who survived wanted to celebrate life
and the human spirit. They began to question institutions of the Middle Ages.
2. This movement that started in Italy caused an explosion of creativity in art, writing, and
thought that lasted approximately from 1300 to 1600. – Period called RENAISSANCE.
3. The educated men and women of Italy hoped to bring back to life the culture of classical
Greece and Rome.
4. New values, such as the importance of the individual.
5. Italy had three advantages that made it the birthplace of the Renaissance: thriving cities, a
wealthy merchant class, and the classical heritage of Greece and Rome.
a. City-States
i. In the 1300s, the bubonic plague struck these cities hard, killing up to 60
percent of the population. This brought economic changes. Because there
were fewer laborers, survivors could demand higher wages. With few
opportunities to expand business, merchants began to pursue other
interests, such as art.
b. Merchants and the Medici
i. A wealthy merchant class developed in each Italian city-state. Because
city-states like Milan and Florence were relatively small, a high
percentage of citizens could be intensely involved in political life.
ii. Florence came under the rule of one powerful banking family, the Medici.
iii. The Medici family bank had branch offices throughout Italy and in the
major cities of Europe. Cosimo de Medici was the wealthiest European of
his time. In 1434, he won control of Florence’s government. For 30years,
he was dictator of Florence.
iv. His grandson, Lorenzo de Medici, came to power in 1469. Known as
Lorenzo the Magnificent.
6. Classical and Worldly Values
a. The study of classical texts led to humanism, an intellectual movement that
focused on human potential and achievements. Instead of trying to make classical
texts agree with Christian teaching as medieval scholars had, humanists studied
them to understand ancient Greek values.
b. The basic spirit of Renaissance society was secular—worldly rather than spiritual
and concerned with the here and now.
c. Church leaders became patrons of the arts by financially supporting artist. It also
included wealthy families
d. Renaissance writers introduced the idea that all educated people were expected to
create art. In fact, the ideal individual strove to master almost every area of study.
A man who excelled in many fields was praised as a “universal man.” Later ages
called such people “Renaissance men.”
e. Renaissance women were better educated than medieval women. However, most
Renaissance women had little influence in politics. A few women, such as
Isabella d’Este, did exercise power (City-State of Ferrara).
7. The Renaissance Revolutionizes Art
a. Renaissance painters used the technique of perspective, which shows three
dimensions on a flat surface.
b. Following the new emphasis on individuals, painters began to paint prominent
citizens. These realistic portraits revealed what was distinctive about each person.
In addition, artists such as the sculptor, poet, architect, and painter Michelangelo
Buonarroti used a realistic style when depicting the human body.
c. Donatello also made sculpture more realistic by carving natural postures and
expressions that reveal personality. He revived a classical form in his statue of
David, a boy who, according to the Bible, became a great king. Donatello’s statue
was created in the late 1460s. (free-standing nude).
8. Leonardo da Vinci
a. He was a painter, sculptor, inventor, and scientist. A true “Renaissance man,” he
was interested in how things worked. He studied how a muscle moves and how
veins are arranged in a leaf.
9. Raphael Advances Realism
a. One of Raphael’s favorite subjects was the Madonna and child. Raphael often
portrayed their expressions as gentle and calm. He was famous for his use of
perspective.
b. Raphael filled the walls of Pope Julius II’s library with paintings. One of these,
School of Athens, conveys the classical influence on the Renaissance.
10. Anguissola and Gentileschi
a. Renaissance society generally restricted women’s roles. However, a few Italian
women became notable painters.
b. Sofonisba Anguissola is known for her portraits of her sisters and of prominent
people such as King Philip II of Spain.
c. Artemisia Gentileschi painted pictures of strong, heroic women.

Social Studies – 9th Grade

World War I – Marching Toward War
1. European Nations – in peace for 30 years (From middle of XIX century)
a. Peace congresses – 1843 – 1907.
2. Rising Tensions in Europe
a. Rise of Nationalism
i. Meaning of Nationalism: devotion to one's country, national spirit or
aspirations, desire for national unity, independence, or prosperity.
ii. Problems: It causes intense competitions among nations, with each
seeking to overpower the other.
iii. Fierce rivalry: Europe’s Great Powers – Germany, Austria-Hungary,
Great Britain, Russia, Italy, and France.
iv. What causes this: Competition for materials and markets, territorial
disputes (France loss Alsace-Lorraine to Germany in the Franco-Prussian
War – 1870) (Austria-Hungary and Russia – tried to dominate Balkans).
v. Countries demands for independence: Serbs, Bulgarians, Romanians.
3. Imperialism and Militarism
a. Meaning of Imperialism - advocacy of empire, devotion to imperial interests.
b. Dangerous European Arms race.
i. To be truly great, they needed to have a powerful military.
ii. By 1914, all the Great Powers Except Britain had large standing armies.
iii. Military experts – importance of being able to quickly mobilize, organize
and move troops in case of a war.
iv. The policy of glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for
war was known as militarism. – Make citizens feel patriotic.
c. Tangled Alliances
 i. This alliance system had been designed to keep peace in Europe. But it
would instead help push the continent into war.
ii. Between 1864 and 1871, Prussia’s blood-and-iron chancellor, Otto von
Bismarck, freely used war to unify Germany.
iii. Bismarck declared Germany to be a “satisfied power.” He then turned his
energies to maintaining peace in Europe.
iv. In 1879, Bismarck formed the Dual Alliance between Germany and
Austria-Hungary. Three years later, Italy joined them – Triple Alliance.
4. In 1890, Germany’s foreign policy changed dramatically.
a. Kaiser Wilhelm II—who two years earlier had become ruler of Germany—forced
Bismarck to resign.
b. Wilhelm II did not wish to share power with anyone. Besides wanting to assert his
own power, the new kaiser was eager to show the world just how mighty
Germany had become.
c. Wilhelm let his nation’s treaty with Russia lapse in 1890. Russia responded by
forming a defensive military alliance with France in 1892 and 1894. Such an
alliance had been Bismarck’s fear.
d. Wilhelm began a tremendous shipbuilding program in an effort to make the
German navy equal to that of the mighty British fleet.
e. Alarmed, Great Britain formed an entente, or alliance, with France. In 1907,
Britain made another entente, this time with both France and Russia. The Triple
Entente, as it was called, did not bind Britain to fight with France and Russia.
5. By 1907, two rival camps existed in Europe. On one side was the Triple Alliance—
Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. On the other side was the Triple Entente—Great
Britain, France, and Russia. A dispute between two rival powers could draw all the
nations of Europe into war.

Political Sciences and Economics 10

Introduction
1. Defining Populism
a. The very notion of populism tends to carry a negative connotation both in the
scholarly and public debate. - it is commonly analyzed as a pathological
phenomenon
b. the idea of popular sovereignty, may pursue problematic goals, such as the
exclusion of ethnic minorities.
c. “a thin-centered ideology that considers society to be ultimately separated into
two homogenous and antagonistic groups, ‘the pure people’ versus ‘the corrupt
elite,’ and which argues that politics should be an expression of the general will
of the people” (Mudde 2004: 543).
2.
 Political Sciences and Economics 11
Introduction
1. The field of international political economy (IPE) or global political economy (GPE)
2. During the past 25 years, the world has seen an astonishing number of changes: the rise
of new economic powers in Asia, the collapse of communism, revolutions across the
Middle East, the return of religion to politics, the spread of information technology and
social media, and the shifting effects of globalization.
3. One pertinent example, which we have seen emerge in the civil wars in Syria and Iraq, is
the role of ethnic and religious conflict.
4. Comparative politics— the study and comparison of domestic politics across countries.
Comparative politics can be contrasted with another related field in political science,
international relations.
5. We will consider comparative politics through the concept of institutions—
organizations or activities that are self- perpetuating and valued for their own sake.
Institutions play an important role in defining and shaping what is possible and
probable in political life by laying out the rules, norms, and structures in which we live.
6. Politics is the struggle in any group for power that will give one or more persons the
ability to make decisions for the larger group. This group may range from a small
organization to the entire world. Politics occurs wherever there are people and
organizations.
7. It is therefore hard to separate the idea of politics from the idea of power, which is the
ability to influence others or impose one’s will on them. Politics is the competition for
public power, and power is the ability to extend one’s will.
 Philosophy - 9th and 10th Grade
Introduction

1. φιλοσοφία (philosophía), from φίλος (phílos, “loving”) + σοφία (sophía,

“wisdom”).
2. Timeline
a. Mythology (1800 bc – 300 bc)
b. Natural Philosophers/Pre-Socratics (600 bc - 370 bc)
c. Big Three Greek Philosophers (430 bc - 322 bc)
d. Hellenism (323 bc - 420 ad)
e. Medieval Age (400 ad - 1400 ad)
f. Renaissance (1400 ad - 1600 ad)
g. The Scientific Revolution (1543 – 1727)
h. Baroque (1600 – 1725)
i. The Enlightenment (1650 – 1789)
j. Romanticism (1770 – 1848)
k. The Modern World (1850 – 1970)

Philosophy - 11th Grade

Introduction to Anthropology
1. Etymology = Anthropo/logy
a. ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “man, mankind, human, humanity”)) + -logy λογία
(-logía).
2. Branches
a. Cultural anthropology, which studies the usages and customs of human societies
as they are structured over time as expressions of specific relationships with
others and with the environment
b. Psychological anthropology, which studies human behavior from the point of
view of mental dynamics in order to understand how psychological identity is
constituted and how personality disorders and disturbances arise.
c. Social anthropology analyzes the dynamics of relations between individuals in
order to highlight the elements common to the various forms of society.
d. Ethnological anthropology, which studies human groups, describing and
comparing their shared traits in association with the geographical, historical,
and climactic conditions in which they live.
 e. Philosophical anthropology, reflects upon man in order to understand him in his
entirety, grasping the fundamental principles of his existence in the world and his
behavior.
i. Who is the human person?
ii. How does he act?
iii. How does he evolve?
iv. How does he interact with others?
3. The expression “philosophical anthropology” is a relatively recent one in philosophy.
Though it has remote roots in I. Kant, the term became consolidated in the twentieth
century thanks particularly to the works of M. Scheler, H. Plessner, and A. Gehlen.
4. The Method of Philosophical Anthropology
a. The analytical method, the individual phenomena or each aspect of the person is
examined.
b. The synthetical method, studies the individual as an already extant totality.
c. Systemic, which is to say that we approach the human person as a “system,” the
elements of which are in close coordination with one another. These elements are
understood with reference to the whole, and the whole requires the interaction of
the individual elements.
5. Reading – Difference between Animals and Humans

Topics for the First Term

1. Introduction
2. Life and the Degrees of life.
3. The vital principle
4. Death
5. Who is the person?
6. The reality of the Person.
7. Culture – Sociology

Religion - 10th and 11th Grade

The problem of Evil
1. Etymology
a. Greek: μέλεος = /meleos/ - βλασφημέω = /blasphemeo/ (showing no
respect to God)
b. Latin: Malus = Unhappiness, weak, stupid.
c. Old English yfel (bad, vicious, ill, wicked, cruel, unskillful, disease, misfortune)
i. Later, evil becomes a moral badness – expression of bad.
2. The problem of Evil is used as an argument against of the Existence of God.
3. The experience of so much bad moments in one’s own life.
4. There are many questions that make us thing about God
a. Why God allows, or even causes, evil things?
b. How does evil relate to divine providence?
c. How can God bring good from evil?
5. Another explanation of the origin of evil can be the need to gain power and control. As a
human being there is this need in us to feel validated and accepted. But there is always a
limit to everything. Often, we come across that person, a friend, a colleague or partner
who relies their entire life on social validation. The need to be validated becomes so
profound that the mere humanity associated with an activity tends to reduce. A more
aggressive state of this need to be validated is the need to be powerful.
6. Many believe that there is someone who has not only the desire but the knowledge and
the power to forever remove the evil and suffering which exist in the world.
7. Here, then, are some common examples of evil: natural catastrophes such as earthquakes,
hurricanes, and forest fires in which innocent life is killed; intense suffering and pain
such as a child being beaten to death by a barbaric tribal enemy, or a pregnant woman
dying from cancer, or a zebra being eaten alive by a lion; physical, mental, or emotional
impairments such as being born with a cleft pallet, or having borderline personality
disorder, or experiencing weakness of will at a crucial moment, and so on.
8. John Hick
a. Natural evil is the evil that originates independently of human actions: in
disease…earthquakes, storms, droughts, tornadoes, etc.
b. Moral evil is the kind of evil for which a moral agent is morally responsible,
including both actions (such as lying, raping, murdering, etc.) and character traits
(such as maliciousness, greed, envy, and so on).
9. God – an omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnibenevolent
(wholly-good) being – exists, why would he let them happen? What’s the point?
10. The logical problem of evil
a. Most of the problems stem from the following two beliefs: (1) God – an
omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent being – exists and (2) evil – in its
many manifestations – exists. (Logically inconsistent).
b. Theists have generally attempted to demonstrate that either premise 2, 4, or 5 is
not necessarily true. For conclusion 7 to follow logically from premises 1–6, each
one of them would need to be true. If one or more of them is false, however, or if
there is good reason to doubt the truth of one or more of them, this causes the
entire argument to be suspect.
11. Impossible to prove
12. Free will defense – God doesn’t help because of the free will.
a. A world containing creatures who are significantly free (and freely perform more
good than evil actions) is more valuable, all else being equal, than a world
containing no free creatures at all. Now God can create free creatures, but He
can’t cause or determine them to do only what is right.