‌

‌Marxism:‌‌It’s‌‌All‌‌about‌‌Class‌‌-‌‌Economic‌‌Theory‌‌Series‌‌|‌‌Academy‌‌4‌‌Social‌‌
Change‌ ‌
‌

Marxism:‌‌Lesson‌‌Plan‌ ‌
‌
Topic‌‌ ‌

Marxism‌i‌s‌a ‌ ‌s‌ et‌o

‌ f‌s‌ ocio-economic‌t‌ heories‌t‌ hat‌c‌ ome‌f‌ rom‌t‌ he‌w ‌ orks‌o ‌ f‌K
‌ arl‌‌
Marx‌a ‌ nd‌F
‌ riedrich‌E ‌ ngels.‌I‌t‌c‌ riticizes‌t‌ he‌v
‌ ulnerability‌o
‌ f‌t‌ he‌c‌ apitalist‌s‌ ystem‌‌
and‌s‌ uggests‌a ‌ ‌m
‌ ore‌e ‌ conomically‌s‌ ustainable‌s‌ ystem.‌I‌t‌e ‌ mphasizes‌c‌ lass‌‌
struggles‌b‌ etween‌t‌ he‌r‌ ich‌c‌ apitalists‌a ‌ nd‌t‌ he‌p‌ oor‌w
‌ orking‌c‌ lass.‌‌ ‌

Possible‌s‌ ubjects/classes‌ ‌ Time‌n

‌ eeded‌‌ ‌

Social‌S
‌ tudies,‌P
‌ olitical‌E
‌ conomy,‌‌
30‌m
‌ inutes‌ ‌
Economics,‌P ‌ hilosophy‌ ‌

Video‌l‌ink:‌‌ ‌

https://academy4sc.org/video/marxism-its-all-about-class/‌ ‌

Objective:‌W
‌ hat‌w
‌ ill‌s‌ tudents‌k‌ now/be‌a
‌ ble‌t‌ o‌d
‌ o‌a
‌ t‌t‌ he‌e‌ nd‌o
‌ f‌c‌ lass?‌‌ ‌

Students‌w
‌ ill‌b
‌ e‌a
‌ ble‌t‌ o...‌ ‌
● Define‌M ‌ arxism‌ ‌
● Explain‌t‌ he‌l‌abor‌t‌ heory‌o ‌ f‌v
‌ alue‌ ‌
● Describe‌M ‌ arx’s‌c‌ riticism‌o ‌ f‌c‌ apitalism‌ ‌
● Explain‌t‌ wo‌c‌ riticisms‌o ‌ f‌M
‌ arxism‌ ‌

Key‌C
‌ oncepts‌&
‌ ‌V
‌ ocabulary‌‌ ‌

Communism,‌S
‌ ocialism,‌T
‌ otalitarianism,‌C
‌ apitalism,‌F
‌ ree‌M
‌ arket,‌D
‌ ivision‌o
‌ f‌‌
Labor‌ ‌

Materials‌N
‌ eeded‌ ‌

Worksheet,‌S
‌ tudent‌I‌nternet‌A
‌ ccess‌ ‌

Before‌y
‌ ou‌w
‌ atch‌‌ ‌

Poll‌ ‌the‌ ‌class‌:‌ ‌What’s‌ ‌the‌ ‌difference‌ ‌between‌ ‌Marxism,‌ ‌communism,‌ ‌and‌‌
socialism?‌ ‌

While‌y
‌ ou‌w
‌ atch‌‌ ‌
 ‌

‌Marxism:‌‌It’s‌‌All‌‌about‌‌Class‌‌-‌‌Economic‌‌Theory‌‌Series‌‌|‌‌Academy‌‌4‌‌Social‌‌
Change‌ ‌
‌

Complete‌t‌ he‌W
‌ orksheet‌ ‌

After‌y
‌ ou‌w
‌ atch/discussion‌q
‌ uestions‌‌ ‌

1. What‌ ‌might‌ ‌Marx‌ ‌think‌ ‌about‌ ‌modern‌ ‌day‌ ‌technologies‌ ‌like‌ ‌automation?‌‌
How‌w ‌ ould‌t‌ hey‌a ‌ ffect‌t‌ he‌w
‌ orkers?‌ ‌
2. Why‌ ‌do‌ ‌you‌ ‌think‌ ‌communist‌ ‌revolutions‌ ‌turned‌ ‌out‌ ‌so‌ ‌differently‌ ‌from‌‌
what‌M ‌ arx‌p ‌ redicted?‌ ‌
3. Do‌y‌ ou‌t‌ hink‌M‌ arxism‌c‌ an‌b ‌ e‌c‌ ompatible‌w
‌ ith‌d
‌ emocracy?‌W‌ hy‌o‌ r‌w
‌ hy‌n
‌ ot?‌
4. What‌ ‌do‌ ‌you‌ ‌think‌ ‌of‌ ‌Marx’s‌ ‌labor‌ ‌theory‌ ‌of‌ ‌value?‌ ‌Can‌ ‌you‌ ‌think‌ ‌of‌‌
alternatives‌t‌ o‌i‌t?‌ ‌

Activity‌I‌deas‌‌ ‌

● Have‌ ‌students‌ ‌do‌ ‌some‌ ‌research‌ ‌on‌ ‌countries‌ ‌that‌ ‌went‌ ‌through‌‌
communist‌ ‌revolutions,‌ ‌such‌ ‌as‌ ‌the‌ ‌USSR,‌ ‌China,‌ ‌Cuba,‌ ‌and‌ ‌North‌ ‌Korea.‌‌
After‌ ‌picking‌ ‌one‌ ‌country,‌ ‌they‌ ‌should‌ ‌determine‌ ‌if‌ ‌it‌ ‌fits‌‌Marx’s‌‌theories,‌‌
and‌ ‌write‌ ‌down‌ ‌a‌ ‌few‌ ‌sentences‌ ‌summarizing‌ ‌it.‌ ‌Students‌ ‌should‌ ‌also‌‌
make‌ ‌any‌ ‌additional‌ ‌notes‌ ‌on‌ ‌whether‌ ‌the‌ ‌revolutions‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌resulting‌‌
regimes‌ ‌were‌ ‌successful‌ ‌economically.‌ ‌Afterward,‌ ‌students‌ ‌should‌ ‌group‌‌
up,‌a
‌ nd‌s‌ hare‌i‌nsights‌w‌ ith‌c‌ lassmates.‌ ‌
● Let‌ ‌students‌ ‌write‌ ‌a‌ ‌short‌ ‌reflection‌ ‌on‌ ‌social‌ ‌and‌ ‌economic‌ ‌problems‌‌
resulting‌ ‌from‌ ‌free‌ ‌market‌ ‌and‌ ‌private‌ ‌property‌ ‌in‌ ‌a‌ ‌capitalist‌ ‌economy‌‌
such‌ ‌as‌ ‌the‌ ‌US,‌ ‌the‌ ‌UK,‌ ‌Germany,‌ ‌and‌ ‌Japan.‌ ‌Decide‌ ‌whether‌ ‌Marx’s‌‌
theories‌ ‌effectively‌ ‌address‌ ‌and‌ ‌solve‌ ‌them.‌ ‌Reflections‌ ‌should‌ ‌be‌ ‌two‌‌to‌‌
three‌p ‌ aragraphs‌l‌ong.‌ ‌

Sources/places‌t‌ o‌l‌earn‌m
‌ ore‌‌ ‌

1. Marx,‌ ‌Karl,‌ ‌Karl‌ ‌Marx:‌ ‌Selected‌ ‌Writings,‌ ‌second‌ ‌edition,‌ ‌David‌ ‌McLellan‌‌
(ed.),‌O
‌ xford:‌O ‌ xford‌U
‌ niversity‌P
‌ ress,‌2‌ 000.‌ ‌
2. Lukes,‌ ‌Stephen,‌ ‌1987,‌ ‌Marxism‌ ‌and‌ ‌Morality,‌ ‌Oxford:‌ ‌Oxford‌ ‌University‌‌
Press.‌ ‌
3. Peffer,‌ ‌Rodney,‌ ‌1990,‌ ‌Marxism,‌ ‌Morality‌ ‌and‌ ‌Social‌ ‌Justice,‌ ‌Princeton:‌‌
Princeton‌U ‌ niversity‌P
‌ ress.‌ ‌
4. Wood,‌‌Allen‌‌W.,‌‌1972,‌‌“The‌‌Marxian‌‌Critique‌‌of‌‌Justice”,‌‌Philosophy‌‌&‌‌Public‌‌
Affairs,‌1
‌ (3):‌2
‌ 44–282.‌ ‌