Discussion board
Watch the documentaries/lectures and complete the readings. Pick one of the topics below to discuss. (The topics should foucs on the period in world history from 500 B.C. to A.D. 1450 roughly).
Student should applies relevant information from readings, documentaries and lectures in a thoughtful manner and provides valuable insight into the topic.
Discuss the spectrum of power-to-powerlessness women possessed in the various civilizations studied.
Discuss the function of war for the various civilizations studied.
Discuss the similarities and dissimilarities of the various political institutions studied.
Discuss the place of social justice for the civilizations studied.
Discuss the nature of family bonds for the various civilizations studied.
Discuss perspectives of death and life for the various civilizations studied.
The approximate length for posts and responses will be 50 to 100 words.
For weekly discussion, each student will have 1 post and 2 responses (that is, 150-300 words in total for each week).
Points will be deducted for late participation in weekly forum discussions.
Forum discussions will be evaluated on creativity of analysis of weekly readings.
Video and reading are below.
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDgznF2jSzE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qsuE9lTBOg
Below are two discussions from my classmates that need a respond. responds must be acording to the knoledge you read dont only say i like what you did and i agree with what you did.
Discussion 1:
Title: Family Bonds
Family bonds in the civilizations studied this week do not seem to carry as much value as they do in the modern world. People denounce family relations in the face of death (the plague) or power struggle (Chinese civilization, Mongolian civilization). “A Woman in Power Empress Lu” reading an incredibly violent depiction of atrocities committed against family members. Empress Lu only needed relatives to fill up the positions of power with the members of the same family, for absolute control, but would not think twice to get rid of the ones who disobeyed. No wonder that Confucius put a special emphasis to “filial piety”. Maybe he felt that focusing more on “moral force” and family relationships could help the Chinese civilization reverse its bloody history.
Discussion 2:
Title: Family bonds
Family bonds have always played an important role throughout history, especially when speaking in context of rulers. According to “A Woman in Power Empress Lu,” ancestry is formed one person at a time as a family expands through marriage or reproduction. When I think of the concept of ancestry as discussed in the readings from this particular time frame in history, I think of heirs to the throne and royal families ruling for centuries fighting to continue their rule. In both Chinese and Roman culture, the idea of having the bloodline continue ruling was pertinent to the success of the family name. Another factor of family bonds that was important during those times especially was an unrelenting respect for your parents and the things they asked you to do and the things they did. For example, according to “Confucius and Laozi,” the relationship between children and their parents is described as one where the child should show love and respect to their parents always. While family bonds can help a family rise to success or continue a path of success, it can also prove to be detrimental as seen in Europe and Cairo during Plague outbreaks where children were often abandoned by their parents due to their condition.
