War Theory, Thursday, 4th Period
As the students filed in, Honor was seated on the front edge of the desk, her feet almost touching the ground. Nimitz sprawled out on the desk behind her, enjoying an impromptu and very cat-like nap. This was a discussion he'd heard several times before, being around Honor, Hamish, and Willie as much as he had been. Glancing back over her shoulder at the treecat, Honor shook her head.
The timeline from previous classes was back on the board again today, listing all the authors and documents they had reviewed together thus far. Additionally, two terms were scrawled under the timeline in the appropriate place: self determination of nations and nationalism. They were, ironically, just centimeters away from "Jefferson/Continental Congress" and "Declaration of Independence."
"Come in and have a seat. We'll be starting soon." Her eyes flitted to the clock. As soon as the second hand ticked to the proper time, she began speaking.
"Our previous discussions have covered the 'acceptable' reasons for warfare, relevant to the times they were written. I should have, perhaps, devoted a class period to discuss Enlightenment thinking, philosophies which weighed heavily on Jefferson and the other authors of the Declaration of Independence; they are key to understanding the emergence of an 'American' mindset and questioning the treatment of the colonies by England. We haven't done that, however. The good news is that, in our previous discussions, many of you have already shown a familiarity with at least some of the basic concepts.
"So, for today, I asked you to review the Declaration and come up with questions for discussion. Who will volunteer to go first?"
She watched the class expectantly until someone ventured a hand. It wasn't quite like pulling teeth, she thought, but it was close. The discussion continued through the class period, with a few comments of her own. As the end of class approached, however, she wrapped things up.
"Okay, next week, we'll be jumping forward about two hundred years and discussing the end of World War II and the Cold War. Please come prepared for discussion." She gave a smile. "Dismissed."
The timeline from previous classes was back on the board again today, listing all the authors and documents they had reviewed together thus far. Additionally, two terms were scrawled under the timeline in the appropriate place: self determination of nations and nationalism. They were, ironically, just centimeters away from "Jefferson/Continental Congress" and "Declaration of Independence."
"Come in and have a seat. We'll be starting soon." Her eyes flitted to the clock. As soon as the second hand ticked to the proper time, she began speaking.
"Our previous discussions have covered the 'acceptable' reasons for warfare, relevant to the times they were written. I should have, perhaps, devoted a class period to discuss Enlightenment thinking, philosophies which weighed heavily on Jefferson and the other authors of the Declaration of Independence; they are key to understanding the emergence of an 'American' mindset and questioning the treatment of the colonies by England. We haven't done that, however. The good news is that, in our previous discussions, many of you have already shown a familiarity with at least some of the basic concepts.
"So, for today, I asked you to review the Declaration and come up with questions for discussion. Who will volunteer to go first?"
She watched the class expectantly until someone ventured a hand. It wasn't quite like pulling teeth, she thought, but it was close. The discussion continued through the class period, with a few comments of her own. As the end of class approached, however, she wrapped things up.
"Okay, next week, we'll be jumping forward about two hundred years and discussing the end of World War II and the Cold War. Please come prepared for discussion." She gave a smile. "Dismissed."