Area: Social & Political Philosophy

Piper

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Screengrab from the Pixar animated film "Piper" featuring a very small and cute bird sticking its head out of the sand

This lesson plan can be used either in a classroom or online. Plot Summary: In the short Pixar film, Piper, an adult sanderling bird encourages their baby to join the other birds in finding food along the beach as the waves roll in and out. The baby bird bravely rushes forward only to find their … Piper

Partly Cloudy

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Illustration from the short film "Partly Cloudy" that features a puffy cloud with arms and a smiling face

Plot Summary: In the animated short film “Partly Cloudy,” storks deliver adorable infants of all kinds to homes. We discover that these infants are made by delightful, puffy, and cheerful clouds who work in partnership with their designated delivery stork. One cloud who is less cheerful and “partly cloudy” makes the pricklier infants (alligators, sharks, porcupines, … Partly Cloudy

Joy and Heron

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“Joy and Heron,” Animated Short Film by Passion Pictures This lesson plan can be used either in a classroom or online. Plot Summary: In this short, animated film a fisherman sails out with his enthusiastic dog. They are quickly joined by a heron, who lands on the boat. At first, the dog and the heron … Joy and Heron

For the Birds

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Plot Summary: In this short Pixar film, several small birds land on a telephone wire and commence chattering and annoying one another. When a large bird lands nearby and seeks out their company, the smaller birds stop their bickering and turn as one against the large bird. Their attempts to make him leave their wire … For the Birds

Baboon on the Moon

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Baboon and the Moon still

This lesson plan can be used either in a classroom or online. Plot Summary: This six-minute film is about a baboon who lives alone on the Moon. Wordless and moving, the video portrays the baboon as full of longing for the Earth, struggling with feelings of sadness and loneliness. Looking wistfully out at Earth, he … Baboon on the Moon

Macklemore’s White Privilege II

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sign reads: Use your privilege to opt in.

Seattle hip hop rapper Macklemore (aka Ben Haggerty) is one of the few widely-known rappers who is white. In his song “White Privilege” (2005), Macklemore sings about his experience as a white rapper, including how being white was advantageous in the music industry. In 2016, Macklemore collaborated with Chicago singer Jamila Woods to release the … Macklemore’s White Privilege II

Justice and Utopia

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Black and white woodcut print of a map of Thomas More's "Utopia" featuring large ship sailing around the edges of the island. On the island, there are several 16th-century buildings. In the lower corners of the image, two men dressed in 16th-century clothes talk to one another.

Students engage with the ‘Ring of Gyges’ story from Plato’s Republic and John Rawls’ concept of the ‘veil of ignorance’ to examine how a just society might be organized.

Social Contract Theory: Creating a Cooperative Learning Environment

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Wooden people figures shaking hands

Materials needed: John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government, chapters two and eight. An alternative is James Rachels’ The Elements of Moral Philosophy, chapter eleven, “The Idea of a Social Contract” (see full citations and links in the ‘Resources’ section) Questionnaire (see below) Poster board for displaying the finished constitution Optional: online discussion forum; wig and … Social Contract Theory: Creating a Cooperative Learning Environment