Introduction
In the past, people were ruled by a king or a ruler. He had the power or freedom to do what he wanted: to issue rules, to judge, to execute people. The society has evolved and, in the modern period, democracies have been established. At present, the people's representatives decide for them. If the ruler had too much power, there was a risk that he would abuse and use that power inappropriately. The solution found for this was the fragmentation of power. Thus, several authorities were created to perform essential functions in a state: an authority to create laws - Parliament; another authority to enforce the laws - the Government and the President of the country; and an authority to enforce the laws and punish those who violate them - Justice.
The rules of our lives
People cannot live alone in society. They get in touch with neighbors and even strangers. The tendency is to be closer to some and to avoid others, to help some and to harm others. That is why we have laws and rules, which aim to maintain order in society and to protect each individual.
Task
In this webquest you will have a better understanding of the basic concepts of democracy as well why democracy is special.
Your task for this webquest is to find out exactly which are the laws and rules in our life, and which is the appropriate attitude towards breaking the laws.
You and your group (six students in total) will become "experts" on democracy principles.
Process
Follow the steps below for the first process in your task.
1. In groups of six, you will work together to learn about the principles of democracy by using the internet and filling out the worksheet below.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Democracy
Democracy, a form of government – Worksheet
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VrGughXBI3TlYG89yJO6-ehCA-IAnIHmHLxDCUuJEUE/edit?usp=sharing
2. Choose a video clip on Greece from the following website and write a 4 sentence summary of what you watched.
http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Category.aspx?CategoryID=676
3. The assessment will be based on the knowledge gained from accessing the link below. Read the information and remember!
US Government - Democracy page at /history/us_government/democracy.php.
Evaluation
1. What are the two main types of democracies?
a. Dictatorship and Direct
b. Monarchy and Representative
c. Communist and Socialist
d. Direct and Representative
e. Republican and Democrat
2. Which type of government is the United States?
a. Communist
b. Monarchy
c. Representative Democracy
d. Direct Democracy
e. Dictatorship
3. Which of the following best describes a democracy?
a. A government run by the people
b. A government run by a single person
c. A government run by powerful corporations
d. A government run by a small group of people
e. A type of anarchy
4. According to the article, where was one of the first direct democracies formed?
a. Rome
b. Greece
c. Egypt
d. Japan
e. Russia
5. Which of the following is not a characteristic of a modern democracy?
a. The power rests in the hands of the people
b. Free elections
c. Limits on lawmakers
d. Only the very wealthy get to vote
e. Majority rule with individual rights
6. What word is used to define the U.S. government in the U.S. Constitution?
a. Socialist
b. Democracy
c. Republic
d. Dictatorship
e. Monarchy
7. Which of the following is not a typical criticism of democracy as a form of government?
a. Only the wealthy can afford to run for office
b. Two part systems can limit voter choices
c. They can be inefficient
d. Corruption can limit the fairness of elections
e. Only the poorest countries in the world are democracies
Credits
This webquest was created by a team of teachers, within the co-funded Erasmus plus KA2 partnership “UNITED STATES OF EUROPE: FRATERNITY, UNITY, LIBERTY” (USE:FUL), project no: 2018-1-PT01-KA229-047349, KA2 - Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices, KA229 School Exchange Partnerships.
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.