In November, our Director of Educator led 3-part workshop with Xaverian High School’s Navigating History Club. She encouraged students to explore the philosophies of John Locke and Thomas Hobbes and their impact and relationship to our modern-day government. The session was grounded in three essential questions:
- How do Hobbes and Locke differ in what their ideal government should look like?
- Where do we see the Locke’s philosophy on government in the Declaration of Independence?
- How might our understanding of government philosophy help us contribute to positive community change?
In December, they used primary sources to build their own utopian governments.
In January, the club developed the founding principles, the location, origin, government, population, and resources for this fictional nation.
For the remainder of the semester, their meetings will consist of smaller group work on different sections of their new country, split into “government structure,” “economy,” “geography,” and culture.”
"As a club, we’ve repeatedly referred back to our December meeting notes about Locke and Hobbes, finding that our guiding principles have gradually centered around divisions of private, public, and individual control."
