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Julius Caesar Web Quest: The Universal Human Experience |
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Introduction |
Justice. Ambition. Honor. Motivation. Deceit.
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar explores several universal themes. These issues of human experience hold as much relevance today as they did in Shakespeare’s time and throughout history. Reflect on the following questions:
“Human Experience” Questions
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Is violence ever the answer
to violence?
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Which is most important: loyalty
to a friend, loyalty to the good of the world, or loyalty to your own beliefs
and values?
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Is murder ever justified?
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Are people’s decisions guided
by logic or emotion?
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Can we ever truly understand
our own characters? The characters of
others?
The
Task
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The
murder of Julius Caesar can be viewed as a violent political protest waged by
the conspirators against Caesar’s growing power. The play itself addresses the “Human Experience Questions” you have
just pondered. You will write a 1-3
page essay in which you compare one historical protest to your understanding of
Julius Caesar. You will focus
your explanation using one of the “Human Experience Questions” (see introduction). Seek to answer your question in terms of
both your historical event and Julius Caesar.
The
Process
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1. Select ONE of the following historical protests:
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The Civil Rights Movement
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Tiananmen Square
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Vietnam War Protests
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Apartheid.
2. Select one “Human Experience Question” from the introduction. You will explore and try to answer this question based on both Julius Caesar and your research today.
3. Research your historical protest. ( i.e. What happened? Who
was involved? What caused the protest?
Was the protest peaceful, violent, or both?)
You may address the era/protest as a whole or focus on one individual
event. Seek to better understand and to
answer your “Human Experience
Question”. Research resources are
provided, but you may use others as well.
4. Write a 1-3 page essay in which you answer (or explain why you
cannot answer) your selected “Human Experience Question” in terms of both Julius
Caesar and your selected historical protest.
*** Be sure to:
§ Relate your Human Experience question to Julius Caesar. How would you answer your question as it
relates to J.C.?
§ Relate your Human Experience question to your historical protest research. How would you answer your question as it relates to your historical research?
§ Relate Julius Caesar and your historical protest
research (tell me whether you feel they are similar or different- i.e. did you
come to similar conclusions or different ones? )
(grading rubric available under “Evaluation”)
The
Resources
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Evaluation
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40 points based on following
performance rubric….
Aim for the “10” column!
Expectations
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10
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8
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6
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4
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2
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0
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Organization-
title, thesis, body, paragraphs, conclusion
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Outstanding- well organized, easy to follow, thoughts are
clear
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Good
organization- some clarification needed
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Fairly organized, but
needs work.
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Fairly
disorganized, needs work
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Very
hard to follow-lacks thesis and order throughout
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Unclear…I
need a map to navigate!
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Demonstrates
understanding of “Human Experience Question” as it relates to Julius
Caesar
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Clearly links “Human Experience Question” and J.C. Includes conclusions and support
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Good
link, but needs better explanation of your views.
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Weak
connection
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Very
weak- May not understand relation between the two
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No
connection made
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Omitted
one or both elements.
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Demonstrates
understanding of “Human Experience Question” as it relates to one historical
protest
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Clearly links “Human Experience Question” and one historical
protest. Includes conclusions and support
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Good
link made, but needs better explanation of your views, or more support
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Weak
connection
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Very
weak link- May not understand
relation between the two
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No
connection made
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Omitted
one or both elements
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Grammar,
spelling, usage
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Error Free
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A
few minor errors
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Some
errors
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Needs
editing
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Did
you read this first?
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Too
many errors…I can barely understand your paper!
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Conclusion
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You have now explored one “Human Experience Question” on a deeper level. You have done this both by researching a historical protest and by working with Julius Caesar. Your 1-3 page essay demonstrates your work toward answering this question. Congratulations on achieving a better understanding of World Humanity.