Topic: Politics. It is not so easy to rule

Author: Anna Rabiega

Addressee:

8th grade primary school student

Core curriculum:

IX. Civic participation in public life - civic society.

The student:

5) justifies the necessity to follow ethical principles in public life, recognizes their violations, and gives examples of the consequences of such violations.

The general aim of education:

The student uses his knowledge to interpret the events in social life, including public life.

Learning outcomes:

The student:

• defines the terms politics, ethics, and power; explains why it is difficult to provide one unambiguous definition for each of these terms.

• names and explains the functions of politics.

• presents the relation between ethics and politics.

• names and explains various means of executing power over people.

Key competences:

• communicating in a foreign language,

• digital competence,

• learning to learn,

• social and civic competences.

Teaching methods:

• mind map,

• brainstorming,

• discussion,

• teaching conversation using infographics, interactive board and exercises.

Forms of work:

• self‑learning,

• group work,

• whole‑class activity.

Material & equipment needed:

• computers with loudspeakers/headphones and internet access,

• multimedia resources from the e‑textbook,

• interactive whiteboard/blackboard, felt‑tip pen/a piece of chalk.

Lesson plan overview (Process):

Introduction:

1. The teacher presents the goal of the lesson: You will find out what politics and power are, and what means they operate.

2. The teacher asks the question: What is politics? and informs the students, that they will be working using the brainstorming method, and place their ideas on the interactive board (abstract: Politics) in a form of a mind map. After the students have completed the task, the teacher tells the students they will be able to verify their suggestions later during the lesson.

Implementation:

1. The teacher asks a couple of students to read the subsequent definitions of politics from the abstract out loud. After each definition the teacher asks the students to explain, what aspect of the phenomenon was stressed by the author of the definition. After all the definitions are discussed, the students may verify their mind map.

2. The teacher displays the infographics “Functions of politics” from the abstract on the interactive board. Together with the students the teacher discusses each of the functions. Then he asks the students to provide specific examples of each of the functions being put to practice.

3. The teacher asks the students, how they understand the term “ethics”, bringing up the example of professional ethics of a doctor of medicine or a judge. Should politicians be bound by a similar code of ethics? The teacher moderates the class discussion on the subject. The students write down their arguments on the board. As a summary of the discussion the teacher presents the students with an infographics illustrating two positions on the role of ethics in political life. The teacher discusses it with the students and together they verify the students’ arguments.

4. The teacher asks the students, what they think the term “power” means. The students write their suggestions of the board, and then compare it with the definitions of the term contained in the abstract. The teacher asks the students to verify the definitions, paying extra attention to the elements that are missing in their definitions.

5. The teacher points out that a necessary element of power is the real ability to execute the orders given. He reminds the students, that state authorities may use various means to this end. It is necessary for the state to function properly, but it may have negative consequences for individuals. The teacher asks the students to split into five groups. The task of each group is to familiarize themselves with the assigned methods of executing power and analyze the positive and negative consequences of the method.

6. After the work is done, group representatives present the results. Willing students sum up the activity, stating what the methods of executing power are and what consequences they bring.

Summary:

1. At the end of the class the students in order to summarize the knowledge and practice the skills they have acquired during the lesson, together or in paris sole the crossword with a main password of “ETHICS”.

2. Homework proposal:

a. Does the welfare of the state justify immoral actions? Using examples, give two arguments for and two arguments against the thesis.

b. Listen to the abstract recording to review the material and new vocabulary. Then do the vocabulary exercise at the end of the chapter.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Politics. It is not so easy to rule

There is no one generally accepted definition of politics. Here are just a few most common examples of definitions you may come across:

• conscious, organized actions aimed at gaining and exercising political power;

• the art of governing society and the state;

• decision‑making process that allows the needs and values of society, social groups and individuals to be met;

• conflict resolution process, in which three basic methods are used: cooperation, coercion and compromise;

• sphere of public activity of the state institutions, political parties, social organizations and individuals – citizens.

Ethics indicates patterns of appropriate human behaviour and formulates the principles of their implementation. The content of norms and moral judgements is connected with the historical development of societies. In subsequent epochs it underwent smaller or larger transformations, e.g. the changes in attitude towards slavery, racial discrimination, the use of violence in interpersonal relations or the scope of power and responsibility of the authorities.

The role of ethics in political life has been disputed ever since antiquity. There are two positions in the dispute.

Anyone, who undertakes a political action, has to face the dilemma, and answer a couple of important questions:

• Will these actions be good for the state and society? And what does “good” mean?

• Does the welfare of the state justify immoral actions?

• Should moral norms be broken to achieve the desired goals?

• Is it at all possible to talk about the welfare of the state if one discards moral norms?

Regardless of the ongoing disputes, ethics are an important determinant of politics. People have always evaluated political activities not only by their effectiveness, but also by their moral value. States, political parties, social movements, political leaders, ordinary people refer to different – secular and religious – ethical concepts. This leads to various visions of society and the state, and thus, sometimes, also to serious political conflicts.

The phenomenon of power appears in every community, group, organization or social institution – at school, in a political party, a family, a country, a peer group and an international organization, a company and an army. It is a necessary element regulating social life, and thus an important element of politics, and the functioning of the state.

The power is:

• a system of social relations;

• the right to govern, e.g. to govern a state

• the governing bodies and institutions that make the key decisions

Those in power, the authorities, induce people to obey, using various means: