TY - JOUR
T1 - Literary Devices
T2 - Teaching Social Contract Theory with A Short Story
AU - Kirkpatrick, Jennet
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Teaching the social contract tradition to students can be frustrating. Works by Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau may seem arcane, abstract, or irrelevant to students. Yet, it is important for students to think about what processes or mechanisms would make consent and dissent legitimate. To address this problem, this paper explains how to use a short story, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” to examine the procedures of obtaining consent and of engaging in dissent. This paper includes: a plot summary, two paths for integrating “Omelas” into syllabi, and a number of practical tools to use in the classroom, including discussion questions, learning objectives, and a classroom activity. After reading it, you should be able to decide if “Omelas” would be a good addition to your syllabus and, if so, how to use it in your classroom.
AB - Teaching the social contract tradition to students can be frustrating. Works by Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau may seem arcane, abstract, or irrelevant to students. Yet, it is important for students to think about what processes or mechanisms would make consent and dissent legitimate. To address this problem, this paper explains how to use a short story, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” to examine the procedures of obtaining consent and of engaging in dissent. This paper includes: a plot summary, two paths for integrating “Omelas” into syllabi, and a number of practical tools to use in the classroom, including discussion questions, learning objectives, and a classroom activity. After reading it, you should be able to decide if “Omelas” would be a good addition to your syllabus and, if so, how to use it in your classroom.
KW - Active learning
KW - Citizenship
KW - critical thinking
KW - undergraduate education
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85100922449&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1080/15512169.2021.1884563
DO - 10.1080/15512169.2021.1884563
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85100922449
SN - 1551-2169
VL - 17
SP - 554
EP - 566
JO - Journal of Political Science Education
JF - Journal of Political Science Education
IS - S1
ER -