Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Thumb Trial '12

OK class...
We are going to do our first thumb trial and this is how it works:  We will have several mini-trials, each of which will be delivered to a jury (the rest of the class) who will decide by a show of thumbs. Below is a list of controversial characters we shall explore in our first three units (8000BCE to 1450). In order for a trial to be scheduled, at least one person on defense and one person on prosecution must sign up. No more than two students per team and as always, first come first served.  The defendants will answer ONLY to the crimes enumerated.



Sign up for either the character, the prosecution or the defense.

Gilgamesh                               
 mistreatment of subjects, murder of Humbaba, dereliction of royal duties
Hammurabi                             
creation of laws unfair to women, war crimes, tyranny
Ramesses II                              
defacing sacred objects, tyranny, misuse of government funds   
King Darius of Persia               
corruption, overtaxing, tyranny
Plato                                       
blasphemy, corruption of the youth of Athens, treason
Alexander the Great                 
war crimes, tyranny, irresponsible troop deployment
Julius Caesar                            
treason, attempted rebellion, war crimes
Shi Huangdi                        
squandering precious resources, wasting of human lives and labor, tyranny
Chandragupta                           
espionage, overtaxing, corruption
Justinian                                   
 tyranny, conducting unjust wars, corruption       
Theodora                                   
behavior unbefitting a queen, blasphemy, treason
Pope Urban II                           
deploying troops to the Holy Land, inciting violence, hate crimes
Charlemagne                            
tyranny, overtaxing, corruption
Genghis Kahn                           
cruelty, war crimes, genocide
Emporer Yongle of China         
mistreatment of minorities, tyranny, land theft

Particulars of the trials will follow. The assignment is worth 50 points, you can earn up to 25 extra credit by participating in a second trial. (Priority goes to those signing up for their first.)
Peace.