Inquiries in Chronological Order
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Evaluate a Culture using Gender: How are women treated in this culture?
Measuring a culture by how they treat women is a great way to help students better understand society and time periods. Let the students become the historian and determine how "advanced" the society was. The following Webquest requires students to have access to the internet. On whatever time period or culture you are learning about in a World History, Geography, or Cultures class, ask students to look for articles that answer these questions, and ultimately let students decide how they treated their women.
| How are women treated in this culture?.pdf |
Acknowledge Women Leaders: How did women lead and what titles were they officially given?
Women have always, ALWAYS led although they may not have always had the title of Queen, Pharaoh, Empress, Sultana, etc. Acknowledging the women who did have those roles is one step, but a second step is acknowledging the various ways women have led and continue to lead. This helps us see and appreciate the way women continue to play leadership roles in the world around us-- one that still rarely sees women in top leadership positions. This ARTICLE provides an overview of women in leadership roles from prehistory. #sayhername
Pre-History: Before Gendered Constructs
“Venus of Willendorf,” Encyclopædia Britannica, last modified August 16, 2020, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chopper-chopping-tool-industry#/media/1/439507/36945.
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Was there a Great Goddess?
Some people believe in a divine feminine, worship goddesses, and some believe that before the father God, there was a great, mother Goddess. Was there? To answer this question, student will read conflicting accounts from two women historians: Rosalind Miles and Cynthia Eller and decide for themselves based on the evidence provided.
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Rubens, Peter Paul. "The Fall of Man." 1628-29. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_and_Eve.
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What do origin stories say about the role of women?
To answer this question students will read origin stories from cultures around the world. Students will consider the ways that gender is represented and the long term impacts the messages contained within these myths can have on a culture.
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Recommended Reading:
The Worst Mistake in Human History is an article by Jared Diamond in which he argues that the Agricultural Revolution was not all it was cracked up to be. Among other things, he argues it set women back and solidified their diminished status.
The Worst Mistake in Human History is an article by Jared Diamond in which he argues that the Agricultural Revolution was not all it was cracked up to be. Among other things, he argues it set women back and solidified their diminished status.
| The Worst Mistake in Human History.pdf |
Ancient History: Women Fight Subordination
Boudicca and her daughters, sculpture in London. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Boudicca/images-videos#/media/1/75413/129461.
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Why did women resist empire?
Women in the ancient world took up arms to fight empires. Despite all the gender barriers women crossed the gendered threshold into a man's world? Why? In a world history class, it's helpful to have women look at similarities and differences across cultures, so we have four examples of women who resisted empire in Rome and the Han and Wu empires in China.
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Middle Ages: Women in the Shadows and on Thrones
Furini, Francesco. “The Death of Rachel.” c. 17th Century. Photo provided by the Wellcome Trust. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_birth_of_Benjamin_and_the_death_of_Rachel._Oil_painting_Wellcome_V0017370.jpg.
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How did depictions of European women giving birth shift overtime?
To answer this question students will examine paintings from different eras in Europe to see how they portray birth and to compare them. There are many more paintings available online for deeper investigation. This lesson could also be replicated for different regions around the world.
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Hammann, Ralph. "Depiction of Hildegard of Bingen in the St. Foy Church." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified April 08, 2019. https://www.ancient.eu/image/10406/.
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How important were nunneries to the status of women in Medieval Europe?
Nunneries are often depicted as these strict places women lived, but for many women they provided a sanctuary from the uncertain world outside the walls that offered them no status beyond the status of their male relatives. How important were they? You decide.
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Elizabeth I. Oil on panel attributed to George Gower, c. 1588. Photos.com/Thinkstock. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-I/images-videos.
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Was _____ an Absolute Ruler?
This period of history saw the rise of absolute rulers, many of which were female. In this research project, students will get a chance to research one of these women with depth and learn from their peers about some others. The overarching question, were they truly an absolute ruler?
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Recommended Reading:
Below are a collection of articles that may be helpful supplements to your curriculum.
Below are a collection of articles that may be helpful supplements to your curriculum.
| Anna Comnena and Byzantine Women.pdf |
| The Death of Fausta (Constatine).pdf |
| Mughal Matriarch.pdf |
Rennaisance: Women Artists and Thinkers
"Portrait of a woman, possibly Haseki Hürrem Sultan, called Roxelana (1506-1558), bust-length, in Ottoman costume, with a jewelled headdress." oil on panel. Retrieved from https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/paintings/follower-of-tiziano-vecellio-called-titian-portrait-5586275-details.aspx.
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Florentine or Ottoman?
This is an incredible lesson plan we found online and Kelsie modified. You can find the original lesson plan here and below. In the lesson, students examine primary sources talking about women in Florence and the Ottoman Empire from around the same period to question whether the Renaissance was really progressive for women.
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Recommended Reading:
This article with paintings provided is a great reminder that women also painted and philosophized during this time. Get to know a few of them in this selected reading.
This article with paintings provided is a great reminder that women also painted and philosophized during this time. Get to know a few of them in this selected reading.
Exploration and Reformation: New Access to Education
Recommended Reading:
Below are a collection of articles that may be helpful supplements to your curriculum.
Below are a collection of articles that may be helpful supplements to your curriculum.
| League of Nations and the Status of Women.pdf |
| Sexual Violence and Masculinity in Post-Surrender Japan.pdf |
"Nazi Propaganda Ideal of Motherhood." Neues Volk. Library of Congress. Last modified September 1937. Retrieved from United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/photo/nazi-propaganda-ideal-of-motherhood?parent=en%2F4164.
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Was Nazism anti-women?
Students will examine sources from historians and primary sources who discuss women in Nazi Germany before and during the war. How do they describe Nazi policies? How did Hitler and the Nazi's treat women? Helen Stephens, one of the sources included gave an oral history. You can listen or read the interview of her experience as an Olympian and witness to Nazi Germany here.
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