Renaissance/Enlightenment HL: Creating a Social ContractObjective: Compose a social contract, designed for your self-selected population, as a demonstration of your understanding of the process and foundations of social contract theory as well as well as human nature and interaction in general.

Procedure: 1. Cultural Analysis: Pick your people! Using the 7 different people groups (following these

instructions), pick 1 – 3 groups that you would like to use to begin your society. Once you have your population determined, you can begin your creative analysis by completing the “Cultural Analysis Outline.” You may also want to consider the below questions:

a. If you choose 2 or 3 groups, be sure to narrate how these groups came together and why they chose to make one community. Consider how that will alter each group’s dynamics, values, and interests and promote development/cause conflict.

b. What will be your population’s strengths and weaknesses? c. Where are they located? Mountains? Tropical islands? What are their natural resources?

i. Consider drawing a map of their current settlement.d. What might a community like this look like 50 years from now? 100 years? 200 years?

* Once you have completed the outline, be sure to frame a contract that fits your culture now but which is also adaptable to growth and change (your contract should outlast your current population).

2. Contract: Your contract is essentially an outline of expectations/qualifications, political procedures and civil rights. It should be written in formal (legal) standard English and should include the following:

a. Aim of the contract (i.e. the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution)b. The form and selection of government (democracy, aristocracy, monarchy, etc.)c. The powers of the government (perhaps divided into branches)d. The necessary rights of the citizens (i.e. the Bill of Rights) e. The responsibility of the government to the citizens, the citizens to the government, and

the citizens to citizensf. The necessary law, punishments for offenses (or guide for how punishment will be

determined), and execution of that law

3. Defense/Reflection: The defense critically explains how your contract will achieve your civil and political ideals. It explains your aspirations for your state/commonwealth, leaders, and people, and is intended to be a defense of your contract (think the Federalist Papers) based on two things: (1) your population’s culture (they are your framers) and (2) the merits of each social contract theorist’s ideas. It must include your commonwealth/state’s beliefs of the following:

a. (1) State of Man/Natureb. (2) State of Warc. (3) Purpose of Commonwealth/Stated. (4) Purpose and Role of the Governmente. (5) Ideal Leadership (type and character)f. (6) Ideal Citizen (role and character)g. (7) Ideal State (#goals)

Since your defense should also serve as a critical evaluation of the social contracts and should demonstrate your knowledge of each social contract theorist, you must reference (cite) the theories that influenced your contract and how. A few questions you may consider to help you compose this reflection are below:

a. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each theory and contract?b. How do the theories compare?c. What did you learn about government from reading these theories?d. What did you learn about society from reading these theories?e. What did you learn about human nature from reading these theories?f. Did any of these theories change your perspective on government, society, and humanity?

4. Application: On the day that the contract is due, you will be given a conflict scenario for which you will have to write a solution. This solution must be in compliance with the restrictions of your social contract. Below are the types of conflicts your population may experience:

a. Natural disasterb. Internal social conflictc. External threatd. Economic crisise. Government corruption

*** The Application is not an assignment, but rather an in-class opportunity to test your contract

Final Notes:This is an opportunity to have a voice in the formation and execution of a successful community and government. Try not to limit your vision to the theories of Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu. You may consider all social contracts. We are almost always within the realm of at least two separate social contracts. Conduct research, observe communities, and consider under which boundaries and when guaranteed such freedoms humans are most enabled to thrive.

The MedianDetails:

30 adults ranging in age from 18 – 40

o 16 males

o 14 females

A range of ethnicities, heights, and weights etc.

All in good health

Strength ranging from average to excellent

IQs ranging from 80 – 125 (90 – 110 being the average)

o 76% literate

All currently own no possessions other than the clothes they wear and what they

can carry in their pockets.

75% currently practice some form of religion or spirituality.

Summary:

Little is known of this population’s diverse histories. Most have been independently

living or cohabitating with just one other as companions and/or life partners. They all

know very little of each other, but all have an interest in forming a society out of a social

contract, believing their current existence to be toilsome, lonely, and meaningless. All

have sought out others to form a society.

The GallantDetails:

30 adults ranging in age from 18 – 30

o 19 males

o 11 females

A range of ethnicities, heights, and weights etc.

All in great health

Strength ranging from great to excellent

IQs ranging from 70 – 120 (90 – 110 being the average)

o 68% literate

Besides the clothes they wear, all currently carry an assortment of small to

medium sized weapons (no firearms) for the purpose of self-preservation.

45% currently practice some form of religion/spirituality.

Summary:

After a few skirmishes with each other, this population began to take form. Though they

have lived very independent lives up until this collective, they have come to see how

much more powerful and effective they are as a group. They have an interest in pooling

their collective resources: material, physical, intellectual, spiritual etc. to enhance what

they have to offer others who might be interested in joining them. They have a vision of

themselves as a great and powerful empire.

The FamilialDetails:

30 adults ranging in age from 12 – 50, (5 of which are minors, 3 of which are 40

and older)

o 13 males

o 17 females

A range of ethnicities, heights, and weights etc.

All in fair to great health

Strength ranging from average to excellent

IQs ranging from 80 – 130 (90 – 110 being the average)

o 81% literate

They have a few small cabins which they built with a collection of tools they

share. They also have some useful skills turned into trades such as sewing (2),

building (4), farming (10), educating (3), hunting (2), and care-giving (1).

They have a shared religious/spiritual affiliation with some slightly different

perspectives.

Summary:

This population is a collection of 5 families who have been living near to each other and

who have an unspoken agreement to “look out for each other.” They are very diverse,

with some health and strength needs, but they have a sense of community, feelings of

love and amity, more developed societal roles, and an interest in forming something more

official so that it will be easier to bring new individuals or groups into their community.

The IntellectualsDetails:

30 adults ranging in age from 25 – 55

o 15 males

o 15 females

A range of ethnicities, heights, and weights etc.

All in fair to good health (okay is mostly due to aging)

Strength ranging from fair to excellent, though less than 20% can claim excellent

strength

IQs ranging from 95 – 140 (90 – 110 being the average)

o 100% literate

All own no more than the clothes they wear and what they can carry in a medium

pack: packs include such things as a change of clothes, books, paper and writing

utensils, small weapons, and small valuables.

The intellectuals do not formally recognize or practice a religion, but most agree

that they are spiritual by nature.

Summary:

This population has been doing what they need to survive, with an aim of learning how to

thrive. They have sought out like-minded individuals in hopes of creating a successful

society based in shared values and a desire to better oneself. They have been slowly

growing and are finally ready to design their ideal contract and society by thinking ahead

several generations. Most know each other quite well, and though they do not all agree on

the best means to a thriving society, they have a shared set of values and a wiliness to

compromise when necessary or concede when a better idea is present.

The Free Thinkers Details:

30 adults ranging in age from 28 – 45

o 14 males

o 16 females

A range of ethnicities, heights, and weights etc.

All in good health

Strength ranging from average to excellent

IQs ranging from 95 – 135 (90 – 110 being the average)

o 76% literate

All own no more than the clothes they wear and what they can carry in a small to

medium pack: packs include such things as a change of clothes, books, journals,

sketchbooks, small handmade instruments, small weapons, and small valuables.

They do not practice/share/discuss religion. They believe spirituality to be

personal to each individual.

Summary:

Little is known of this population’s diverse history. Most have been independently living

or cohabitating with just one other as companions and/or life partners. They all know

very little of each other, but all accept that forming a society is necessary to allow them

more opportunities to thrive and find fulfillment. They want to form a society to promote

opportunity, art, activity, interest, intellectual pursuit, creation, invention, progress,

adventure, etc., but they are all varying degrees of individualistic, and all of them fear

how the pressures of societal living could corrupt them or even worse: control them.

The AdventurersDetails:

30 young adults/adults ranging in age from 16 – 33

o 20 males

o 10 females

A range of ethnicities, heights, and weights etc.

All in good to great health

Strength ranging from average to excellent

IQs ranging from 95 – 135 (90 – 110 being the average)

o All share a word stock of useful spoken language though there are

between 4 to 7 separate jargons or lingos used by the group for personal

and intimate interactions.

All own no more than the clothes they wear and what they can carry in medium to

large pack: packs include such things as extra clothes for layers, sketchbooks,

small weapons and tools, and food and water.

They believe spirituality and religion to be personal to each individual or

partnered couple. About half of the group actively practices some type of

spirituality.

Summary:

This population of nomads continues to grow. As they migrate, individuals they meet

choose to join them for their resourcefulness, their stories, and the companionship. This

group is highly community-minded and devoted to keeping those with them alive.

Amongst them are several partnered couples, which is driving them to consider a more

settled existence. They are seeking the ideal environment

since they’ve seen many, one that supports year-round

habitation, farming of fertile lands, hunting and fishing,

and room to grow. As they are resourceful and typically

living off the land and by the changes in climate and

geography, they struggle to envision what a settlement

will be like and fear they may tire of staying in one place.

The Artists & ArtisansDetails:

30 individuals ranging in age from 12 – 50, (3 of which are minors, 5 of which are 40 and older)

o 13 maleso 17 females

All in fair to great health

RubricCulture Eval 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Thoroughness Evaluation indicates a thorough understanding of the population and its values

Evaluation is sufficient in its presentation of the population and its values

Evaluation leaves gaps necessary to the understanding of the community and its values

Evaluation is incomplete

Accuracy of Interpretation

Interpretation of population indicates understanding of each individual group and human interaction

Interpretation of population indicates a developing understanding of each individual group and human interaction

Interpretation of population based on people groups reveals gaps in understanding of each individual group and/or human interaction

Interpretation of population based on people groups reveals insufficient understanding of each individual group and human interaction

Creativity Population eval. reveals cultural identity including but not limited to characteristics, rituals, practices etc.

Population eval. suggests a cultural identity including characteristics, rituals, practices,

Population eval. Shows gaps cultural identity

Population does not indicate cultural identity

Contract 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Contract Contract is thorough, but not excessive; includes all the requirements meaningfully

Contract is nearly complete, and includes nearly all the requirements

Contract is developing and is lacking in many of the necessary requirements

Contract is incomplete and also fails to address the necessary requirements

Language Contract is formal and clearly mimics legal language

Contract is formal and nearly mimics legal language

Contract is a bit lacking in formality

Nearly no attempt is made to present a formal/legal contract

Consideration Framers clearly demonstrate understanding of the population’s values and spirit by designing the contract to suit them

Framers demonstrate understanding of the population’s values and spirit with an acceptable contract

Framers insufficiently understand the population’s spirit and values

Framers make little attempt to design a contract that suits the population’s spirit and values

Defense 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

State of Man/Nature/State of War

Description of Man/ nature is thoroughly expressed as is how our nature contributes to war

Description of Man/ nature is expressed and hints how it contributes to war

Description of Man, nature, and war is lacking in detail, leaving gaps in the progression

Description of Man, nature, war is deficient and or incomplete

Purpose of Commonwealth/ state and government (role)

The purpose of joining into community and the purpose and role of government is clearly defined

The purpose of joining into community and the purpose and role of government is sufficient

The purpose of joining into community is barely addressed and/or does not make sense

None given

Ideal Leadership, Citizen, and State/ Commonwealth

Defense for why this contract and leadership is ideal for your society is thorough and well argued

Defense for why this contract and leadership is ideal for your society is adequate

Contract and leadership model is not adequately supported, stronger arguments are needed

None given

Evidence of Influence

Specific description of influences is presented; thorough understanding of Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau

Description of influences is presented, sufficient understanding of Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau is present

Minimal description of influences and limited understanding of Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau is presented

None given

Vocabulary Reflects mastery of the language of Social Contract Theory

Demonstrates understanding of the language of SCT

Developing understanding of the language of SCT is shown

Little to no understanding of the SCT vocab is revealed

Scenario 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Scenario is sufficiently addressed; considers 3 or more solutions with at least 3 next steps; solution is excellent, within the bounds of the contract

Scenario is addressed; considers 2 solutions with at least 2 next steps; solution is reasonable and mostly within the bounds of the contract

Scenario is partially addressed; only 1 solution present or only 1 seems likely; insufficient next steps; solution lacks reason, and is partially within the bounds of the established contract

Scenario is not adequately addressed, nor does it consider the written contract

Presentation 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Total Score ________/60

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