Comparing the Role of Women in Han China and Imperial Rome
Comparing the Role of Women in Han China and Imperial RomeOverviewIn this two-part lesson, students explore the role of women in Han Dynasty China and Imperial Rome.Projected Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes (two 50-minute parts)Implementation time will vary across classroom contexts.Discussion Questions: ●On-ramp:Why do you think women are underrepresented in social studies standards?●Central Historical Question (CHQ):To what extent did women in Han China and Imperial Rome have the power to make their own choices and take action to shape their own lives?●Off-ramp:What challenges faced by women in Han China and Imperial Rome feel familiar to or different from today?Background Knowledge:Before engaging in this lesson, students should ideally have a general introduction to Han Dynasty China (including some basic familiarity with Daoism and Confucianism) and the Roman Empire.Preparation for Discussion Facilitation●Establish classroom norms for discussion. If you've already established discussion norms this year, plan to revisit them briefly with your students. If you haven't yet set any norms for discussion, we suggest taking 5-10 minutes to ask students to brainstorm a list the class can agree to (e.g., active listening, sharing air-time, being respectful). Ask students, “What norms do you think we should have in class when we have discussions? How should we treat each other?” Give students a few moments to independently record their own thoughts, then solicit ideas from students. You could give each student a couple of sticky notes to write their ideas on and have them add them to a board in the front of the room, have them submit their ideas using a virtual poll, or just call on students to share their ideas aloud. Based on what studentsshare, generate a list of class norms for discussion. You may want to ask additional probing questions (e.g., how should we respond when someone has a different perspective than we do?).●Consider students’ social-emotional learning. When preparing for discussions, keep in mind that different topics can be sensitive for different students. As you plan, consider how you will support students’ social and emotional needs and address any misconceptions that could cause harm.●For further guidance and support facilitating discussion, see the Deeper Discussions PD Toolkit. Table of ContentsPart 1: Introduction to the Role of Women in Han China and Imperial RomePart 2: Central Historical Question Discussion
Comparing the Role of Women in Han China and Imperial Rome1Part 1: Introduction to the Role of Women in Han China and Imperial Rome Students Will:●Reflect on and discuss reasons for the historical gaps in the representation of women in social studies standards.●Analyze similarities and differences of the role of women in Imperial Rome and Han China.Materials: •Slide deck: Comparing the Role of Women in Han China and Imperial Rome (Google| PowerPoint)•Women in Han China and Imperial Rome Source Analysis worksheet: student version(Google| Word) and teacher version●OER Project article “Women in Rome and Han Dynasty China”○Note: The OER Project offers articles at multiple lexile levels. To change the lexile level, you can toggle between version options in the upper-left corner of the article. That said, the lower lexile levels tend to include fewer details, so when completing an activity as a whole class, we recommend that all students receive the same version to avoid confusion.●Comparative Roles of Women in Rome and Han China video●Source set: Women in Han China and Imperial Rome (Google| Word)●Optional teacher resource: Supporting Curricular Promotion and Intersectional Valuing of Women in History and Current Events | Social StudiesOpener: Representation of women in history standards (~10 minutes)1.Project Slide 2 and ask students to reflect on the following: “When you think about the people you’ve learned about in your history classes, how many of them are women? If you had to guess, out of all the historical figures mentioned in state standards, what percentage do you think are women?” Check to make sure that students understand what you mean by standards. Elicit a couple of student responses.2.Project Slide 3 with the list of historical figures included in Virginia state standards for World History 1500 to present. Ask students what they notice about who was included and who was excluded. Depending on how familiar your students are with the figures on the list, you may need to provide context that the three women included were heads of state, two of England and one of Israel.a.Note: We selected Virginia as an example since at the time this lesson was developed, their state standards had been recently updated. Depending on where you teach, consider adding an example from the particular standards you use.3.In partners or small groups, have students discuss the on-ramp question “Why do you think women are underrepresented in social studies standards?”, then open the question for a brief class discussion.
Comparing the Role of Women in Han China and Imperial Rome2a.Note: As students share, you may want to probe for or surface the following points from the National Council for the Social Studies’ position paper on Supporting Curricular Promotion and Intersectional Valuing of Women in History and Current Events,if they don’t come up naturally: i.Women in the past were often denied leadership opportunities. History classes tend to focus on politics, economics, and the actions of leaders and those with power, who were usually men. When this is the focus, only women who took on roles typically assumed by men (e.g., Queen Elizabeth I), and perhaps those who pushed against and challenged norms, end up included in the curriculum. ii.Standards and curricula often don’t address the ways that gender is interconnected with race and class and other identities, which prevents a full picture of the diverse experiences of women in history. iii.In societies where systems of power excluded women from full participation in education and leadership, we have fewer written records providing women’s perspectives. 4.Tell students that understanding who gets included in the history we learn, and who is excluded, helps us be critical thinkers about the historical narratives we hear. We’ve been studying classical era societies, and to gain a fuller picture of these societies, we need to ask what roles women played, what rights they had, and how their contributions shaped the societies that they lived in. Activity: Secondary Sources Analysis (~30 minutes)5.Pass out the Women in Han China and Imperial Rome Source Analysis worksheet.6.Introduce the Central Historical Question that the students will be exploring over the next 1–2 lessons: “To what extent did women in Han China and Imperial Rome have the power to make their own choices and take action to shape their own lives?” 7.Tell students that women in these classical societies generally had less freedom and faced stricter social boundaries than their male peers, but we know it wasn’t that simple. Governments and institutions might create the structures of society that tried to limit women’s roles, but many women pushed, ignored or maneuvered within those boundaries. Today, they will be considering the structures and dynamics that shaped women’s lives in these societies, and the ways that women could make their own choices and take action to shape their own lives.8.Pass out the article “Women in Rome and Han Dynasty China.” As you introduce the source, remind students that Han China existed from 206 B.C.E. to 220 CE, and Imperial Rome existed from 27 BCE to 476 CE. This article is a generalization of what women’s lives were like over those hundreds of years. We are not going to understand every detail of how women acted or what their lives were, but this source will give us a snapshot. 9.Ask students to annotate the source while they read. They will underline and mark with a plus sign any evidence they read of women having the ability to take action or to choose what action to take, and underline and mark with a minus sign any evidence of structures or systems in place that might have limited women’s ability to make their own choices. 10.After they have finished reading, have students use the table on the worksheet to note similarities and differences in the ways women in Imperial Rome and Han China did or did not have power to make their own choices and take action to shape their lives.
Comparing the Role of Women in Han China and Imperial Rome3Activity: Guided Primary Source Analysis (~10 minutes)11.Tell students that the majority ofhistorical records we have from Han China and Rome were written by men, and the records we have that were authored by women were almost exclusively written by wealthy women who had access to education and the power to have their voices preserved. We will explore the perspectives of two such women, Hortensia, a wealthy Roman woman who publicly challenged a tax on wealthy women, and Ban Zhao, a historian and advisor in the Han Dynasty court. We’ll watch a video of two historians discussing and comparing primary sources written by each woman. As you watch, add evidence to your worksheet. 12.Play the 10-minute video Comparative Roles of Women in Rome and Han China, and pass out the Women in Han China and Imperial Rome source set so students can follow along with the sources as the narrators read them.
Comparing the Role of Women in Han China and Imperial Rome4Part 2: Central Historical Question DiscussionStudents Will:●Make a historical argument about the extent to which women in Han China and Imperial Rome had power to make their own choices and take action to shape their own lives, using your interpretation of evidence from a secondary source.●Compare the major challenges faced by women in Han China and Imperial Rome with contemporary challenges faced by women.Materials: ●Slide deck: Comparing the Role of Women in Han China and Imperial Rome (Google| PowerPoint)●Women in Han China and Imperial Rome Source Analysis worksheet: student version(Google| Word) and teacher version●OER Project article “Women in Rome and Han Dynasty China”○Note: The OER Project offers articles at multiple lexile levels. To change the lexile level, you can toggle between version options in the upper-left corner of the article. That said, the lower lexile levels tend to include fewer details, so when completing an activity as a whole class, we recommend that all students receive the same version to avoid confusion.●Source set: Women in Han China and Imperial Rome (Google| Word)●Optional Resources (Pew Research Center): ○Percentage of women in the U.S. workforce over time○Gender pay gap over timePreparation:●Set up your classroom arrangement to support the discussion structure you’d like to use during the lesson (i.e., whole class, groups of four or more students).●Review the student reflection exit ticket questions and decide which you will use.Opener: Preparing for the Discussion (~5 minutes)1.Remind students that today you’ll be having a discussion. Tell students that at the end of the lesson, they will have an opportunity to share their feedback on the lesson with you. You’ll use their feedback to improve future class discussions. 2.Have students take a seat in your preferred discussion structure (i.e., whole class, groups of four or more students), and have them take out their completed Women in Han China and Imperial Rome worksheets. 3.Take a few minutes to review your classroom norms for discussion.4.Ask students to identify one or two goals that they have for themselves during today’s discussion (e.g., bringing in evidence to support their points, being an active listener).
Comparing the Role of Women in Han China and Imperial Rome5Central Historical Question Discussion: Did the transition from foraging to sedentary agriculture help improve society and life for people? (~20 minutes)5.Tell students, “We are going to have a 15–20 minute discussion about the Central Historical Question:To what extent did women in Han China and Imperial Rome have the power to make their own choices and take action to shape their own lives?During the discussion, I want you to engage deeply with the central historical question, bring in evidence from the sources you’ve analyzed, bring in insights from your own background knowledge and life experiences, and really listen to the points that your classmates make and respond to them.” Place the central historical question in a prominent place in the classroom for students to refer backto through the discussion (you can use Slide 4). Give students 2–3 minutes to independently review their worksheet and jot down ideas of how they might answer the question at this point. 6.Open the floor for a discussion on the Central Historical Question: “To what extent did women in Han China and Imperial Rome have the power to make their own choices and take action to shape their own lives?” Remember to prioritize student voice over teacher voice; however, if the discussion has trouble starting or sputters, consider using some of the suggested facilitation moves below to support students in deepening their discussion. You could also ask these discussion specific probes:a.How did the experiences of wealthy women in Rome and Han China differ from those of lower-class women or enslaved women? b.In what ways did the readings reveal subtle or unacknowledged forms of power that women possessed in their everyday lives?c.What voices or perspectives from these societies would you want to hear more from or understand better?ChallengePotential Teacher Facilitation Moves If studentsaren’t engaging deeply with the CHQ,you might try ...●Probe for elaboration: Can you say more to the group about that? And can you tell us more about where you’re coming from? ●Return to CHQ: Let’s come back to our Central Historical Question. Where are we with that? If studentsaren’t engaging with each other, you might try ...●Uptake student comment:I’m hoping a few of you can share your reactions or questions to the group about what [student] just shared about ...●Expose the discussion structure:I’m hearing [student A] say [this], and [student B] say [that]. Can we do a show of hands onwhich argument you agree with at this point? ... Can you discuss with each other to see if you can come to an agreement, or at least figure out where you disagree? If studentsaren’t engaging with the sources, you might try ...●Pressing for textual evidence:Where do you see evidence for that in the
Comparing the Role of Women in Han China and Imperial Rome6text? ●Marking text:Let’s bring our attention to [specific place in the text]. If studentsaren’t bringing in their knowledge from outside of the text,you might try ... ●Pressing for broader evidence: Are there things in your personal experience, or any knowledge from outside of the texts, that supports or challenges what we’ve discussed so far about [historical topic or question]? ●Exploring student perspective:We’ve been connecting to the text a lot, and that’s really important, but I also want to hear your actual thoughts about [historical topic or question]. Off-Ramp Discussion: How do you think women’s lives have changed or stayed the same? (~5 minutes)7.Following the discussion, have students discuss the following off-ramp question:What challenges faced by women in Han China and Imperial Rome feel familiar to or different from today?a.Note for teacher: It can be helpful to ground this closing discussion in data. For example, you might share a chart showing the percentage of women in the US workforce over time and a chart showing the gender pay gap over time. You might pull up the statistics around the percentage of women who are currently serving as US congressional members, state legislators, presidential cabinet members, and governors. You may consider grounding the question in a particular regional context (e.g., just the United States) or open it to comparisons with the role of women in other regions or globally. b.Potential probes:i.How do you think women’s lives have changed or stayed the same in terms of political power, expectations of their role in family life, etc.?Activity: Independent Writing (~15 minutes)8.Tell students that now that they’ve had the opportunity to hear various arguments and discuss the evidence, they will write a paragraph sharing their own individual conclusion about the Central Historical Question. To build a strong argument, they should use evidence from as many sources as possible. Share this prompt:Write a paragraph responding to the following prompt. Make sure to support your claim with evidence from the sources you’ve analyzed: To what extent did women in Han China and Imperial Rome have the power to make their own choices and take action to shape their own lives?Closer:Exit Ticket & Reflection (~5 minutes)
Comparing the Role of Women in Han China and Imperial Rome79.Share the exit ticket questions you selected or adapted from the choices in the box below, and have students take a few minutes to reflect and share their feedback on the discussion. Tell them: “As you answer the exit ticket questions, I want you to think back to the goals that you set for yourself during the discussion. Please be honest and thoughtful in your reflections, because your answers will help improve the way that I might teach this lesson in the future and the ways that I decide to facilitate future discussion lessons.”CategoryPotential Exit Ticket QuestionsWe suggest that you either pre-select one question from each of the categories below, or have your students pick one from each category that they’d like to answer. Historical content●How did today’s discussion deepen or change your understanding of [historical topic]?●If you could go back in time and ask someone from history a question based on today's discussion, who would you talk to and what would you ask them? Discussion experience●How confident did you feel contributing to today’s discussion? What helped or held you back?●What was one perspective shared by a classmate that made you think differently about the topic? How did it change your thinking?●Overall, how do you think the discussion went? Why did it go well or not go well?Planning for the next discussion●What is one specific goal you have for improving your participation in future discussions?●What could we do as a class and what could I do as your teacher to make the discussion better next time?
Comparing the Role of Women in Han China and Imperial RomeThe creation of these materials was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305A220457 to Digital Promise. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute orthe U.S. Department of Education.This work is licensed under CC BY 4.0.