Unit Title:  Emperor Ashoka of India.  What Makes a Ruler Legitimate?

Unit Authors:  Jean Elliott Johnson, Donald James Johnson

Unit Publishers:  National Center for History in the Schools, University of California, Los Angeles
                            The Asia Society, New York, NY.

Grade Level:  9-12 (according to Vermont Standards)

Unit Overview:
This unit focuses on how rulers establish legitimacy, that is, make their subjects believe they have the right to rule.
The historic period covered runs from Alexander of Macedonia's consolidation of his conquests (later fourth-century
B.C.E.) to the rise of China's Sui Dynasty (581-618 C.E.), which appropriated Buddhist values and laid conditions
for their adaptation in Korea and Japan.  Establishing legitimacy is a challenge for any leader or government.

Essential Question
How do rulers establish and maintain the legitimacy to rule?

Culminating Activity/Task
(*Please Note: This assessment task is only one possible way to assess this unit and is not part of the published
unit.  This task was created by UVM Asian Studies Outreach Program Curriculum Coordinator)

How Long Will Your Reign?
The time is somewhere between 250 and 200 BCE.  You have just risen to power in a Southeast Asian country.
Your predecessor based his political philosophy and foreign policy on the Arthasastra treatise. You believe in the
power of the Ashokan model and plan to use this model. You must quickly develop strategies for how you will
establish legitimacy as a ruler.  This is a time of great social and political upheaval in your country, Your goal is to
rule for a long time and become a legend  Now is not the time to celebrate your recent victory for your work has
just begun.  The monumental task before you is to develop a strategic plan that demonstrates various ways you will
ensure your legitimacy as a ruler.

Your plan must include:  1) A description of existing conditions under your predecessor's rule and his political
philosophies and policies.  2)  Events that lead to your rise in power and the method(s) used to gain this power.
3) Representations of symbols of power used during your ruling period with an explanation for each symbol's meaning.
4) An outline of the strategies you plan to use to unite the various religious, ethnic or racial groups within your region's
rule.  You must include your rationale for each strategy identified. 5) A description of foreign policy strategies that will
enhance your ruling power and decrease border conflicts.  Your strategic plan's intent is to increase your power and
authority and confirm you legitimacy as a great ruler.

Your peers will critique your plan and and use this information to predict your success as a ruler.

Vermont Standards
Vital Results:
1.14  Students critique what they have heard.  This is evident when students:
         c. extend
         d. interpret
         e. make connections
3.11 Students interact respectfully with others, including those with whom they have differences.

Fields of Knowledge:
6.10  Students compare and evaluate the philosophical underpinnings and the workings of different types of
         government, including constitutional governments, in various times in their local community, in Vermont,
         in the United States, and in various locations world wide.  This is evident when students:
          c  Trace the origins and interpret the continuing influence of different political philosophies as they
              emerged from eastern traditions.

View Complete Unit:
This unit is available for loan to Vermont teachers from the UVM Asian Studies Outreach Program.  Please
contact dlking@zoo.uvm.edu  for more information.
 
 

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