Return to Un-Topia

Pursuant to this post, I decided after my freshmen did the Chapter 3 tests that we would revisit the Island of Un-topia, where they will imaginatively re-construct civilization following a nuclear holocaust. This second trip is to take place three hundred years after the first one.

The island is divided into a River Republic, complete with cities, and a Grasslands Tribe, which is largely nomadic but of late has been engaging in some light mining in the northern mountains to trade with the downriver civilization. This has become controversial, and as they met to elect a new Head Chief, I instructed this half of the class to come up with solutions to a) the fact that the border gives part of the plains to the River Republic, the many young men who leave their herds to work in mines, and c) whether they should give up Nomadism and build cities.

The River Republic, for their part, has a President and Council, and has to find a way for the competing interests of their various cities to work together:

Bordertown, on the river, is the trade center for most of the ore coming from the Grasslanders. They are enjoying the trade

Delta, the capitol city, is much the same as Bordertown, but enjoys its pre-eminence among cities

Landing has some access to mines of its own, but can no longer compete with the Grasslanders

Lumber Camp, across the desert, has been subject to raids by grasslanders.

Their task was to determin whether to raise taxes on imports, build forts along the border, or consider war with the north? I also gave them permission to change their government if they chose.

Here are the results:

Period 6: River Republic - attempted coup against President, saved by a deal. Proposed Embassy to Grasslanders. Second coup sends the President away in exile north to the Grasslanders. Chaos and confusion reigns. Turncoats and kidnapping, spying by those who are ignored ant not listened too. At least one guy runs away and joins the Grasslanders, after being ignored by his fellows.

Grasslanders - Decided to Modernize, and even build a dam to block the River.


Period 7: River Republic - much debating, recognizing the conflicts amid the constitutencies. Voted to raise taxes and build forts and ready for war.

Grasslanders -- decided to modernize, create a monarchy, and prepare for war. Men who left the clan herds for the mines would me made into slaves.


Period 1: River Republic - decides on a sudden, quick war rather than raising taxes or building forts, hopes to take the Grassland chiefs while they are electing a new head chief, then kill the leaders and enslave the people.

Grasslanders -- decide to modernize, build cities, and prepare for war. Mine workers to recieve better treatment, breaks and limited shifts commanded by law.


It's clear that the Grasslanders tended to think of themselves as a unified people, without individual interests within them. This might have altered if I had assigned some groups to represent the "traditionalists" and others to represent "miner's groups". The Period 7 River Republic kids were able to make parallels at the end of class between themselves and the Zhou Dynasty in China, which fell apart due to weakness at the center and gave itself over to in-fighting. I call that educational success.