One of the first writing project of the year is the "Bad Emperor Interviews" to show the students the abuses of power that helped to bring down Rome. The students read the life of Nero or Caligula by Suetonius and must turn their own four or five pages into an eight question interview, which with the other people in the row create a complete look at the bad emperor's life. They can thus see the danger of power unchecked and understand the need for checks and balances in the Constitution. The writers of the Constitution were educated on the writings of Suetonius and used those ideas in the creation of the document.
The project starts with a discussion on what is good or bad about having an emperor, someone with absolute power. The students understand that there are times when it is useful, but is entirely dependent upon the quality of the individual in question, a dangerous proposition in any era. This is made abundantly clear in their readings and writings of these "Bad Emperors."
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