If I were a poor black kid...

Check out this article titled "If I Were a Poor Black Kid" then respond.  What do you think of the ideas expressed?  Do you agree?  Disagree?  Why?
Then check out one (or more) of the responses to the article linked here or here.  What  do you think now?  Do you agree with the responses or not?  Why?

Hidden Bias

Do you have any hidden biases? Even though we work to have a society based on the concepts of justice and fairness, are there parts of our unconscious that prevent that from happening? Today you will take a test to perhaps provide an insight to these answers.
1) Go to <a href="http://www.tolerance.org/hidden_bias/index.html%22%3Ehttp://www.tolerance.org/hidden_bias/index.html%3C/a>
2) Read intro.
3) Click on Project Implicit’s website.
4) Click on Demonstration
5) Click on “Go to the Demonstration Tests”
6) Read the Preliminary Information and the Important disclaimer.
7) Click on the “general information about the IAT”
8) Read Measuring Implicit Associations
9) Read the “I am aware…” sentence and click on “I wish to proceed” (if you choose to)
10) Click on Take the Race IAT and read and follow all of the instructions to take the test.  You do not need to answer all of the survey questions.
11) Read the results of your test. Consider: did the results show that you have some hidden bias? Were you surprised by the results? What do you think might be some of the reasons behind your test results? What questions do you have about the results?
12) Click on the “frequently asked questions” and skim the questions and answers.
13) Click on the tab at the top of the page labeled “Understanding IAT Results” and read information.
14) Return to <a href="http://www.tolerance.org/hidden_bias/index.html%22%3Ehttp://www.tolerance.org/hidden_bias/index.html%3C/a>. Read the entire page. How does this information enhance or change your understanding of your result? What conclusions can you make about stereotypes? Prejudice? Biases? How might hidden biases influence you (or not)?
15) Do a blog post about this information and your results.  What do you think?

What's Going On?

For the next two weeks, I am turning over the direction of Issues class to YOU!  What we talk about, what we read or look at, will be entirely up to you.  Each of you will need to come to class prepared to lead a short (10-15 minute) discussion on a topic of your choosing.  Any topic (as long as it is Issues related) is fair game.  You may bring a short article to have the class read or use a short film clip to prime the class for your discussion.  After that, it will be your responsiblity to lead the class through a discussion of the topics and ideas that stem from the issue.  You should think about this as an opportunity to share ideas about topics that we don't know much or haven't heard much about to this point.
Places to go to find articles or clips to use include newspapers (nytimes.com-check out the times topics section) magazines (time/newsweek), magazines with specific points of view (the Nation, the Atlantic), Frontline.org (which has documentaries online similar to those we use in class) or 60 minutes.
Everyone should be prepared to present an issue beginning on Wednesday, 1/4.

Invisible Children and School Chest

If you're interested in learning more, go here. Feel free to browse around the website, read about the history of the organization and the war in Uganda, the current status, the Invisible Children blog, and the latest campaigns. Pay particular attention to the protection plan and the LRA Crisis Tracker. If you haven't seen Invisible Children's latest documentary, Tony, you can view it here.
After you've explored a bit, blog about what you learn.  If you need questions to get started: What specifics and details are standing out to you?  Why?   What are your impressions of this organization?  Is their protection plan and crisis tracker an effective way to combat the issues faced by civilians in Uganda and the DRC? What do you think of this being the focus of School Chest?

If you want to help out, here is the link to the DHS Invisible Children donation page.

Abortion

Since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973 the debates over abortion have not ceased but instead have gotten more contentious with changes in focus and strategies by both sides. Both sides use legal, scientific, as well as emotional arguments with which to make their points and as a result, for many, the issue becomes muddled and confused. Today, your task will be to try to make sense of those arguments. Please blog your responses to the following:

1. The leading organizations on each side of the debate are NARAL-Prochoice America and National Right to Life. Click on the links and explore each of their websites. Look at their explanations of abortion laws, of different methods of abortion, and of current events in the abortion debate. Then, do a comprehensive analysis of each site/organization. Which is a better website and why?  Whose arguments were better and why? Which side seems to be winning the debate and why? How does either influence your opinion on the issue?
2. What do you, as a 17 or 18 year old high school student, think of these positions? Should a parent have the right to know if their daughter is having an abortion? Should they have the right to consent to it? Why or why not?
3. Should there be a requirement that the father is notified of a woman's decision to have an abortion? Should he have a right to consent to it or not? Why or why not?
4. Examine Illinois Abortion Laws (Note, these are compiled by NARAL,thus they are spun in a way that supports their position.  Be sure to look at these critically and note the bias in which they are described).  What are your thoughts on Illinois' positions on the abortion. Are there Illinois laws that you agree or disagree with? Is there anything in Illinois law that you would change?

Death Penalty Final Response

Before beginning your final post on the death penalty, read the text of  the speech that Governor Ryan made when declaring blanket commutation and the initial moratorium on the death penalty that led to its eventual end in Illinois.  Then read this newspaper article about the repeal of the death penalty in Illinois. 
When finished, write a post that describes whether or not you think the abolishment of the death penalty in Illinois was just.  In your response, make sure you reference Governor Ryan's argument as well as the reasoning behind the Illinois' legislature's decision.  You should also use several sources from the unit to support your position (films, articles, cases, research).
This post will be graded as an individual assignment as opposed to part of your blog as a whole.  Please edit and proofread to eliminate any grammar or language errors and to ensure that your writing is as clear and sophisticated as it can be.

Death Penalty #2: Response to Deadline

Below are questions developed by the producesrs of Deadline to guide discussions after a viewing of the film.  For your blog for the week of 10/25, choose one of the questions under each topic below to be the basis of a response to Deadline.

Race and Class

It is impossible to examine the system of capital punishment in the United States without considering the implication that race and class has on its structure.

• David Keaton was sentenced to death in Florida.  Seven years later, he was proven innocent of the crime, exonerated, and released. In Deadline, his brother says, “Growing up black in this state, you know, you really didn’t have a chance when it came to a crime. You know, they say that justice is blind, but justice really isn’t blind.” How would you respond to this statement? From watching the film, what role do you think race plays in capital cases?

• More than 80% of the people who have been executed, have been executed for the murder of white victims. How do you account for this? What effect might this have on perceptions of the justice system among people of color?

• Statistically, people of color and low-income people are more likely to be sentenced to death. Why do you think this is? How might vestiges of legal segregation and historic race-based policies impact the modern U.S. justice system? What measures could be taken to ensure a fairer system of justice?

Law and Politics

Deadline explores the death penalty in a political and legal context. The courtroom is one lens through which viewers can examine capital punishment. The role of politics, and in particular the strong role of Governor Ryan in this case, is also central to the issue.

• The film frequently references the 1972 Furman v. Georgia decision that the death penalty was in violation of the 8^th Amendment of the Constitution. The 8^th Amendment states: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” How does this constitutional issue play a role in your opinions for or against the death penalty?

• There are currently over 3,000 men and women sentenced to death in the United States. Approximately 65 percent of American voters approve of the death penalty in states where capital punishment is legal. Why do you think the death penalty is so widely supported in this country? What forces do you think shape public opinion on the death penalty?

The Bigger Picture

Deadline explores the legal, political, and familial aspects of the death penalty within the context of the Illinois justice system. All of these issues can easily be expanded to a broader discussion of justice.

• Deadline depicts two inmates who were wrongfully sentenced and later exonerated (David Keaton and Gary Gauger), and other inmates whose guilt was not in question. Is there one position on the death penalty that you think is satisfactory in all cases? Do you think it is possible for a state to construct a foolproof capital punishment system where there is no risk of executing an innocent person? Is some margin of possible error acceptable?

• Some of Deadline’s most moving scenes consist of testimonials by murder victims’ families during the clemency hearings. What might you say to these family members, if given the opportunity? Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? What place is there for the wishes and needs of victims’ families within America’s justice system?

• John Allen Muhammad (one of the Washington D.C. snipers) and Timothy McVeigh (one of the Okalahoma City bombers) both received the death penalty after widely publicized trials. Their respective counterparts, Lee Boyd Malvo and Terry Lee Nichols were also found guilty of their crimes in similar trials, yet they received life sentences rather than the death penalty. How do you account for this apparent discrepancy in sentencing for heinous crimes?

• What is your reaction to Stephen Bright’s quote about the exonerated prisoners?

“This was the third person released by the journalism students at Northwestern, and of course it doesn’t say much for our legal system when people spend sixteen years on death row for a crime they… didn’t commit. And that ultimately comes to light not because of the police or the prosecution, or the defense lawyers or the judicial system, but because a journalism class at Northwestern took it on as a class project to see whether or not these people were guilty or not. You know, if those students had taken chemistry that semester, these folks would have been executed.” Stephen Bright, Director, Southern Center for Human Rights