IF YOU WANT TO WATCH THE EPISODES AGAIN, you can purchase them for $1.99 on iTunes. Search for N.Y.P.D Blue "The Backboard Jungle" and "Where's Swaldo?"
5/30: Read "Never Argue with a man with a gun" by Walter Mosley. You can find it here. Complete the from of the worksheet below titled "Trayvon Martin essays Mosley and Theroux." Then read, "If I had a Son, He'd Look Like George Zimmerman" by, Paul Theroux. You can find it here. Complete the back of the worksheet "Trayvon Martin essays Mosley and Theroux."
ALTERNATE FOR VIEWING NYPD BLUE: If you missed either episode of NYPD BLUE (and you cannot come to make it up in a timely fashion), you should do the following instead: Read "The Devil in Deryl Dedmon. " You can find it here. Complete the worksheet of the same name below and hand it in.
5/29: We continued the race discussion today by looking at Mark Cuban's recent interview about bias and prejudice. The handout is below ("Race, Mark Cuban and Stephen A. Smith). Watch Mark Cuban's interview here and answer the questions on the worksheet. Watch Stephen A. Smith's response to Mark Cuban. It's posted here. Answer the questions on the worksheet.
5/22:We’re going to discuss a fairly recent (2009) local case full of racial tension – the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Lewis Gates. First I am going to show you a video report of the arrest, then we’ll read an opinion piece that lays out what might have prompted the reactions from each side.
For the news report: as you watch on the front of the notecard, write down 5 facts about the case. After the report is over, on the back of the card, react to what happened: whose position do you understand the best and why? What role do you think race played in the arrest? Whose fault is that and why? What could have been done to make the situation better? Why wasn’t that done?
Then, read “ The Gates Case: What Went Wrong?” As you read, underline the most important insights into what Professor Gates might have been thinking (number those with a 1) and underline the most important insights into Sgt. Crowley’s perspective (number those with a 2).
5/22: WE WATCHED AN EPISODE OF N.Y.P.D. BLUE. The worksheet is below.
On the back (in the space provided) Write me a few sentences about how you understand each man’s point of view. Be specific and clear.
5/19: Watch the video about Emmett Till (you will find it here). on the front of the notecard, write down facts about Till’s murder and the trial (at least 8). On the back: react to what you heard and saw. How much of this did you know before? What is new? What stands out to you about what is most important here and WHY? How does this story fit into our discussions about race? What effect does Till’s story still have, if any? Do you think America has changed fundamentally in the last almost 60 years or could something like what happened to Emmett Till happen again? Why or why not? Fill the back of the card.
See the poem "Talk" below.