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This series of activities is appropriate for engaging students on some of the essential questions about choices that people make in the face of injustice. These lessons ask students to analyze what factors influence people to act or not to act in the face of trouble. The readings, activities and final assignment ask students to evaluate their own position and understanding of these complex moral issues.
Activity 1:
Sort
I have had a lot of success beginning a course with a sort. The activity is hands on, it requieres students to think on their own and then negotiate their ideas with others and eventually the whole class. For this sort I provide students with the following sentence starter "No matter what humans will...". Then each student receives an envelope filled with 50 or more options that complete the sentence. The student's task is to select the top ten best matches to complete the sentence and then the worst 5. Students then pair off into groups of 3 or 4 and narrow their selection. Finally we discuss groups results as a class and narrow our options to a top 3.
Activity 2:
Bystander Behavior
Quickwrite: Write about a time when you saw someone in need of help and either did nothing
or joined in to make it worse. Write about why you acted as you did.
Harness Sharing/Supportive Listening
Person A speaks for 1.5 minutes; person B indicates listening but does not speak; switch; 1.5
minutes to discuss
Whole group discussion: What were the reasons people gave for not helping?
· Someone takes notes and posts responses and themes
Activity 3:
Philadelphia Subway
Watch: Students will watch the NBC Today Show reporting of a man who was attacked on a Philadelphia subway while onlookers did nothing to assist. Students will them be asked to evaluate the bystanders' actions.
Discussion questions:
How do you explain the response of bystanders in the station? Why do you think bystanders choose not to intervene? How do you assess their behavior?
What would it have taken to stop this attack?
What kind of intervention might have made a difference?
In general, are there responsibilities to intervene in a society? What expectation should we have for others and ourselves in these instances?
Reading: After watching the news report on the attack in the Philadelphia subway in September 9, 2008, students should read the article “He’s not a Monster.” Then answer the following questions based on their understanding of the article.
How does the family's story of the perpetrator alter your perspective on the events described in the first article or shown in the video?
How did this article change your judgment? If not, how do you explain the new information?
Write: Bystander Behavior on the Philadelphia Subway
After watching the news report about the attack on the Philadelphia Subway, students will write a paragraph about their assessment of bystander behavior. They can use the following questions to help guide their writing.
1. How do you explain the response of bystanders in the station?
2. Why do you think bystanders choose not to intervene?
3. How do you judge their behavior?
4. What would it have taken to stop this attack?
5. What kind of intervention might have made a difference?
6. In general, are there responsibilities to intervene in a society?
7. What expectation should we have for others and ourselves in these instances?
Activity 4:
Kitty Genovese
The story of Kitty Genovese has been contested as of recent, but the impact of the story on generating discussion and debate about bystander behavior is notable. If you would like to engage students in a a discussion about fact checking an news reporting credibility you may want to look at, A Call for Help from the New Yorker. I ask students to read the initial New York times article that prompted the coining of the term "bystander effect." This article was published two weeks after the murder of Ms. Genovese and earned Gansberg an award for excellence from the Newspaper Reporters Association of New York. The brutal murder of Kitty Genovese and the disturbing lack of action by her neighbors became emblematic in what many perceived as a growing culture of violence and apathy in the United States. In fact, social scientists still debate the causes of what is now known as "diffusion of responsibility” or “bystander effect”.
Students should read the article and answer the following questions:
Who was Kitty Genovese and what happened to her?
According to this story, what are some of the reasons that bystanders choose not to help?
Do you think that bystanders should be held accountable for their inaction?
Activity 4:
Universe of Obligation and Community
Quickwrite: What does this quote mean? How would you diagram this “love”?
"I love my daughters more than my nieces,
my nieces more than my cousins,
my cousins more than my neighbors.
But that doesn't mean that we detest our neighbors."
Discussion:
* What is this person's vision of community?
* In what ways does this vision of community make sense?
* Does this vision make you at all uncomfortable? Why or why not?
Hierarchy of caring.
What happens if we expand this hierarchy out to include people like us in the form of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, political beliefs, profession, clubs, schools, etc.? Who would you save from a burning building first? Who are we obligated to and in what ways?
Introduce the idea of a universe of obligation. Helen Fein defines this important concept as the circle of individuals and groups "toward whom obligations are owed. to whom rules apply, and whose injuries call for [amends]".
Have students complete and share this Universe of Obligation handout.
Drawing Community
1. Break into no more than 5 groups. Make sure each group has newsprint and markers.
2. Provide one basic instruction for each group: "As a group, draw a picture of community."
3. Allow at least 30 minutes for groups to draw their communities. Make sure as you go around to make sure they have someone to present their work to the larger group.
4. Each group should have 3 minutes to present with 1 or 2 minutes for questions. Establish the questions each group should expect:
1. Is this a picture of a definition of community, community as an ideal, or an actual community?
2. How did your own group function as a community in coming to consensus?
5. Debrief: As a group, talk about the difficulty in defining concepts like community and the universe of obligation, which emerge within each community. Address the questions of what causes communities to collapses, or to be created anew? What communities do they belong to outside of the one they are presently sitting in? Can a community be coercive, or is it necessary to members to want to be part of it?
Activity 5:
The Bad Samaritan
Watch TV clip from 60 Minutes on David Cash: “The Bad Samaritan”. It is broken up into two parts on youtube. Its a powerful and disturbing story. Some of the most profound conversations in my classroom have been sparked by this video.
Questions to answer during an after the film:
Overview:
This segment of CBS’s 60 Minutes is an interview with David Cash. Cash admits to seeing his high school friend Jeremy Strohmeyer grab and begin to assault 7-year old Sherrice Iverson in the bathroom of a Las Vegas casino. Cash did nothing to stop Strohmeyer, and did not report him to any authority, keeping quiet for several days, even after Strohmeyer admitted to Iverson’s rape and murder. Cash still contends he did nothing wrong in not acting to help Iverson in any way.
Taking Notes in your Notebook:
As you watch the video take notes on important details that you what you hear and see.
These notes will help you in our discussion. Make sure to pay attention to how David pleads his case, and what others are accusing him of doing. What does David say about Jeremy? What does David say about Sherrice?
Reactions to Clip:
Who was in and out of David Cash’s “universe of obligation”?
What choices were available to Cash?
Why does he make the choices he made?
What should have governed Cash's actions?
To what degree should he be held responsible?
Are there universal obligations for those who witness a wrong?
Are there different rules depending on the nature of the wrong?
Save the Last Word:
I really like this activity. It gives students a chance to continue talking about a film, by returning to what was said in the video. Give students the following instructions:
Choose three of the following quotes to respond to. Write the quote on one side of the card than flip the card and write your response to the quote. Think about why you chose this quote. What did the quote mean to you? What did it remind you of? Can you connect it to something in your own life, film, or book you saw or read? Does it remind you of anything that we learned in class or that is going on in current events?
Quotes:
"I don't feel there is much I could have done differently." (David Cash)
"Technically I could have stopped it but based on what I saw ... I didn't feel her life was in danger." (David Cash)
"So you know, in my opinion, it was, like, time for me to get out of there.” (David Cash)
"When an 18-year-old male grabs a 7-year-old child ... that's not a position I want to be in ... it wasn't something that I wanted to stick around and, you know, see what would materialize." (David Cash)
"I didn't want to be the one, you know ... if he only has three more days ... as a free man ... I didn't want to be the one who turned him in." (David Cash)
“The simple fact is I did not know Sherrice Iverson. I do not know starving children in Panama. I do not know people who die of disease in Egypt.” (David Cash)
“You did not know Jeremy…We took AP English together.” (David Cash)
"I am not going to lose sleep over somebody else's problems." (David Cash)
"I did not witness the alleged molestation and murder." (David Cash)
“I tapped him on the head because it was completely out of character.” (David Cash)
“It was really hard to fathom Jeremy as a murder.” (David Cash)
“He’s evil. He’s evil.” (Yolanda Manuel)
“He seen it… anytime you stand and you look at something happening to someone… you are a murder within yourself…He has the blood of my baby on his hands.”(Yolanda Manuel)
“There is no way to hold him legally accountable, but he is can certainly be held accountable in the court of public opinion.” (Prosecutor in the Iverson case)
“I think it is very clear to all of us that David Cash’s mindset was, “What is best for me? “What is going to keep me out of trouble?” (Berkley Student)
“You could have done any number of things but instead you did nothing.” (Berkeley Student)
“Berkeley… is the home of the free speech movement. We are not about to punish a student for the right of free speech… we cannot simply take action against him based on some moral outrage.” (President of Berkley University)
“A “good Samaritan law” is the only way to punish the David Cash’s of the world.” (Yolanda Manuel)
“The case has inspired Nevada politicians to introduce a "good Samaritan law," which would require witnesses to report crimes inflicted on children.”
Activity 7:
Subway Hero
After looking at so many sad cases of inaction, I like to have students read the story about Wesley Autrey. Autrey's story offers a nice foil to the litany of other stories presented previously to students and also helps in providing students counter evidence in their final essay.
Man Is Rescued by Stranger on Subway Tracks
By CARA BUCKLEY
Published: January 3, 2007
Who was Wesley Autrey and what did he do?
What did Wesley Autrey risk by doing what he did?
What do you think went through Autrey’s mind during the incident?
What was the reaction by the community to Autrey’s actions?
Do you agree with this type of response?
If you could send a letter to Autrey what would you tell him?
Activity 8:
Stereotyping and Race
Quickwrite: What do you know about race?
Watch the first segment of “Race the Power of an Illusion.” As students watch they should take notes on what is being said about the biology of race and the social construction of race.
What surprises them? What did they already know? What did they wish more people knew? What do they think is completely wrong?
Respond to questions:
To what extent do you think race influences how individuals construct their universe of obligation?
Do you think that people are more likely to feel responsible for members of their own race?
Is this a problem? why or why not?
Respond to the following quote:
“Race was never just a matter of how you look, it’s about how people assign meaning to how you look.” — Robin D. G. Kelley, historian
The next part of this activity allows the class to continue to talk about issues of race with some essential ideas made clear. I am always hesitant to allow completely free following discussions without textual basis and grounding for the discussion. These facts, I think provide a nice list of clear ideas that will be helpful to negotiating these often sensitive discussions.
Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Race
Questions:
1. What fact did you already know?
2. Which fact do you think most people don’t know? Why?
3. Which fact do you think most people should know?
4. Which fact do you think would be the hardest to teach and convince people of?
5. Was there a fact that you found surprising or particularly true?
Our eyes tell us that people look different. No one has trouble distinguishing a Czech from a Chinese, but what do those differences mean? Are they biological? Has race always been with us? How does race affect people today? There’s less – and more – to race than meets the eye:
1. Race is a modern idea. Ancient societies, like the Greeks, did not divide people according to physical distinctions, but according to religion, status, class, even language. The English language didn’t even have the word ‘race’ until it turns up in 1508 in a poem by William Dunbar referring to a line of kings.
2. Race has no genetic basis. Not one characteristic, trait or even one gene distinguishes all the members of one so-called race from all the members of another so-called race.
3. Human subspecies don’t exist. Unlike many animals, modern humans simply haven’t been around long enough or isolated enough to evolve into separate subspecies or races. Despite surface appearances, we are one of the most similar of all species.
4. Skin color really is only skin deep. Most traits are inherited independently from one another. The genes influencing skin color have nothing to do with the genes influencing hair form, eye shape, blood type, musical talent, athletic ability or forms of intelligence. Knowing someone’s skin color doesn’t necessarily tell you anything else about him or her.
5. Most variation is within, not between, "races." Of the small amount of total human variation, 85% exists within any local population, be they Italians, Kurds, Koreans or Cherokees. About 94% can be found within any continent. That means two random Koreans may be as genetically different as a Korean and an Italian.
6. Slavery predates race. Throughout much of human history, societies have enslaved others, often as a result of conquest or war, even debt, but not because of physical characteristics or a belief in natural inferiority. Due to a unique set of historical circumstances, ours was the first slave system where all the slaves shared similar physical characteristics.
7. Race and freedom evolved together. The U.S. was founded on the radical new principle that "All men are created equal." But our early economy was based largely on slavery. How could this anomaly be rationalized? The new idea of race helped explain why some people could be denied the rights and freedoms that others took for granted.
8. Race justified social inequalities as natural. As the race idea evolved, white superiority became "common sense" in America. It justified not only slavery but also the extermination of Indians, exclusion of Asian immigrants, and the taking of Mexican lands by a nation that professed a belief in democracy. Racial practices were institutionalized within American government, laws, and society.
9. Race isn’t biological, but racism is still real. Race is a powerful social idea that gives people different access to opportunities and resources. Our government and social institutions have created advantages that disproportionately channel wealth, power, and resources to white people. This affects everyone, whether we are aware of it or not.
10. Colorblindness will not end racism. Pretending race doesn’t exist is not the same as creating equality. Race is more than stereotypes and individual prejudice. To combat racism, we need to identify and remedy social policies and institutional practices that advantage some groups at the expense of others.
Copyright (c) California Newsreel, 2003
Activity 9:
Anti-Semitism
Quickwrite: What is racism? What groups have been considered dangerous or inferior in America?
Working definition of anti-Semitism: discrimination against or persecution of Jews
How can we categorize the types of anti-Semitism
- based on religion
- stem from economic competition
- reflect that Jews are a separate nation within Germany
- linked to racist thinking
Break up into Jigsaw groups
Read and respond to the questions for each reading
Regroup with a representative from each group and complete the chart using information for each member of the group
HW:
1. How did anti-Semitism in Germany change over time? How did it stay the same?
2. What factors encouraged anti-Semitism?
3. What were the different ways Jews responded to the prejudice against them?
Final Assignment:
Matters of Heroism or Social Responsibility?
Analyzing Bystander Behavior
After studying people’s behaviors in the face of injustice students should have learned about several cases including the incident on the Philadelphia Subway, the murder of Kitty Genovese, the murder of Sherrice Iverson, and the actions of Wesley Autrey. Their task is to write an essay, using the facts of the above-mentioned cases to explain whether or not acting in the face of trouble is a matter of social responsibility or should these actions be celebrated as moments of heroism?
Essay should also include:
Thesis – Your thesis should be in your introduction and should answer the question: Is acting in the face of trouble a matter of social responsibility of heroism? Why?
Introduction – Your introduction should have a hook and establish the reasoning for writing your essay. Could include a definition of bystander behavior that leads into your thesis.
Body Paragraphs – Your body paragraphs are written to support your position by using evidence from the cases we studied and the concepts we established in class. You should cite at least three cases to help prove your argument.
Conclusion – Your conclusion should summarize the ideas you put forth in your essay and provide the reader with some thoughts for the future of society and human interactions.
Essays should address some of the following concepts:
Bystander Behavior
Diffusion of Responsibility
Universe of Obligation
Community
Proximity
Risk Factor
Relationship
Consequences
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