Civil Disobedience

Topics & Concepts: Civil Disobedience, Unjust Laws, Tactics of Change, Strategy, Black Lives Matter, Occupation of Alcatraz, Iraq War Resisters, Disability Rights Movement, Jane Collective, National Women's Party, Dream 9, Sanctuary Movement, Young Lords

Guiding Questions:

• When is civil disobedience justified? When is it not justified?

• What makes civil disobedience strategic?

• How should the government respond to civil disobedience? Do we have a responsibility to break unjust laws?

Unit Sequence:

• On Days 1 and 2, students are introduced to the concept of civil disobedience and other tactics of change. Students take notes on each tactic during lectures and analyze videos and images that depict each tactic.

• On Day 3, the whole class works together to analyze a case study of civil disobedience (materials for BLM West Oakland BART shutdown and Alcatraz Occupation provided).

• On Days 4 and 5, students work in groups to analyze historical and present day examples of civil disobedience. Then in a jigsaw activity, groups share their case studies with each other and have group discussions about the guiding questions.

• On Days 6 and 7, students prep and engage with a panel of local activists who have participated in civil disobedience.

• For their final assessment, students write a civil disobedience tactical plan in response to a fictional scenario of police misconduct.

Notes on Materials Included:

• The file titled "***Civil Disobedience Unit Plan" provides an overview for all seven days of instruction and links to materials for each day.

• The folder titled "Civil Disobedience and Direct Action Case Studies for download" details the case study lesson plans.

• All materials needed to teach this unit (slides, student packet, worksheets and readings) are included in the folder.

• Many supplemental materials are also included in the folder, including a lesson plan from The Choices Program, titled "Youth Activism and the Dakota Access Pipeline."