PRESENTED BY: Ms. S. Epstein

A. PHILIP RANDOLPH HIGH SCHOOL

New York City, NY

Civil Liberties v. National Security

A Legal and Social Problem of Our Time

Consider the current discussion and debate in our Congress, courts, and media. Is “waterboarding” a form of torture? Would this practice be illegal? Is torture justified if its use prevents acts of terrorism? What about arrest without charges and due process? Our president alleges that the detainees at Guantanamo are very dangerous people. Were they ever proven so through due process of law?

American values of pre-9/11 days held that torture is wrong, and that violations of rights guaranteed by the Constitution are intolerable. Coming for people at night and arresting them without charges – that happens in dictatorships, not here. Surveillance of telephone calls and library records – aren’t these acts violations of constitutional rights?

Our president has provided legal justifications for executive actions. Our Congress passed the Patriot Act. Our courts have supported most of these actions done in the name of “national security.”

In this Web Quest, you will examine the issue: “Civil liberties v. National Security.” You will consider the positions, values, actions, and legal support of the proponents on both sides of the debate. Based on your findings, you will propose policies that will best secure the safety of our country while protecting the civil liberties and respect for human rights that are fundamental to American society. Your proposals will be sent to Congressional Representative Charles Rangel, who represents the area of our school.

The class will be divided into six groups. Each will prepare a PowerPoint presentation on the issue of civil liberties v. national security. Each group will work on an aspect of the issue, and will present its Power Point product orally to the entire class. The best will be sent to Representative Charles Rangel. Each group member will participate in the oral presentation. The audience (class students) will take notes on the presentations of the groups and write a summary each group’s work. Sources must be cited in the Power point presentation and in the written reports.

The class will be divided into six groups. Each group will

1: Select an aspect of the issue, and create an a ten minute oral report. Examples of topics: Patriot Act, Guantanamo, domestic surveillance, torture, military tribunals, enemy combatants.

2: The oral report will be supported with charts and illustrations.

3. Each group will produce a written report with a minimum of five pages using MS Word using 12 font and one inch margins.

4. The oral and written reports must follow the PPA format.

I The Groups:

The six groups will follow the Public Policy Analyst guidelines for examining social issues. Use the links provided below to guide your discussion. The worksheets for each step are linked below. The groups must complete all six steps and worksheets related to the problem of Civil Liberties and National Security, using the Internet sites given in the resource section of the web quest, as well as other print and online material. Remember, students must work COOPERATIVELY to complete the task. Grades will be given on a group basis.

Please Complete All Worksheets In MS Word Format.

Each group will do the following:

IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. You will discuss its nature and extent. Use the worksheet and example provided as guides.

Before you start, read HOW TO DEFINE A SOCIAL PROBLEM.

GATHER EVIDENCE of the existence of the problem. Use the worksheet and example provided as guides.

Identify the CAUSES of the problem. Use the worksheet and example provided as guides.

EVALUATE an existing public policy related this issue.

Use the PPA worksheet and example provided as guides.

Develop proposals for SOLUTIONS to the problem.

SELECT THE BEST SOLUTION.

Please read and follow the PPA guidelines, and use the worksheet provided.

II: GROUP ASSIGNMENTS

Each group member will have a specific role and task to perform as follows:

ASSIGNMENT # 1: POWER POINT CREATOR

This student will create the 10 PowerPoint slides. Remember to include a title page, an identification of the problem, evidence of your problem, existing policies, new policies, and your recommendation. The power point creator will also act as TIME KEEPER, EDITOR AND ORAL PRESENTER HELPER. Remember, the oral presentation must not last more than 10 minutes

ASSIGNMENT # 2: ORAL PRESENTERS

Two members from your team will be assigned the task of presenting the power point as an oral presentation to the class. These students must work closely with the power point creator and researchers.

These two members must take turns speaking.

ASSIGNMENT # 3: RESEARCHERS

These two students will use the internet resources and complete the worksheets. ALL MEMBERS OF THE GROUP WILL HELP IN THIS TASK.

NOTE: All group members must work cooperatively. Grades, according to the rubrics below will be assigned on a group basis

III. Tasks to be completed by each group:

Product # 1: Requirements For The Powerpoint

You will work with the team members to produce a PowerPoint presentation that discusses the causes of the conflict between civil liberties and national security in our society, and identify policies that will preserve our liberty and our safety. Your PowerPoint presentation must include the following slides:

· Title Slide: Title and Names of All Group Members

· Each slide must have a “graphic” and text explaining the graphic and explaining the step (#1-#6) of the Public Policy Analyst that your group worked on. These can be photographs, clip art, graphs, tables, etc.

You will create a minimum of 8 SLIDES

Each group will have a specific aspect of the Public Policy Analyst that must be represented in the PowerPoint.

Product # 2: Oral Report

Each group will use the PowerPoint presentation to make an oral report to the class. The oral presentation will follow the steps of the Public Policy Analyst (PPA). It must not be more than 10 minutes in length.

SPECIFIC WEBSITES:

http://ccrjustice.org/ Center For Constitutional Rights,

http://www.aclu.org/ American Civil Liberties Union

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/nationalsecurity/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/homeland/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/patriotact/

The White House/President George W. Bush.

http://www.nytimes.com/ The New York Times (most archived articles are now available with a free membership).

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/331/ Guantanamo Justice? (PBS show, 8/3/07, with links to civil liberties and human rights information.

Databases:

” Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center.” A. P. Randolph students: see librarian for web address and password.

Also available to holders of a Brooklyn Public Library card at: http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/ Click on “articles and databases.” Your library card barcode number is your password for this database.

“History Resource Center: U. S.” Available to holders of a New York Public Library card at www.nypl.org/databases Your library card barcode number is your password for this database.

In this database, see first: “ Questions For The Interrogators; No other nation has sought to narrow the Geneva Conventions' scope by 'clarifying' them,” by Fareed Zakaria.

“Masterfile Premier” This is a comprehensive database of magazine articles available to holders of a New York Public Library card at www.nypl.org/databases Your library card barcode number is your password for this database.

Search Engines

WWW.GOOGLE.COM

WWW.YAHOO.COM

WWW.ASK.COM

Search terms for databases and search engines:

Human rights, civil liberties, torture, Guantanamo, detainees, domestic surveillance, national security, war crimes, Patriot Act, terrorism.

YOUR GROUP POWERPOINT/ORAL PRESENTATION AND TERM PAPER WILL BE EVALUATED USING THE FOLLOWING RUBRIC:

SCORE OF 5:

v SHOWS A THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING OF THE THEME OR PROBLEM

v ADDRESSES ALL ASPECTS OF THE TASK

v SHOWS AN ABILITY TO ANALYZE, EVALUATE, COMPARE AND/OR CONTRAST ISSUES AND EVENTS

v RICHLY SUPPORTS TOPIC WITH RELEVANT FACTS, EXAMPLES, AND DETAILS

v POWERPOINT PROJECT AND PAPER ARE TYPED WITH NO SPELLING ERRORS

SCORE OF 4:

v SHOWS A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE THEME OR PROBLEM

v SUPPORTS TOPIC WITH RELEVANT FACTS, EXAMPLES, AND DETAILS

v SHOWS ABILITY TO ANALYZE, EVALUATE ISSUES

v DOES NOT SUPPORT ALL ASPECTS OF THE TASK

v POWERPOINT PROJECT AND PAPER ARE TYPED WITH NO SPELLING ERRORS

SCORE OF 3:

v PRESENTS SATISFACTORY UNDERSTANDING OF THE TOPIC

v ADDRESSES MOST ASPECTS OF THE TASK

v ABLE TO ANALYZE ISSUES AND EVENTS, BUT NOT IN DEPTH

v DEMONSTRATES A GENERAL PLAN OF ORGANIZATION

v POWERPOINT PROJECT AND PAPER ARE TYPED BUT HAVE ERRORS

SCORE OF 2:

v SHOWS LIMITED UNDERSTANDING OF TASK

v ATTEMPTS TO ADDRESS TASK

v INCLUDES INFORMATION THAT CONTAINS INACCURACIES

v IS POORLY ORGANIZED

v RESULT/S UNACCEPTABLE

SCORE OF 1:

v FAILS TO INTRODUCE OR SUMMARIZE THE TASK

v LACKS AN ANALYSIS OR EVALUATION OF THE ISSUES

v IS ILLEGIBLE

From completing this web quest you should have learned the importance of studying history. The lessons of the past prevent us from repeating mistakes. You also should have learned the dire social problem of “child labor”. It destroys youth, families, generations and civilizations. Any society’s future is in its youth. Child labor was blight on Americans past and present. We buy goods at low prices without knowing the shame behind the product. Hopefully you exposed this serious social problem and found a policy solution to stop this heinous practice. You, further, have experienced the importance of a public policy analyst and an historian in a democratic society. These social scientists are invaluable making life equitable for all citizens. Let’s hope you made a difference and will continue so in the future! Thanks for your participation.

Social Studies

Standard 1:   History of the United States and New York

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.

Standard 2:   World History

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning

Standard 4:   Economics

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the United States and other national economies, and how an economy solves the scarcity problem through market and nonmarket mechanisms.

Standard 5:   Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

English Language Arts

Standard 1:   Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

Standard 2:   Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.

Standard 3:   Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

Standard 4:   Language for Social Interaction

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.