Pornography
A social
problem that leads to the corruption
Of minors,
the Objectification of women, and erodes the morals fabric of society.
INTRODUCTION
In one form or another, pornography has existed throughout
history. It can be found in the pyramids
of ancient Egypt, archeologists have found pornographic “menus” on the walls of
long forgotten, but fondly remembered brothels in the city of Pompeii. Throughout recorded time, pornography has
gone in and out of vogue; with the moral climate of the period dictating what
was and wasn’t acceptable.
In our
lifetime we have seen an increase in all type of pornography, or perceived
pornography. This increase in “product”
is juxtaposed with an increased in some peoples desire to limit our access to
it or eradicate it all together. The backlash against pornography has been felt
everywhere, from the World Wide Web to our corner Fotomat.
Question and Task
You are on Mayor Guliani’s newly created task force on
public decency. You have just lived
through the Mayor’s battle with the Brooklyn Museum over works of art that were
deemed pornographic and offensive by some viewers. You and your task force have been put in charge of developing a
new public policy. One that will effect
the distribution of city funds to Museums, Libraries, and other Arts
Organizations. You had better hurry, rumor has it the Museums next scheduled
event is a collection of photographs by controversial photographer Robert
Mapplethorp.
Some things to think about
Ø
Does
the definition of what is pornographic change from one culture to another? Include an example in your presentation.
Ø
Should
you support an artist or work of art who basic concept you disagree with?
Ø
Cite
a situation in which changing times and viewpoints have shifted societies view
of what is pornographic and what is not.
Ø
Is
pornography in art the same thing as pornography in literature or speech?
Ø
Even
the most stalwart supporters of free speech have found they supporting some
censorship of Internet pornography, were do you fall on the issue?
Process
In your
group you will research the social implications of Pornography.
ü
Your group will produce a
four page (typed and Double spaced) paper with bibliography of web sites.
ü
A short oral presentation
(five to ten minutes). You will
identify and define social problems caused by exposure to pornography.
ü
Gather evidence that the
problem exists, evaluate the current public policy of New York City and how it
relates to city Museums.
ü
Create a new public
policy that you think will best server the museum and the city.
ü
You will report your
findings to the board of directors, your class mates.
ü
To best organize your
results use the public policy analysis work sheets, which can be found at www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/tips.html
* EXTRA CREDIT *
“Censorship can wipe the
smile right off a girls face.”
The following website contains the First Amendment to the Constitution and ten instances when our government ignored it.
Http://www.mindspring.com/~snake76/texts/opinions_censorship.html
Read and react
Ø
Review
the first amendment to the constitution of the United States. Write it over in your own words.
Ø
Read
the 10 examples given of Government censorship. Choose three and write your reaction.
Resources
SEARCH
ENGINES
WEB SITES
www.mcwilliams.com/books/aint/307.htm
www.december.com/cmc/mag/1996/jan/cavalier.html
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~wbutler/kristol.html
http://www.computerlearning.org/articles/Ethics98.htm
http://www.alastairmcintosh.com/articles/1996_sos_violence.htm
http://www.ibiblio.org/cmc/mag/1995/aug/thaler.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/cmc/mag/1995/aug/surf.html
http://www.artcontext.com/activism/media/FreeSpeech.html
Grading Rubric
A excellent
v
Creative
cover should be visually pleasing and utilizes several of the techniques that
we have learned in Photoshop.
v
Written
report should be well developed
v
There
should be evidence of each group members participation in the final products
v
Report
should take a position and adequately defend it
v
Presentation (oral) well delivered informative and
interesting
B Very
Good
v
Position
stated but not adequately defended
v
Spelling
and grammar good but not totally mistake free
v
Creative
cover simple but competently composed
v
Group
participation is evident
v
Presentation
(oral) is informative
C Satisfactory
v
Some
attempt at creating an interesting cover
v
Some
knowledge of the subject is evident
v
Some
of the group members participated (non-participating
Group members
will fail)
v
Spelling
and grammar errors are present
v
Presentation (oral) shows some lacks of preparation
D Unsatisfactory
v
Report
is not thought out, or typed
v
There
is no creative cover to speak of
v
Spelling
and grammar mistakes are glaring
v
Paper
does not demonstrate even a rudimentary
Knowledge of the subject matter
v
Oral
presenter is obviously unprepared and presentation
Is “off the cuff”
F Totally unacceptable
v
No
work what so ever
v
Students
will be boiled in oil
The
following New York State learning standards have been addressed:
New York
State Art Standards
Standard 1
Creating, performing and participating in the
arts. Student will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation
and participate in various roles in the arts.
Standard 2
Knowing and using art
materials and resources. Students will
be knowledgeable about and make use of the materials and resources available
for participation in the arts in various roles.
New York State Language arts performance
standards
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 the knowledge
generated for oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral
and written language that follows the accepted conventions of English language
to acquire, interpret, apply and transmit information.
Standard 4
“Language for social
interaction” Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social
interaction. Student 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.
Social Studies performance Standards
Standard 5
“Civics, Citizenship and government” Students
will use a variety of 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 role, rights, and
responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.
Conclusion
Upon completion of this Web Quest students will have
deeper understanding of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the Untied
States. They will identify the inherent
social problems that living in a free society can create. Using what they have learned they will
develop a policy that they feel will best serve the city.