Samuel Gompers Vocational & Technical High School

J.Lepore Gniebon@aol.com

Domestic Violence, Othello and the Bronx.

Introduction

The character, Othello, from the play by William Shakespeare, has fled the island of Cyprus in an effort to escape punishment for the domestic violence charges that have been brought against him. However, the fugitive has been captured by the 41^st percent and has been booked for the crimes he committed in Cyprus, while there is some dispute over jurisdiction in the case, the Bronx courts believe they have the right to refuse extradition requests based on the motions brought forth by the accused, claiming that he will not receive a fair trail in Cyprus. Will justice be done in the Bronx? As the prosecutors you must be sure not to leave any stone unturned in order to prepare your case against the accused.

Task

Your assignment will be to analyze the current public policies regarding domestic violence. You will want to take into consideration the history of domestic violence in the Bronx when doing your research. Based on your research you will determine the public attitude towards domestic violence and factor that into your presentation of the case against Othello. In addition, you are an attorney who always takes advantage of an opportunity to affect social change, and this highly publicized case defiantly provides the opportunity. Therefore , make sure you don’t pass up the opportunity to evaluate the current public policies regarding domestic violence and make suggestions for new solutions to the problem of domestic violence. You will have to create and present a group power point presentation as well as an individual ten page typed report. For both parts of this assignment, you will use the six-step public policy approach to

· Define and describe domestic violence in the Bronx and the text Othello .

· Gather evidence about domestic violence.

· Identify causes of domestic violence, both in the Bronx and in the text.

· Describe and evaluate the existing policies n domestic violence.

· Develop solutions/policies for dealing with domestic violence.

· Select the best policy.

Process

1. You each will be assigned to group

2. Use the following guidelines for the completion of both products.

3. Research the sources listed below in order to formulate your case against the accused.

4. Use the six step public policy analysis worksheets before writing your report.

5. After you complete your six worksheets, begin writing a first draft of your report.

6. Create a power point presentation that illustrates the case that your group has formulated against the accused.

7. Submit both the individual report and the group power point presentation.

In your case you must be sure to make the following connections

v What evidence in the text supports the case against the accused?

v What are the causes of the problem both within the text and in the Bronx?

v What current Public Policies are associated with each of the charges?

v How are the current public policies in the Bronx working/ not working to provide a solution to this problem?

v What current statistics support your case against the accused?

v What do the experts have to say about the issue?

v What possible alternative solutions could be established in order to deal with this problem in the future?

v What would be the costs and benefits of the implementation of the proposed Public policy? Is it a feasible solution to the problem?

Resources

State of New York Unified Court System Document

http://www.courts.state.ny.us/pr99_29.html

District Attorneys Message

http://www.bronxda.net/fighting_crime/district_attorney_message.htm

News Release

http://www.att.com/press/0296/960229.pca.html

Many South Bronx Adolescents Don’t Fell Safe at Home

http://www.cfah.org/hbns/newsrelease/manysouthbronx11-15-99.cfm

Family Violence

http://www.ncsc.dni.us/KMO/Topics/FamVio/States/States/FVNMSC.htm

Criminal Justice Resource Links

http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/

Criminal Justice Statistics

http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/crimnet/data.htm

TIPS Information Resources

https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/resres.html

https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/related.html

Evaluation

Guidelines for your group power point presentations

· Power point presentations must be a minimum of 8 slides.

Guidelines for your individual reports.

· All papers must be a minimum of ten pages.

· Papers should be double spaced

· The font should be no lager than 12 point pica

· A bibliography must be included

The following grading rubric will be used for this WebQuest:

Areas of Evaluation	Exceeds Requirements	Meets Minimum Requirements	Major Revision Needed	Does Not Meet Requirements
Essay is presented in proper paragraph form with topic sentences, supports, concluding sentences	10	8	5	2
Essay demonstrates insight by using at least four specific connections and/or comparisons as proof	10	8	5	2
Essay uses proper grammar and mechanics	10	8	5	2
Content is accurate and complete	5	4	2	1
Slide presentation demonstrates insight and highlights essay	5	4	2	1
At least three web resources referenced	5	4	2	1
Uses correct MLA documentation for referencing web resources	5	4	2	1

Total Possible: 50 points

Conclusion

Domestic violence has long been a problem in our society. In doing this webquest, you have became more aware of the factors the lead to domestic violence and how it is viewed by our society. You have also contemplated possible policies and solutions that could help decrease domestic violence.

In doing this project students have met the following New York State Learning Standards:

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.

Mathematics, Science, and Technology

Standard 1:    Analysis, Inquiry, and Design

Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.

Standard 2:   Information Systems

Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.

Standard 7:   Interdisciplinary Problem Solving

Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.