Please note that I have created shortened links to the article to make it easier for students to locate the online articles.
Lesson Plan 1 Propaganda
Bell Activity Do Now: Look up and write the definition of propaganda.
Watch the following two short movies about propaganda being used in a relatively harmless fashion.
https://tinyurl.com/The-Propaganda-Campaign21 Shows propaganda used to promote patriotic acts during a war.
https://tinyurl.com/The-Power-of-Propaganda22 Shows the tools of propaganda that are used in advertising.
Assignment 1: Navigate to the following guide from the University of Michigan entitled "Fake News," Lies and Propaganda: How to Sort Fact from Fiction, ”https://tinyurl.com/Indicators-of-Propaganda23
In the middle of the page there is a chart that lists Indicators of Scholarship vs Indicators of Propaganda.
Look through your social media for an article or video that you believe may contain propaganda. Use the criteria from the movie or the webpage to explain which tool of propaganda is being used.
How could the media creator have avoided injecting their biases into the media?
Lesson 2: Propaganda in Birth of a Nation
Students should read the following article about the movie: https://tinyurl.com/BON-Reading24
The class will be shown segments of Birth of a Nation. Time points are communicated as numerically follows: hours: minutes: seconds.
The suggested time points below are from The Kino Restored Edition of the movie.25
The teacher should watch the whole movie so that they may summarize what happened between the time points.
The class should watch the segment 0:00:00-0:10:00 to determine how people are characterized.
Which techniques does the movie use to communicate that Southern whites were kind and civilized?Which techniques does the movie use to communicate that white women were virtuous, innocent and precious?Why are most of the pets seen in the segment baby animals not full grown ones?
At 0:06:29 - 0:06:44 a series of events occurs where two children fall off of a wagon then they are spanked. What is the purpose of this scene in the movie?
Compare and contrast the treatment of the children to the treatment of animals in the movie.
The teacher may need to explain some of the intervening events in the movie before the next set of movie segments are shown.
Please watch the following movie segments:
1:30:00 -1:40:001:45:00 - 1:47:002:12:00 - 2:17:00
Please answer the following questions:
Which techniques does the movie use to communicate that blacks are lustful? Which techniques does the movie use to communicate that blacks are ignorant? Which techniques does the movie use to communicate that blacks are evil?Which techniques does the movie use to communicate that violence against black is acceptable?
Please view signed title cards at: 0:01:02, 0:23:22, 1:57:40, 1:13:31, 1:23:06, 1:58:00.
Earlier in this unit, you learned that repetition is a useful technique for the promotion of propaganda. The above title cards use the words historical or historical facsimile several times. Do you think that D.W. Griffith was trying to make the audience believe or feel that the film was a dramatized documentary not a work of fiction? Please explain your answer.
What emotions do you think Birth of a Nation evoked in 1915? Why do these feelings make the audience want to take action?
Read the following article: https://tinyurl.com/y2j5gztx26.
How might society have been different if the movie had given an accurate version of history? If the truth about reconstruction were told in the movie, do you believe it would have been as popular or memorable? Would the cinematic techniques be viewed as phenomenal when the theme of the media speaks against the dominant society’s prejudices?
Activity
Pick a partner. Use a cell phone to film around 15 seconds of them answering the following question twice: Where were you at 8:00 pm last night? In one of the clips capture them in a way that looks like they are a respectable person, telling the truth. In the other shot use your camera in such a way to make them look like they are evil and lying.
Lesson Plan 3 The Power of Media Case Studies
Activity: Groups of students will have one 88-minute block class period to research one of the above topics. They will then prepare a presentation including 1-3 slides about the facts surrounding the event or movement. In the following class period each group will then facilitate a class-wide discussion which answers the following questions.
Option 1) Each student researching the LA Riots must read the following article plus find an additional one to read: https://tinyurl.com/LA-Uprising-Reading27
Option 2) Each student researching The Arab Spring must read the following article plus find an additional one to read: https://tinyurl.com/Arab-Spring-Reading28
Option 3) Each student researching Pizzagate must read the following article plus find an additional one to read: https://tinyurl.com/Pizzagate-Reading29
Each Group must prepare a presentation about their chosen event which educates others on the following questions:
Describe or show the piece of media was the call to action. (Please take into consideration that some students may be sensitized to violence trauma so may not be able to watch the footage)
Evaluate what the propagating viewers were feeling when they shared or discussed the event.
What feelings and impulses were they acting on and what emotions were they trying to arouse in others?What did the movement achieve?What was the ultimate cost of the movement? This may include loss of lives, arrests, and property damage.What are the ethical concerns surrounding the event or movement? For example if the deeds of the person or group for whom the activists are supporting are questionable how does it affect the validity of the movement?
Each person in the presenting group must answer the following questions at the conclusion of the presentation:
Consider the loss of lives and the loss of stability caused by the activism. Also consider the following quote from Frederick Douglass “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”30 Explain why you would or would not share the media if you were the person that controlled the media that was the call to action.
What is your take home lesson from this event?
Lesson Plan 4 Bias in Media Coverage
Reading assignment read https://tinyurl.com/Serwer-Article31
You will have the power to shape public perception by your choice of what to cover and how you cover it. Given that we all have biases, what steps could you take present information in an objective manner? Do you feel that it is your responsibility to be objective, even if you are not famous and making media is not your primary job?
When is acceptable to take a position in a media piece?
Different demographic groups have a different willingness to talk about their issues. For instance people of certain religions may not want to talk about sexual issues, and whites may be less willing than others to discuss poverty. When you need to interview individuals that are impacted by a problem, what steps can you take to show a sample of people who are representative of those impacted by the problem? Is it your responsibility to do so as an independent media maker?
Should you, who have no financial stake in journalism, take care to present balanced stories when even the major companies do not? Why or Why not? Some things you may want to consider in your answer are your reputation, your future employability, the potential societal consequences of your media’s call to action.
Lesson Plan 5: Draft your Code of Ethics
Judge the following consequences of sharing a news story and determine which of the scenario presented has negative consequences that outweigh the positive ones.
Scenario 1
You’ve filmed a truthful and poignant video that causes 10,000 local people to come out to protest. The chants and hash-tags from the protest go viral and discussion of your cause is trending around the world and it causes society to recognize and care about the injustice. You know that the injustice will continue, unabated, unless the people come out to demand change. You also know that there will be individuals that suffer harmful consequences of your call to action. There was no permit issued for your protest.
If you could know in advance that 100 people were charged with misdemeanor trespassing. Would you post the video?If you could know in advance that all of the people caught at the location by police (~1000) would be charged with misdemeanors would you share the video?If you could know in advance that 100 people got felony charges because they went on to loot at the end of the protest, would you share the video?If you could know in advance that ten local businesses would be destroyed during the protest, would you share the video?If you could know in advance that 50 people got felony charges for engaging with police as they were being unjustly arrested would you share the video?If you could know in advance that a protester broke their leg at the event, would you share the video?If you could know in advance that an extremist at the rally got so carried away by what was said they stalked and then shot the perpetrator of the injustice, would you share the movie?If you could know in advance that an extremist at the rally got so carried away by what was said they stalked and then killed the perpetrator of the injustice, would you share the movie?If you could know in advance that an extremist counter-protester would injure one of your protestors would you share the video?If you could know in advance that an extremist counter-protester would kill one of your protestors would you share the video?
Scenario 2
You are reporting on a new drug that prevents transmission of the HIV virus. Both heterosexual and homosexual couples use the drug. You want to provide first hand testimonials on the impact of the drug on people’s lives. If you can’t locate heterosexual people who are interviewed on camera, how will you proceed?
Judging from the level of collateral damage that you are willing to accept for the positive change that you seek, write out the rules that you will need to stay true to yourself.
Part 2 Compare and contrast your standards
Please compare and contrast the code of ethics of the society of professional journalists to that which you have created. Are there any you want to add? Does their code of ethics have any rules you deem unnecessary? Please explain your answers. It can be found at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/y2jxsn3e32
