Final Short Assignment, and Extra Credit, due before Wed. Dec. 16th at 2pm

Due Date: You can turn in your final assignment and/or extra credit during class on the last day (Wed. Dec. 9th) OR you can bring it to my office (Batmale 666) anytime before Wed. Dec. 16th by 2pm. I will be in the office from 10:30-2pm that day if you want to give it to me in person. Otherwise, you can  leave it in the envelope on my office door before the due date (the office is normally open during the day).

I CANNOT ACCEPT EMAILED PAPERS or LATE PAPERS.

I. SHORT ASSIGNMENT: 2 PAGES MAXIMUM. Use course materials to support your answers. 

Choose one of the following options (A or B): 

A. Write a letter to one of the activists who are advocating for change for their communities (as profiled in CNN’s “The Disruptors”).

1) Describe how the issues of police violence and/or incarceration/drug policy have impacted you or your community and 2) Explain what solutions you’d like them to advocate for.  (You can also thank them for their courage and their commitment to making things better, if you’d like).

OR

B. Write a letter to someone who is important to you, such as a close friend or family member. Choose an issue we studied in our last section (either incarceration/drug policy, or police accountability ) and

1) Explain in your letter what you’ve learned about the problem and solutions being proposed and 2) explain why this is an important issue for them to know about (how it impacts your life or theirs).

II. EXTRA CREDIT (optional) 

For extra credit, watch the following video and answer these questions: 1) what did you learn about immigration reform from the video, and 2) what do you think about what you learned? 2 pages max. 

Video: “Immigration Battle”: Why has it been so hard for our country to fix its broken immigration system? This documentary explores the behind the scenes battle in Congress to pass immigration reform legislation, resulting in the President’s executive action and DACA. (If you have limited time, start the video at approximately 58:00,  focused on the United We Dream conference).

Materials on Police Accountability

The following materials focus on law enforcement practices, policy issues and the movements that have arisen in response to police violence in Ferguson and other cities over the last year.

Overview:

How Ferguson Showed Us the Truth About Police (Short animation about events in Ferguson and nationwide)

Mapping Police Violence (interactive map of police killings, searchable by city/state)

Ferguson

Ferguson’s Conspiracy against Black Citizens (an Atlantic article describing the Dept. of Justice report about Ferguson police practices)

San Francisco

SF Police Chief Releases Officers’ Racist Texts (NY Times, April 29, 2016)

Frisco5 – Coverage of the Hunger Strike 

Solutions

The Disruptors: (CNN Profile of organizers from Black Lives Matter and related groups)

Campaign Zero (campaign to end police violence in America)

The Myth of Police Reform (Atlantic article by Ta-Nehisi Coates, recent winner of the National Book Award and MacArthur ‘Genius’ Award)

Drug Policy and Incarceration

Problem/Challenges

1. Watch Michelle Alexander’s Ted Talk: “The Future of Race in America”

2. Read an article about her book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness 

3. “End Mass Incarceration Now” (NY Times editorial

Solutions

Federal/National

Senators Seek to Curb Federal Prison Sentences for Drug Crimes (current bill in Congress, supported by bipartisan leadership)

2016 Candidates are United in Call to to Alter Justice System (all Presidential candidates support criminal justice reform)

State Marijuana Laws (shows current status of legalization ofor recreational and medical use of marijuana, including 4 states and Washington, D.C.)

California

Prop. 47: Victory: California Takes Significant Step Towards ending Mass Incarceration and the War on Drugs (Drug Policy Alliance)

California’s Prop. 47 Revolution: How It’s Changed the State (LA Times series on impact of Prop. 47, passed Nov., 2014)

Interactive Tool – Which Reforms Will Have the Most Impact?

Prison Population Forecaster (an interactive tool that shows the impact of different policy changes on the future prison population)

 

Critical Thinking Assignment #2: Due Wednesday, November 25th

Critical Thinking Assignment #2  (approx. 3-4 pages) DUE Wednesday, Nov. 25th.

You can submit your paper on Google Drive (please share with suzanne.homer@mail.ccsf.edu, and name the file “lastname.rights.11 or 12pm”) or give me a paper copy in class. Click here for instructions about how to share your paper on Google Drive.

Choose one of the following options (A or B):

A. Know Your Rights: An Original Scene (Approx. 3-4 pages)

1. Write an original, short scenario (either fictional or real) that involves an interaction between individual/s and the police, similar to those we discussed in class ( e.g., a traffic stop or a stop on the street).
2. Explain what rights the individuals in the scene have under the 4th, 5th and 6th amendments (using information from our class discussions and the course materials). TIP: Make sure you discuss the purpose of the Bill of Rights, and explain exactly what rights we have according to each amendment. Then apply those rights to the scenario (e.g., did the officer have probable cause, reasonable suspicion, consent to search, etc.).
3. Analyze the scenario based on the film “Ten Rules for Dealing with the Police”. Did the individuals protect themselves by following the rules, or did they give up their rights and/or violate the rules? Which rules apply? How could they have protected themselves better?

NOTE: You must  support your explanation with information from class discussion, online sources from this course page (like FlexYourRights.org) and/or the online text (include references for any facts or information cited in your analysis) DO NOT USE OUTSIDE SOURCES – include references for the sources that are listed below. I expect you to do your own analysis, and support your ideas with information from the course materials and class discussions.

Sources and information for Option A – See Section I (under “Know Your Rights: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties” in the post below this one)

Option B:

B.  Should we Implement Stop and Frisk in San Francisco? (approx 3-4 pages)

Mayor Ed Lee has suggested that San Francisco consider implementing “Stop and Frisk”, especially in certain neighborhoods with the highest levels of violent crime in the city. Do you agree or disagree? Is it worth it? Discuss the following questions in your analysis. 

• Is the policy constitutional (is it racial profiling under the 14^th amendment or a violation of the 4^th amendment?)?
• Has the policy been effective in other cities? Is there evidence that it reduces crime?
• Does the policy harm young people of color, in particular, by targeting them unfairly? OR does it benefit low-income communities by reducing crime in their neighborhoods?

Use facts and evidence from the course reading materials and class discussions to back up your position (DO NOT USE OUTSIDE SOURCES – include references for the sources assigned for this topic in the post below). You can also include your own experience, or the life experiences of others, to help illustrate your points.

Sources and information for Option B –  See Section II: ” Stop and Frisk: Is It Worth It?” in the post below this one

 

 

Know Your Rights: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Stop And Frisk

I. CIVIL LIBERTIES: 4th, 5th and 6th amendments (for Critical Thinking, Option A)

A. “10 Rules Video”: Please watch the following video, available on the “Flex Your Rights” website, in preparation for class. Make sure you bring your notes and/or a copy of the ten rules for an activity we will complete in class together.

“Ten Rules for Dealing with Police”

B. Sources/Reading Material: The organization that produced the film is called the Flex Your Rights Foundation, and they have a website with more detailed information:

i. Flex Your Rights Foundation website (for rules and case law about your rights in real life situations)

ii. Bill of Rights (actual text of the amendments)

iii. The ACLU has a pamphlet online that you can print out for reference: Know Your Rights

iv.. Watch a video of a law student explaining his rights to a police officer: “Law Student Schools a Police Officer”

and this traffic stop: Breakfast in Collinsville (Video of a traffic stop with a police dog)

C. Online Text:

Chap. 2 Constitution, especially 2.2 and 2.3

Chap. 4 Civil Liberties – all sections

Chap. 15 Courts, especially 15.1 and 15.2

II. RACIAL PROFILING/ STOP AND FRISK (For Critical Thinking Assignment, Option B)

Video: The Hated and the Hunted: An Inside Look at NYPD’s Stop and Frisk Policy (13 mins)

Article: Is Stop and Frisk Worth it? (Atlantic magazine, March 2014, analyzing the pros and cons)

Here’s What you Need to Know about Stop And Frisk (overview from the Washington Post)

Judge strikes down NYC’s Stop and Frisk Policy (Policy violates the 4th and 14th amendment right to privacy and equal protection) and Community Safety Act (reforms passed by the NY City Council changing the practice)

Marijuana May Mean Ticket, Not Arrest in NYC (New policy aimed at reducing effects of stop and frisk by NYPD)

Relax, Stop and Frisk Reforms aren’t Making the City Dangerous Again (statistics about crime since stop and frisk was reduced in NYC)

Racial Profiling in San Francisco? 

SF grapples with racial disparity in arrests (study of arrests in San Francisco; you can read the study itself here)

Short Essay Assignment on Voting, due date extended to Friday, Oct. 30th

Due Friday, Oct. 30th- Take Home Assignment on Voting (Please turn in a hard copy for this assignment)

In a short essay, or using a question and answer format, answer the following  questions about voting and voter turnout, based on the information you learned from class discussion and course materials (linked in the section on Political Participation and Voting).

1. What is the problem? Discuss who votes and who doesn’t, and the factors that influence voter turnout in the U.S. (Use facts and analysis from the articles on voter turnout and voting restrictions to support your answer)

2. What solutions do you think would help increase voter turnout in the U.S.? Make sure your proposed solutions address the problem. (Use the resources from the Brennan Center for Justice and our class discussion to help you answer this question)

Use the course materials to support your answers   AND

Make sure you include a parenthetical reference when you cite facts or information from a source. 

Political Participation: Who Votes? Who Doesn’t? Does it Matter?

The following is the  material for the section on political participation.

1. Background Information on Elections and Campaigns

Text: Chap. 8 (Voting, Participation, and Social Movements)  and Chap. 11 (Campaigns and Elections) in our textbook: American Govt. in the Information Age – Flat World Knowledge (see link on this course page to download).

2. Online materials:

A. WHO VOTES AND WHO DOESN’T?

Voter Turnout

Demographic Trends in the 2012 Presidential election

Youth Voting: Youth Vote 2012 and What works in Getting Youth to Vote

Asian Voter Turnout Lags Behind Other Groups (Pew Research Center)

How Issues Affect Turnout and Elections: Immigration, Latino Voters and the 2012 election

Voting Restrictions

Voter ID laws:: Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Voter ID Laws, ProPublica and info from the  Brennan Center for Justice about voter ID laws and voting rights, including their recommendations for reform.

Voting Rights Act: What is the fight over voting rights about? 

B. DOES IT MATTER? WHO WINS AND WHO LOSES?

Dog Whistle Politics: Racism as a Strategy to Win Elections Interview with Ian Haney Lopez, Berkeley Law Professor

Charts that explain Republican victories in 2014 (from Vox.com)

2012 Election Results: in San Francisco, California and the US (Presidential votes by age, race, gender, income, etc).

C. MONEY AND POLITICS – CAN WE REFORM THE SYSTEM?

Ten Things Every Voter Should Know about Money and Politics (Center for Responsive Politics)

How Citizens United Changed Politics, in 7 Charts  (Washington Post)

The Families Funding the 2016 Presidential Campaign (NY Times)

TED Talk by Lawrence Lessig: We The People and the Republic we Must Reclaim”

CA DISCLOSE Act (making campaign advertising more transparent)

Higher Education: Is College Worth it?

Here are the materials we discussed in class on Monday, on higher education affordability:

I. What is the problem/cause?

10 Charts that New College Grads are Going to Hate  (Business Insider)

Millennial College Graduates: Young, Educated, Jobless (Newsweek)

II. Challenges/Obstacles

Is College Worth It? (cost benefit analysis)

III. Solutions

Obama’s Free Community College Plan (Huffington Post)

Ensuring that Student Loans are Forgivable (whitehouse.gov)

Student Presentations will also focus on what presidential candidates are proposing to address the cost of higher education.

 

Economic Inequality and Gentrification: Materials and Assignment, due Friday, Oct. 2nd

Due Friday, Oct. 2nd – Take Home Assignment on Inequality (Please turn in a hard copy for this assignment)

In a short essay, or using a question and answer format, answer the following 3 questions about economic inequality, based on the information you learned from the film and course materials (linked below).

1. What is the problem? (Describe the issue, and its causes, including detailed facts and analysis from Professor Reich and Tavis Smiley/Prof. Cornel West)

2. What challenges have prevented us from solving the problem? What obstacles have been in the way?

3. What solutions do the scholars propose (Robert Reich and Smiley/West)?

Use the course materials to support your answers (from both Robert Reich in the film and  the interview and book excerpt “The Rich and the Rest of Us” by Smiley and West)    AND

Make sure you include a parenthetical reference when you cite facts or information from a source (for example, Inequality For All, Smiley and West, p. ____, etc.)

I. Cornel West and Robert Reich on Economic Inequality:

1) “Inequality For All” is the film we watched in class: it is also available on Netflix and from a number of sources. Use the film’s website for materials and supporting facts from the film.

2) Interview with Tavis Smiley and Cornel West: “The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto” (the interview begins at 41:20 of the video). You can also read an excerpt of the book here.

II. Gentrification and Inequality: What’s going on here at home? 

A. Problem/Causes

1. Gentrification/Displacement:

SF Mission Gentrification at an “Advanced Stage”: UC Berkeley study

Urban Displacement Project: Mapping Gentrification and Podcast with the authors

2. Wealth and Income Gap:

“In Growth of Wealth Gap, We’re No. 1” , SF Chronicle, March 2, 2014.

Infographic: San Francisco’s Class War,  By the Numbers,  from TheNib.

Student Recommendations:

The Changing Mission: A project and film by Reporters from SF Chronicle

Video: “What it’s like to get kicked out of your neighborhood“, Colorlines, Thurs. Jan. 15, 2015

B. What Can Be Done? Challenges and Solutions

SF Supervisors to Consider Eviction Protections

SF Examining Ways to Stem Displacement

The Battle of SOMA, Round One

Media and Democracy: Course Materials and Prep for Wednesday, Sept. 9th

A. For background on the Media, read the following to prepare for our class discussion:

1) Read Noam Chomsky’s analysis of the media and propaganda. You can read it online by clicking below (please read pages 1-17). You can also download it as a PDF and print it out or read it offline:

Noam_Chomsky-Media_Control

2) Watch this TED talk by Clay Shirky, a social media expert:

“How Social Media Can Make History”

B. Your first short assignment on Digital Media:

Choose one online digital media source that is NEW to you,  (some examples are below) and begin to follow/subscribe/ or read it regularly online as a source of information about current political issues.

Top 15 Political  Websites  (choose one to read regularly)

Top Podcasts on News and Politics (choose one to follow)

Top Tweeters on Politics (choose one to follow)

NOTE: It is important to learn how to evaluate internet/online media sources, so that you can determine the credibility of a source. Click below for a printable guide to evaluating online sources.

How to evaluate_internet guide