SECTION BY SECTION:
HISTORY/govt.: democratic process
HISTORY II: Immigration & Culture
HISTORY
& GOV'T/DEMOCRATIC PROCESS
1) Relevance/Purpose
§
“Split
Decision” provides an interesting case study of how public policy can affect
individual families, and how the democratic process can be used to change public
policy.
2) Discussion Questions
§ What public policy issues affect Jesus and his family?
§ What are other public policy issues that affect the lives of people in your own community?
§ How are citizens in the film trying to change public immigration policy? (What methods are they using?)
§ What other approaches could they use?
§ How would it affect our ability to change public policy if we did not have the rights of free press and speech?
§
How is the media used to change
public policy? Does “Split
Decision” have a point of view about the issues it portrays, and does it seem
objective?
3) Group Projects
§
Select a public policy issue, such as
some aspect of immigration policy. Divide
the class into two sides, and have them debate two sides of the issue.
They should prepare for the debate using the Internet, magazine articles,
and books to gather information.
4) Individual Projects
§ Have each student select a public policy issue that is currently being debated (Teacher can provide a list, or can refer students to resources such as newspaper and advocacy websites). Write a paper about this issue. What is the current policy, and who is trying to change it? How are they trying to change it? Do you think they will succeed?
§ If students have read “The Grapes of Wrath,” fill out a Venn Diagram comparing the Chavez family to the Jodes family. What do they have in common? What is different about the two families?
