Why did I teach "Law and Justice" by Howard Zinn? As we embark on the "Justice Project" and study various philosophies of justice, the goal is to critically examine our current legal system and societal practices and decide what laws are just and what SHOULD our laws and social practices be to ensure justice. Howard Zinn argues that the first principle of education is to question every premise. And he argues in the essay that when laws are at odds with justice, we have an obligation to violate the law. So, I wanted us to have a common reading that lays out some arguments in support of that thesis and encourage you to think about the way things are now through the lens of justice. Is this the way it should be? Why are we watching the film, True Justice? This film explores one man's journey to achieve more justice within our criminal justice system. It explores how both the laws and the way the laws are enforced have led to inequality. It provides us with a good case study to apply the philosophies we're studying and specifically consider whether our criminal justice system is fair/just, and whether the death penalty is fair/just.
Group Discussion Questions for the movie - True Justice Part 1: Answer the following questions as a group:
Part 2: Pick a group facilitator and read through the questions. Pick your top 3 and use the other questions as back up if you have more time.
Homework: Due Monday, 9/28: The Dalai Lama’s “Compassion as Justice”
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Ashley CarruthHumanities teacher at Animas High School Archives
May 2021
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