1. Presentation
After choosing a restorative justice topic (or just the topic of restorative justice in general), you will conduct an 8-10 minute presentation. You are responsible for selecting an article (or YouTube/News posts/videos) of your choice to present in class. Your article/post/video must have a connection to some aspect of the restorative justice system. You could use the table of contents as a guide for choosing a topic.
For example: We watched a film called The Interrupters. Many times during the film, we witness violence—senseless violence. You may be interested in why violence appears to be the first response for many of the people we watched in the film. There is a Ted Talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZNrOzgNWf4)
by Gary Slutkin who makes the argument for treating violence like a contagious disease. You could elaborate on some of the main points Slutkin makes, but more importantly you could consider his argument in the context of this course. If we should treat violence like a contagious disease, then why or how does a restorative justice approach become all the more necessary? You can pose any question(s) that you would like. This is your presentation. A person who approaches the project in this way is likely to draw from Chapter 1, Visions and Patterns. The emphasis here is that you are making a connection to concepts that have been discussed in lecture or in the readings. So, in using this video, you may demonstrate from chapter 1 how we have to shift our thinking about violence in an effort to solve many of the problems associated with violence and the factors that continue to perpetuate a cycle of violence. You will be raising questions or even critiquing how the story/video is reported. Maybe the reporting contributes to a larger ideology about some point. Be creative. Make it interesting!!! Have fun with this! If you pay attention here, your 2-page response paper will be a breeze.
2. Presentation Response Paper (25 Points)
Create a 2-page response on the presentation from above. Due the day you present.
You are responsible for selecting an article (or YouTube/News posts/videos) of your choice to present in class. Your article/post/video must have a connection to some aspect of the restorative justice system. You could use the table of contents as a guide for choosing a topic. Essentially, this paper will mirror what you presented, but you will offer a more in depth explanation of your topic and video choice. These two assignments are closely related. If you spend time on either, the other will benefit greatly.
For example: We watched a film called The Interrupters. Many times during the film, we witness violence—senseless violence. You may be interested in why violence appears to be the first response for many of the people we watched in the film. There is a Ted Talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZNrOzgNWf4)
by Gary Slutkin who makes the argument for treating violence like a contagious disease. You could elaborate on some of the main points Slutkin makes, but more importantly you could consider his argument in the context of this course. If we should treat violence like a contagious disease, then why or how does a restorative justice approach become all the more necessary? You can pose any question(s) that you would like. This is your presentation. A person who approaches the project in this way is likely to draw from Chapter 1, Visions and Patterns. The emphasis here is that you are making a connection to concepts that have been discussed in lecture or in the readings. So, in using this video, you may demonstrate from chapter 1 how we have to shift our thinking about violence in an effort to solve many of the problems associated with violence and the factors that continue to perpetuate a cycle of violence. You will be raising questions or even critiquing how the story/video is reported. Maybe the reporting contributes to a larger ideology about some point. Be creative. Make it interesting!!! Have fun with this! If you pay attention here, your 8-10 minute presentation will be a breeze.
