Class #9 - 3/18/08

This week's class served three main purposes. I called the first part a housekeeping meeting and reviewed with each of you what you need to do to complete the class for the credit you want. The second part of class was a quick discussion of Question #2 from p 143 of "And Justice for All." And the third part was to talk seriously about your final project for the class and show you some online video to get your creativity stirring.

For your final project you are to create a meaningful and respectful remembrance to the Manzanar camp. To help consider what you might want to include, imagine an archaeologist from the future has only your remembrance and a few other resources to understand the significance of the camp. To complete this project effectively you will need to do some additional research. Be sure to document your sources and include those as part of your project. You may find inspiration and ideas for your project at this website.

An example of this at the graduate school level is the recent documentary film “Pilgrimage,” filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura’s attempt to show the impact of Manzanar on his life and the lives of others. His father and his grandparents were interned at Manzanar. Learn more at:
- Link #1
- Link #2
- Link #3
- Link #4

Try to have fun putting your project together and please take my advice and push yourself beyond what you might otherwise do. It's okay to sweat a bit; in fact, it's encouraged. I'd like you to experience a deep sense of satisfaction for completing this project, even if it means turning it in after next Tuesday. Got it??

Class #8 - 3/11/08

My apologies for not summarizing class #7. Intensives Week last week put me behind on a handful of tasks...

We spent a lot of time this week considering the meaning of Portia's Speech. This resource provides a review opportunity, if you want it.

We also continued our discussion of punishment vs mercy. The critical question addressed had to do with the difference between leniency and mercy. I suggested that mercy provides healing for everyone involved, the one wronged, the wrongdoer, and even the one (or entity) that hands out the "sentence." You need look no further than the bishop and Jean Valjean in Les Miserables to understand this.

A reminder that we only have 2 class sessions left. For next week's class you need to complete the Cluster 4 reading, answer question #1 and be prepared to discuss question #2. You also need to finish reading Manzanar.

Start thinking about your final projects, too. This website providing some history of Manzanar may help.

Homework for 3/18:
Level 2 – Read “The United States v. Susan B. Anthony,” “Dumb Criminal Tales,” “The Truth About Sharks,” & “Martin Luther King, Jr.” from Cluster Four. Provide a typed answer to Question 1 on page 143, and consider Question #2 so you can participate in a class dialogue about it.


Level 3 – Read chapters 20-22 of “Farewell to Manzanar.” Submit a typed, double-spaced answer to the italicized question below.
Explain the significance of chapter 20’s title, “A Double Impulse.” A good answer will demonstrate an understanding of Jeanne’s status as a Japanese-American and what that means in her family and in American society in the 1940’s.

Class #6 - 2/12/08

Hey-hey, another great justice class this week.

We spent a lot of time talking about the "Target Injustice" flier handed to me last Saturday when I entered the Target store at Northgate. Toward the end of the discussion I offered to *trade* the scheduled assignment (summarized below) for students doing some serious research about the complaint outlined in the flier and then making a presentation at our next class (on the 26th). Kienan, Kellen & Alex accepted the offer. Here's a link to the Interfaith Worker Justice, mentioned on the flier.

We addressed the question I gave you last week for "Farewell to Manzanar," the one about Manzanar being an "All-American" city. I raised for dialogue, and your comments echoed, that Houston's description of the camp in these middle chapters makes it sound almost pleasant at times. I told you I wouldn't be doing my job well if I didn't point out that the people there were forced there against their wishes. That they were actually able to make it somewhat livable is a testament to THEM, and not a reflection on the American government or the prevalent racist attitude of most Americans at the time. I hinted at the tough times ahead for Houston and others of Japanese ancestry after the war. Anti-Japanese sentiment was at a high and the discrimination Houston and others faced after the war is disturbing. We'll get into this more in upcoming weeks.

Homework for 2/26:
Level 2: Read “The Quality of Mercy,” “Portia’s Speech,” and “The Bishop’s Candlesticks from Cluster Three. Provide a typed answer to Questions 2 & 3 on page 110.

Level 3: Read chapters 14-16 of “Farewell to Manzanar.” Submit a typed, double-spaced answer to the italicized question below.
This question will best be answered if you do some additional research. Compare & contrast the Hirabayashi, Korematsu and Endo Supreme Court cases summarized at the beginning of chapter 16.

Class #5 - 2/5/08

I made the major focus of this week's class a deeper consideration of the loyalty oath people of Japanese ancestry were expected to sign while in the "relocation camps" during WWII. I highly encourage you to visit this link -- The Question of Loyalty -- to learn more. You can gain further perspective about the bind people felt they were in based on how they answered the questions. You also can click on video links to hear from people interviewed about their dilemmas. There are questions at the bottom of the page, too. If you answer those, you can skip doing this week's writing assignments for both Level 2 & Level 3 (including the Writing Activity for Cluster 2!).

I introduced the concepts of a "Catch-22" situation and "Hobson's Choice." In reviewing these terms further since our class, I'd say the situation in which people found themselves in regard to the loyalty oath was more a Catch-22 than a Hobson's Choice. Learn more about these terms at their Wikipedia links:
- Catch-22
- Hobson's Choice

Lastly, I showed you John Okada's excellent book No No Boy and read to you the preface. I HIGHLY recommend this book if you want to take your understanding further. I'm more than interested in offering a book dialogue class around this novel in the spring if you want.

Homework for 2/12:
-Level 2: Read “Words” from Cluster Two. Provide a typed answer to question 4, finish question 2 (if you have yet to do so), and complete the Writing Activity on page 80.

Level 3: Read chapters 12-13 of “Farewell to Manzanar.” Submit a typed, double-spaced answer to the following question:
Give several examples of how Manzanar is an “All-American” city. Explain this in the context of the Japanese phrase, “shikata ga nai,” meaning “it cannot be helped.”

Class #4 - 1/29/08

Kienan kick-started the class this week through his willingness to present his speech (it wasn't required that you present your speeches, just that you write them and turn them in). He chose "Strip Searches" for his topic and his presentation opened up a great dialogue on whether or not strip searches should EVER be allowed. If you want to take this topic further, there are plenty of Internet articles you could find on the topic. Here is one from The New York Times.

I mentioned the recent series of articles in The Seattle Times about University of Washington football players perhaps getting special treatment when accused of a crime. I think these articles are so relevant to our class, and considering that they were published this week and address a justice question in our own backyard, so to speak, that I'm willing to "trade" you reading them and presenting your take in class in exchange for the Level 2 homework this week.

If you are interested in pursuing this, click Victory and Ruins, from The Seattle Times website. You'll need to read each of the 4 chapters, linked in the upper right of that screen. In class I'll want you to present one of the 4 stories, explaining what happened and then giving your reaction to it. Is it true, do athletes get off easier than other members of our society?

Homework for 2/5:
- Level 2 – Read “And Justice For All,” Shrewd Todie & Lyzer the Miser,” and “justice” from Cluster Two. Provide typed answers to questions 1, 2, & 3 on page 80.
- Level 3 – Read chapters 9-11 of “Farewell to Manzanar.” Submit a typed, double-spaced answer to this question:
How do the interned Japanese-Americans express their anger about being interned? Include in your answer your hypothesis as to why they behaved this way.

Class #3 - 1/22/08

This was a pretty standard class session. We reviewed the homework assignments for both Level 2 & Level 3. I collected the written work and assigned next week's written work. I especially enjoyed our conversation about vigilante justice. If you are interested in considering this topic further, check out the Wikipedia entry here.

Keep in mind, we are going at a quick pace so if you are to keep up you'll need to pay attention and budget your work time outside of class accordingly. Also, please remember to note on your written work the details of the assignment - your name, the class name, and the level & assignment number.

Homework for 1/29:

• Level 2 – Read "Innocent Have I Been Tortured, Innocent Must I Die," "The Law vs. Justice," and "Could a Woman Do That?" from Cluster One. Provide typed answers to questions 3 & 4 plus the Writing Activity on page 50.
  
• Level 3 – Read chapters 5-8 of “Farewell to Manzanar.” Submit a typed, double-spaced answer to this question:
  Compare how Houston describes Papa upon his return to the family in chapter 5 with how she describes his departure at the end of chapter 1. Include in your answer a paragraph about how the family has suffered in papa’s absence. A top-notch answer would also include your thoughts as to why Houston called chapter 5 "Almost a Family."
  

Class #2 - 1/15/08

So are you still thinking after today's class? That was a good dialogue we had, discussing leniency and our criminal justice system.

To recap the class, you completed and discussed two exercises from the "And Justice For All" study guide, "What Do You Think?" and "Evaluating Fairness." The conversation was so good that it took more time than I had planned!

This left us a little less time to discuss the first chapter of "Manzanar" but I think we got the important points covered. Keep in mind that Houston presents her family in 1941 as a typical American family. It just so happens her parents were born in Japan. Also, keep looking for examples of dignity. Papa displays this in chapter one when he is taken away, and you will see Mama display this in chapter two.

I'd like you to read more about Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, the author, at this link.

Homework for 1/22:

• Level 2 – Read the essays “Someone Who Saw” & “Crossing the Line” from Cluster One of "And Justice For All" and complete Questions 1 & 2 on page 50. Submit your answers next week typed & double-spaced.
  
• Level 3 – Read chapters 2-4 of “Farewell to Manzanar.” Submit a typed, double-spaced answer to this question:
  In chapter 2 Mama smashes her china instead of selling it. Explain why she does this, paying special attention to reasons based on cultural pride, dignity and integrity.