Reading and Writing Workshop
Unit 2 – Law Enforcement and Society
Unit Focus:
Explore the historical evolution of policing in the United States, strategies used by law enforcement, accountability mechanisms, and issues of bias and discrimination. Analyze public documents and historical texts to build evidence-based arguments and personal responses.
Session 1: The Origins of Policing in the U.S.
Focus Question:
How did early American policing evolve from colonial models and slave patrols?
Primary Reading:
Session 2: Principles of Policing
Focus Question:
What guiding principles should define ethical and effective policing?
Primary Reading:
Session 3: Use of Force and Constitutional Limits
Focus Question:
How does the U.S. Constitution shape police powers and limits?
Primary Reading:
Session 4: Race, Bias, and Accountability
Focus Question:
How do racial profiling and systemic bias affect law enforcement legitimacy?
Primary Reading:
Workshop Assessment Options
Analytical Essay:
Choose one of the workshop readings and write a formal analysis of the author’s rhetorical strategies and how they reveal deeper truths about law enforcement or justice.
Position Paper:
Write a 1–2 page paper arguing for or against a specific policing reform (e.g., body cameras, SRO removal, civilian oversight), incorporating at least two readings from the workshop as supporting evidence.
Unit Focus:
Explore the historical evolution of policing in the United States, strategies used by law enforcement, accountability mechanisms, and issues of bias and discrimination. Analyze public documents and historical texts to build evidence-based arguments and personal responses.
Session 1: The Origins of Policing in the U.S.
Focus Question:
How did early American policing evolve from colonial models and slave patrols?
Primary Reading:
- W.E.B. Du Bois – "The Spawn of Slavery" (from The Crisis, 1919)
Full Text: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/31220/pg31220-images.html
- Guided annotation: Identify Du Bois’ critique of Southern policing and the connection to racial control.
- Discuss how these historical roots impact modern debates about policing.
- Writing Prompt: Write a historical response essay explaining how early American policing was shaped by racial and economic power structures.
Session 2: Principles of Policing
Focus Question:
What guiding principles should define ethical and effective policing?
Primary Reading:
- Sir Robert Peel’s Nine Principles of Policing
Text: https://www.theiacp.org/resources/document/peels-principles
- SOAPSTone organizer: Analyze Peel’s purpose, audience, and tone.
- Compare principles with modern police department mission statements.
- Writing Prompt: Which of Peel’s principles remain relevant today, and which need revision? Write a short essay supporting your position.
Session 3: Use of Force and Constitutional Limits
Focus Question:
How does the U.S. Constitution shape police powers and limits?
Primary Reading:
- U.S. Constitution – Fourth Amendment (Search and Seizure)
Text: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript - U.S. Supreme Court Case Summary – Terry v. Ohio (1968)
Summary and Excerpts: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/392/1/
- In pairs, students read the Fourth Amendment and summarize its implications for policing.
- Then, read key excerpts from Terry v. Ohio and discuss what “reasonable suspicion” means.
- Writing Prompt: Write an argument explaining whether stop-and-frisk policies violate the spirit of the Fourth Amendment.
Session 4: Race, Bias, and Accountability
Focus Question:
How do racial profiling and systemic bias affect law enforcement legitimacy?
Primary Reading:
- Frederick Douglass – “The Law of Slavery and the Law of Liberty” (1857 speech)
Full Text: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20262/20262-h/20262-h.htm
- Close reading: Annotate the section where Douglass discusses unequal application of law.
- Connect to modern issues (e.g., racial profiling, sentencing disparities).
- Writing Prompt: Using Douglass and current examples, write a reflective essay on how unequal treatment under the law undermines justice.
Workshop Assessment Options
Analytical Essay:
Choose one of the workshop readings and write a formal analysis of the author’s rhetorical strategies and how they reveal deeper truths about law enforcement or justice.
Position Paper:
Write a 1–2 page paper arguing for or against a specific policing reform (e.g., body cameras, SRO removal, civilian oversight), incorporating at least two readings from the workshop as supporting evidence.