Social Justice Unit 6

Unit Plan:  The Future of Social Justice in the US
Focus--Exploring historical and contemporary perspectives on social justice through literature memoirs and political discourse
Week 1
Social Justice in the Age of Technology and Globalization
Essential Questions
  • How do digital technologies impact social justice such as surveillance digital divide misinformation
  • How have global justice movements shaped US policies
Public Domain Readings
1 1984 by George Orwell 1949 – Discusses surveillance and government control
Link Project Gutenberg Not available in US but in other countries
2 Democracy and Education by John Dewey 1916 – Examines the role of education in an evolving society
Link Full Text on Gutenberg httpswwwgutenbergorgebooks852
3 Excerpts from The Souls of Black Folk by WEB Du Bois 1903 – Discusses systemic racial justice issues
Link Full Text on Project Gutenberg httpswwwgutenbergorgebooks408
Activities
  • Discussion Debate the role of technology in justice does it help or hinder
  • Comparative Analysis Relate Orwells surveillance state to modern digital privacy concerns
  • Creative Writing Write a dystopian or utopian short story about social justice in 2050
Week 2 Rethinking Justice Restorative vs Retributive Approaches
Essential Questions
  • What are the differences between restorative and retributive justice
  • How could restorative justice reshape American society
Public Domain Readings
1 Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky 1866 – A philosophical exploration of justice and guilt
Link Full Text on Project Gutenberg httpswwwgutenbergorgebooks2554
2 On the Duty of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau 1849 – Advocates for moral resistance to unjust laws
Link Full Text on Gutenberg httpswwwgutenbergorgebooks71
3 Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass 1845 – Discusses justice from the perspective of an escaped slave
Link Full Text on Project Gutenberg httpswwwgutenbergorgebooks23
Activities
  • Comparative Reading How do Dostoevsky and Douglass address justice
  • Socratic Seminar Should restorative justice replace punitive systems
  • Creative Writing Write a courtroom monologue arguing for a restorative justice approach
Week 3 Building a More Just Society Policy Solutions and Grassroots Actions
Essential Questions
  • What policies and grassroots movements have historically advanced social justice
  • What structural changes are needed to build a more equitable society
Public Domain Readings
1 The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels 1848 – A foundational text on economic justice
Link Full Text on Project Gutenberg httpswwwgutenbergorgebooks61
2 Women and Economics by Charlotte Perkins Gilman 1898 – Discusses gender and economic justice
Link Full Text on Project Gutenberg httpswwwgutenbergorgebooks10631
3 Up from Slavery by Booker T Washington 1901 – Memoir on education and economic empowerment
Link Full Text on Project Gutenberg httpswwwgutenbergorgebooks2376
Activities
  • Policy Analysis Compare Marxs views on economic justice to modern policies like Universal Basic Income
  • Grassroots Case Study Research and present on a successful grassroots movement
  • Creative Writing Write a legislative proposal for a social justice issue of choice
Final Assessment
  • Option 1 Write an argumentative essay on one of the units essential questions
  • Option 2 Create a multimedia presentation envisioning the future of social justice in the US
  • Option 3 Write a fictionalized first person account of a historical or future activists experience
This unit integrates classic public domain texts with contemporary issues to encourage deep thinking about the future of justice in the US
The following activities include AI tools that enhance student engagement, provide data-driven insights, and facilitate personalized learning. 
Week 1: Social Justice in the Age of Technology and Globalization
Group AI-Integrated Activities
  1. AI Debate Partner (ChatGPT or Claude AI)
    • Task: Students engage in a structured AI-assisted debate on whether technology helps or hinders social justice.
    • AI Source: ChatGPT (for structured counterarguments and refining debate points).
  2. Comparative Analysis Using AI Summarization (Perplexity AI or Claude AI)
    • Task: Students input Orwell’s 1984 and contemporary digital privacy laws into an AI text summarizer, then compare how surveillance has evolved.
    • AI Source: Perplexity AI (for extracting key themes in both sources).
Individual AI-Integrated Activities
  1. AI-Generated Utopian/Dystopian Story Builder (Sudowrite AI)
    • Task: Students write a dystopian or utopian short story about social justice in 2050, using AI to generate initial prompts or enhance their writing.
    • AI Source: Sudowrite AI (for generating writing prompts and stylistic suggestions).
  2. AI-Generated Visual Representation (DALL·E AI)
    • Task: Students create AI-generated art depicting a utopian or dystopian future based on their story.
    • AI Source: DALL·E AI (for generating visual representations).
Week 2: Rethinking Justice – Restorative vs. Retributive Approaches
Group AI-Integrated Activities
  1. Restorative Justice Role-Playing (ChatGPT for Character Dialogue)
    • Task: Students use AI-generated dialogue to simulate a courtroom discussion between a restorative justice advocate and a retributive justice proponent.
    • AI Source: ChatGPT (for AI-assisted dialogue generation).
  2. AI-Generated Comparative Reading Summary (Claude AI)
    • Task: Students input key passages from Crime and Punishment and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass into an AI summary tool to compare perspectives on justice.
    • AI Source: Claude AI (for summarizing and comparing philosophical perspectives).
Individual AI-Integrated Activities
  1. AI-Assisted Argument Builder (DebateAI or ChatGPT)
    • Task: Students prepare a monologue arguing for or against restorative justice, using AI to refine their reasoning.
    • AI Source: DebateAI (for structuring logical arguments).
  2. AI-Generated Courtroom Speech (ElevenLabs AI for Speech Generation)
    • Task: Students write and record their courtroom monologues using AI voice tools for presentation.
    • AI Source: ElevenLabs AI (for realistic voice synthesis).
Week 3: Building a More Just Society – Policy Solutions and Grassroots Actions
Group AI-Integrated Activities
  1. AI Policy Simulation (PolicyAI)
    • Task: Students input historical policies and contemporary UBI proposals into AI to simulate possible outcomes of economic justice policies.
    • AI Source: PolicyAI (for generating simulated policy impacts).
  2. AI-Powered Grassroots Movement Analysis (Perplexity AI)
    • Task: Students analyze how social justice movements (e.g., labor rights, civil rights) have influenced policy, using AI for summarization.
    • AI Source: Perplexity AI (for researching grassroots movements).
Individual AI-Integrated Activities
  1. AI-Assisted Legislative Proposal Writing (Sudowrite AI)
    • Task: Students draft a legislative proposal for a social justice issue, using AI for refinement and structuring.
    • AI Source: Sudowrite AI (for structuring and enhancing writing).
  2. AI-Generated Speech for a Social Justice Movement (ElevenLabs AI)
    • Task: Students write and generate a speech advocating for their proposed legislation, using AI to create an audio version.
    • AI Source: ElevenLabs AI (for voice synthesis).
Final Assessment AI-Integrated Options
  1. AI-Assisted Argumentative Essay (Sudowrite AI or ChatGPT for Refinement)
    • Task: Write an argumentative essay on one of the unit’s essential questions.
    • AI Source: Sudowrite AI or ChatGPT (for outlining, revising, and polishing).
  2. AI-Generated Multimedia Presentation (DALL·E + ElevenLabs AI)
    • Task: Create a multimedia presentation envisioning the future of social justice in the U.S.
    • AI Source: DALL·E (for visuals) + ElevenLabs AI (for narration).
  3. AI-Aided Historical or Future Fiction Account (Sudowrite AI for Story Development)
    • Task: Write a first-person fictionalized account of a historical or future activist’s experience.
    • AI Source: Sudowrite AI (for narrative development).
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