Justice Studies for ESL

Center for International Studies at Huey Deng High School

T. Kathy
Guiding Questions: Think about your understanding of bias, stereotype,
prejudice, discrimination and privilege. These concepts work in
collaboration with justice. Can we have a just world where prejudice and
discrimination exist? What part does privilege play?
Contents:
Vocabulary
How privileged am I?
What is Justice?
5 Anchor Standards
Taiwans Secret Cancer

BIAS: automatic preference

Thegovernmenthasaccusedthemediaof bias.

Reporters must beimpartialand not

showpoliticalbias.
There wasclearevidenceof
astrongbiasagainsther.

There has always been

aslightbiasinfavorof/towardsemploying
artsgraduatesin thecompany.

Biases 101 Video

Stereotype: overgeneralization of a group

racial/sexualstereotypes

He
doesn'tconformto/fit/fillthenationalster
eo-typeofaFrenchman.

Thecharactersin thebookare just

stereotypes.

11 Worst
Stereotypical Asian Males in Movies

Prejudice: reinforced bias

Laws againstracialprejudice must bestrictlyenforced.

[+ that]Thecampaignaimstodispelthe
prejudicethatAIDSis confinedto
thehomosexualcommunity.

Heclaimsthat
prejudiceagainsthomosexualswouldceaseovernight
if all thegaystarsin
thecountrywerehonestabouttheirsexuality.

Discrimination

racial/sex/agediscrimination

Until 1986 mostcompanieswould

notevenallowwomen to take the examinations,
but suchblatantdiscrimination is
nowdisappearing.
1986

Prejudice and Discrimina

tion Video

Privilege

Healthcare should be aright, not a

privilege.
Seniormanagementenjoycertainprivile
ges, such ascompanycars
andprivatehealthcare.

25 Invisible Benefits of Gaming While Male

Vocabulary Matching
A. Privilege

B.
Discriminatio
n

1. a fixed idea of someone or something

that categorizes a group of people.

2.anautomatic choice, preference about

someone or a group, unconscious

3. treating people poorly because they

C. Prejudice

D. Stereotype

are different from you, have a difference

skin color or race

4. choosing to
supportoropposeaparticular personor

Activity: How Privileged Am I?

Reflect:
What was your score?
The closer to 20 your score, the more
opportunities you have in your life.
What do you understand about privilege and
justice from this exercise?

What is Justice?
Example sentences:
Example sentences:
1.Thesightofpeoplesuffering
1. There's no justice in
arouseadeepsenseofinjustic
theworldwhenpeoplecan e in her.
be made tosufferlike that.

2.They wereawareof the

2. Thewinnerhas
injustices of thesystem.
beendisqualifiedforcheating,
so justice has been done(=

afairsituationhas
beenachieved).

3. ______________________________

The 5 Anchor Standards:

Talking About Justice

1. Recognize stereotypes and relate to people as

individuals rather than representatives of groups.
2. Recognize unfairness on the individual level (e.g.,
biased speech) and injustice at the institutional or
systemic level (e.g., discrimination).
3. Analyze the harmful impact of bias and injustice on the
world, historically and today.
4. Recognize that power and privilege influence
relationships on interpersonal, intergroup and
institutional levels and consider how they have been
affected by those dynamics.
5. Identify key figures and groups, seminal events and a
variety of strategies and philosophies relevant to the
history of social justice action around the world.

Scenario 1

Shawna timidly approaches her teacher, Mr. Bradley,

after school. She explains that her uncle, who picks
her up from school, frequently says negative things
about Western people, and it has been making her feel
uncomfortable. He says that I shouldnt be friends
with Renee and Jeffrey anymore because their fathers
are American, Shawna says, but I love all my
friends! Mr. Bradley tells Shawna that hes proud of
her and is sorry that she has to deal with something so
difficult. He knows that Shawnas parents would never
approve of the way her uncle is talking and promises
to call them that evening to discuss the situation.
Think about Shawnas story. Which of the five Justice anchor standards are
demonstrated?

Scenario 2

A class is discussing products made in China and

products made in Taiwan. Kelly mentions seeing on TV
that most of the clothes sold are made in other
countries where workers arent protected the way
Taiwanese laborers are. She notes that even though
workers conditions have improved, it doesnt mean
that we should ignore injustice elsewhere. She and
several other students are inspired to go home and
talk to their parents about purchasing clothes from
companies that practice ethical manufacturing. They
also plan to set up a clothes swap to help reduce
wastefulness.
Which of the five Justice anchor standards are demonstrated in Kellys
story?

Scenario 3

While Mrs. Douglass class is discussing immigration,

some of the students start talking negatively about a
Vietnamese student in another class, accusing his family
of immigrating illegally. Julian speaks up, telling his
classmates that its not appropriate to use stereotypes
and spread rumors about others. Julian tells them that the
students family immigrated because they believe life in
Taiwan offers more opportunities. He urges his classmates
to respect their decision and says that the familys status
is none of their business. Life must be hard enough
moving to a strange new country, he says. Dont make it
harder for him by saying that he doesnt belong.

Think about Mrs. Douglass class story. Which of the five Justice anchor standards are demonstrated?

Scenario 4

Karen notices that many of her schools

facilities are not accessible to those with
disabilities. Many students have difficulty
navigating the school and are often late to
class as a result. Karen decides to look into
building plans to determine if any
accommodations are available for those in the
community with physical limitations. She
forms a focus group of students and faculty
to come up with effective solutions to the
situation.

Taiwans Secret Cancer

More than 1,500 former workers at a television factory
in Taiwan have been diagnosed with cancer.
The company admits that it dumped hazardous
waste, polluting the land and poisoning groundwater.
But didRCA (Radio Corporation of America)recklessly
expose its employees to cancer-causing chemicals?
For nearly two decades, sick workers have been
waging a David and Goliath battle as they seek
justice in the courts for their suffering.
David and Goliath ( 5 min animation) https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS9-0kmA90I

Watch Taiwans Secret Cancer Video (25 min.)

Vocabulary:
Whistleblowers

Labor activist,
lawsuit ,
carcinogen , carcinogenic,
contamination, contaminate ,
compensate

Timeline:

1975-1991 RCA failed 8 Taiwan Labor Ministry health tests

1984- fire in RCA warehouses destroy all company and
government records
1992 RCA factory closed down
1994 Workers begin to link sicknesses with RCA
1998- 1000 workers sue RCA
2006- Volunteer Legal Team file Taiwans first Class Action
Lawsuit against RCA and parent companies
2009- First worker testifies in court
April 15, 2015- The court ruled in favor of the victims but for
only 1/5 the amount and not everyone was compensated

Questions

1. What was the dark side of Taiwanese economic development?

2. Who is the company? Parent companies?

3. RCA took 3 environmental surveys and didnt tell their workers.

What example of injustice is this?

4. Why couldnt Taiwan hit RCA on legal penalties for polluting the
soil and water?

5. How were white collar workers privileged over blue collar workers?

6. Not only was groundwater contaminated, but so was the _____. RCA
was recirculating contaminated air and not f________ it out.

6. How was Taiwanese scientific methodology different than those

from RCA?

7. Why didnt the workers think justice was not done?

8. What did the workers unanimously vote to do? What is the risk of
that decision? What would you do?