By Deliberating in a Democracy in the Americas

This lesson is designed to promote the teaching and learning of democratic principles and the skills of civic deliberation. Students complete a reading (available in English, Spanish, and Audio-English) and engage in a Structured Academic Controversy.

Question for deliberation:
Should our democracy block Internet content to protect national security?

Objectives

At the conclusion of this lesson, students will be able to:
-Define censorship.
-Explain the fundamental role of freedom of expression in a democratic society.
-Identify at least three reasons to support and three reasons to oppose blocking Internet
content in the name of national security.
-Appreciate the tension between individual freedom of expression and collective national
security in a democracy.
-Identify areas of agreement and disagreement with other students.
-Reach a decision, individually and collectively, on the deliberation issue using evidence and
sound reasoning.
-Explain the importance of deliberating this question in a democratic society.

Go to: Freedom of Expression (DDA)

Source

The initiative is conducted by the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago (CRFC), the Constitutional Rights Foundation in Los Angeles (CRF) and Street Law, Inc. with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.