"Becoming a Peer and a Leader" Supplemental Content: Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions: 

• In his book How Not to Get Shot, author and comedian D.L. Hughley Links to an external site. writes about getting advice from people that do not fully understand a situation. "Don't look like a criminal" and "just comply with police" are two that he covers. Often this advice takes the form of a cliche: "just choose to be happy," "at least they are in a better place," and "just think about how hard your ancestors had it, and your life won't seem so bad." Think about the bad advice that you have received in your life. Then answer the following questions:
  • Did the person giving you the advice try to understand your life?
  • Can you clearly express what the person was trying to convince you to do?
  • What could they have done differently?
  • What could they have done to understand your situation better?
  • What steps would you need to take to prevent doing the same to others?
• You are serving on a jury that is tasked with determining whether a person has violated a law that you consider an unjust law. The evidence clearly suggests that the accused person is guilty of violating the unjust law. Do you find the accused guilty or not guilty? 
• Consider the interdisciplinary connections between rhetoric and argument ("Olympic Speaking"), team dynamics ("Working in Teams"), and the process of engaging in citizenship ("Citizenship: Democracy and the Rule of Law"). How do you see yourself navigating this subject through all three disciplines?