Korematsu and Due Process Debate

1. To familiarize the students with asserting the relevant actions, values and legal bases contained in a court case.
2. To develop the critical thinking and problem solving skills necessary for analyzing the reasoning of a court case and being able to debate the merits of the decision.

Objective:

Given a verbal and written description of a case study situation appropriate to the grade level involving a values conflict, students will be able to identify logical arguments and reasoning appropriate to each side’s position.

1. Using the ConLaw website, the students will bring up Korematsu v. United States Supreme Court Case. The students will also be given a hand out on the Fifth Amendment "Due Process". The students will analyze the facts of the case. The students will read the facts of the Korematsu case and then complete the Actions Values portion of Project Legal.
2. The class will be divided into two groups; each group will take one of the two sides in the Korematsu case. Each group will make a Power Point presentation based on why they believe that their side is just [each group should had at least ten facts or points in their presentation]. After both sides have made their presentations they class will debate the merits of each point.

The students will write on the blackboard, under the word vocabulary, any words they do not understand or know. For homework the entire class will go home and look up the words and write a complete original sentence with the word.

Vocabulary

A Power Point presentation, with notes and a hard copy of the presentation

Two to three class meetings

Frederick Coscia