Critical Conversations home
Primary Materials
Pedagogies
Interactive Forum
Links

Pedagogies

The U.S.A. Patriot Act, Nationalism, and Intellectual Freedom

We are seeking your suggestions for the pedagogies page. Please send us your assignments and syllabi.

A. Discussion Questions

  1. Discuss the different perceptions of the words “nationalism” and “patriotism.” In what ways does the Patriot Act challenge or support existing notions of patriotism or nationalism?
  2. Discuss the juxtaposition of the name of the act with its premise, "united we stand." How does the Patriot Act encourage or discourage national unity?
  3. Discuss the manner in which the Patriot Act was passed. What were the particular circumstances that influenced the debate at the time of passage?
  4. Research some of the groups and individuals that have supported or opposed the Patriot Act. Summarize the arguments in favor of the act and against the act.
  5. Since the passage of the Patriot Act, the Justice Department has targeted individuals from selected countries for surveillance, interviewing, and fingerprinting, a policy that Amnesty International USA says is “tantamount to racial discrimination.” In what ways do you think issues of race have influenced the creation, passage, or implementation of the Patriot Act? Are there any actions taken by the U.S. government as a result of the act that you would describe as racist?
  6. How does the Patriot Act fit into a larger national strategy called “The War on Terrorism”? What particular actions have been defined as patriotic or unpatriotic in this time of “war”?
  7. Examine the tension between liberty and security in the United States, currently as well as historically. Students may want to examine the Alien Act of 1798 and the Sedition Act of 1798; the passage of the Espionage Act and another Sedition Act during World War I; the issue of Japanese internment during World War II; McCarthyism; the FBI's domestic counterintelligence programs (COINTILPRO).
  8. On its website, Preserving Life and Liberty , the United States Department of Justice claims: "The Department of Justice’s first priority is to prevent future terrorist attacks. Since its passage following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Patriot Act has played a key part - and often the leading role - in a number of successful operations to protect innocent Americans from the deadly plans of terrorists dedicated to destroying America and our way of life. While the results have been important, in passing the Patriot Act, Congress provided for only modest, incremental changes in the law. Congress simply took existing legal principles and retrofitted them to preserve the lives and liberty of the American people from the challenges posed by a global terrorist network." After researching the Patriot Act, do you agree with the Department’s assessment?

B. Assignments/Syllabi

We are awaiting your suggestions.

C. Texts/Films