Brush Up – Topic: Censorship

Warm Up

Is it possible to balance freedom of expression with moral and social responsibilities?

https://www.ted.com/talks/david_puttnam_what_happens_when_the_media_s_priority_is_profit#t-313472

1. Freedom of the Press

 Students read the text and answer the questions in groups.

2. Cyberspace

 Brainstorm students on what they consider to be indecent and offensive.

 List student’s suggestions on the board.
 Students use this list to create definitions for the words ‘indecent’ and ‘offensive’.
 Students read the passage and discuss the questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkJS0IzZREk

3. Dwarf Throwing

 Tell students to read the text (which is all true), but not to answer the questions.
 What it must have been like for the dwarfs? How would you have felt in the same situation?

Listening

 Students listen to an Australian, Dave, describing his experience, and answer these questions:

1) How did Dave get involved in dwarf throwing?

2) What protection did they use after the first time?

3) Why did the ‘humanitarians’ object to dwarf throwing and how did they find out about it?

4) Did they understand dwarf problems?

5) What kinds of things are humiliating for dwarfs?

6) What were the good points about dwarf throwing?

4. Human Rights

 Show students this photo of a red carnation and ask them to say what spring to mind when they see it. Ask
them if there is any message behind this street art.
  Write AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL on the board and ask students what they know about this organisation.
 Ask students to define a human right and to give concrete examples of human rights and abuses of human
rights.

Short Film

 Students are going to watch a short video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=271&v=hTlrSYbCbHE which explains The Universal
Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted by the UN in 1948.
 Ask students to check if the answers in the previous activity were correct.
 Students are going to watch a short film https://vimeo.com/24146622 which celebrates the 50th
anniversary of Amnesty International in the US. They should spot which human rights abuses are shown
in the film.

Student’s Worksheets

 Do question 1 as a whole class activity, to test how liberal the students are. If the general consensus is that
none of these rights should be infringed on, tell students to move directly on to the next questions and
discuss them in groups.