“The 13th” Documentary and Civil Rights today: Mass Incarceration and the New Jim Crow”

Discussion Questions  (Choose two for reflection on the discussion board)

• What
  examples does the film make to support the argument that people have
  been subconsciously conditioned to fear black men (or POC generally) at
  the behest of the media? What examples can you think of from the content
  in previous modules that also illustrate the role of the media in
  shaping concepts of race (such as  printed materials, ads, radio songs,
  books, etc for earlier history)?
• What are the film examples on
  ALEC and the prison industrial complex? How does this relate to the
  military industrial complex we studied previously in the Cold War
  module?
• The film argues that there is a direct link between the
  end of American slavery and the modern American prison system. What
  examples does the filmmaker provide to illustrate this argument? What
  happened to former slaves during Reconstruction that relates to the
  modern prison system?
• Ultimately, this film is a call to action for Americans. How do we meaningfully fight institutionalized racism today?