Documentary and Social Issues
Synthesis Question
Directions: The following prompt is based on the accompanying seven sources
This question requires you to synthesize a variety of sources into a coherent, well-written essay. Synthesis
refers to combining the sources and your positions to form a cohesive, supported argument and accurately
citing sources. Your argument should be central; the sources should support this argument. Avoid merely
summarizing sources.
Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations.
Introduction:
Whether students are the target, perpetrator, or observer, bullying appears to be a rite of passage in
schoolyards throughout the world. Although bullying is discouraged by parents and school officials, it seems
to be considered a normal part of growing up. However, with the introduction of the Internet and the rise of
chat rooms, blogs, and social networking sites, cyber bullying has become an anonymous way to target and
attack others. ADD
Assignment:
Read the following sources (including the introductory information) carefully. Then, write an essay in which
you develop a position on cyberbullying. Decide whether or not you believe this is a problem that
deserves the attention of people in authority, and if so, where should the responsibility lie? Synthesize at
least three of the sources for support.
Source A – ("Free Cyber Bullying Safety Poster”)
Source B – (Lisante)
Source C – ("Challenging Cyber Bullying”)
Source D – (Patchin)
Source E – ("Cyberbullying Gets 11 Md. High School Students Punished, Report Says")
Source F – (Gardner)
Source G – (O'Mara)
Source A
"Free Cyber Bullying Safety Poster." AvatarGeneration. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.avatargeneration.com/2012/11/free-cyber-bullying-safety-poster/>.
Source B
Lisante, Joan E. "Cyber Bullying: No Muscles Needed." SparkAction. N.p., 3 June 2005. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
<http://sparkaction.org/content/cyber-bullying-no-muscles-needed>.
(Excerpt) When "Chad," a 7th grader, found out his old girlfriend was dissing his new flame, he wasted no time.
Chad headed straight for the computer, and sent Instant Messages threatening to kill his old girlfriend to an extensive
buddy list. Several "buddies" freaked and told their parents, who called the school, which contacted the police.
Ultimately, Chad was banished to another middle school and went to juvenile court, where a judge sentenced him to 25
hours of community service. Unfortunately, about the only unusual thing about this story is that Chad got caught and
was held legally responsible.
I-Safe America, an organization promoting Web safety, surveyed 1500 students in 4th through 8th grade, and
found that 42 percent have been bullied online. And 53 percent admitted to saying something mean or hurtful to
someone else online. Adolescent impulses frequently find release through computers, multi-use cell phones and PDAs.
Often, there's no time for reflection—questionable messages go rocketing off to as many names as you can cram into a
contact list. Unlike Chad, most teens who IM or chat stay on the safe side of the law. This doesn't necessarily preclude
mischief, as 14-year-old "Amber" admits. "Sometimes, I'll make up a fake screen name to scare people I don't like—like
'Robsucks89.'"
…
Source C
"Challenging Cyber Bullying." Be Web Aware. Media Awareness Network.Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.bewebaware.ca/english/cyberbullying.html>.
The anonymity of online communications means kids feel freer to do things online they would never do in the
real world. Media Awareness Network research from 2005 shows that 60 per cent of students pretend to be someone
else when they are online. Of those, 17 per cent do so because they want to "act mean to people and get away with it".
Even if they can be identified online, young people can accuse someone else of using their screen name. They don't
have to own their actions, and if a person can't be identified with an action, fear of punishment is diminished.
…
There are several ways that young people bully others online. They send e-mails or instant messages containing
insults or threats directly to a person. They may also spread hateful comments about a person through e-mail, instant
messaging or postings on Web sites and online diaries. Young people steal passwords and send out threatening e-mails
or instant messages using an assumed identity. Technically savvy kids may build whole Web sites, often with password
protection, to target specific students or teachers.
An increasing number of kids are being bullied by text messages through their cell phones. These phones are
challenging the ability of adults to monitor and guide children because, unlike a computer placed in a public area of a
home, school or library, mobiles are personal, private, connected – and always accessible. Kids tend to keep their
phones on at all times, meaning bullies can harass victims at school or even in their own rooms.
Built-in digital cameras in cell phones are adding a new dimension to the problem. In one case students used a
camera-enabled cell phone to take a photo of an overweight classmate in the shower after gym. The picture was
distributed throughout the school e-mail list within minutes.
Schools are struggling to address the issue of cyber bullying among students, especially when it occurs outside
of school. When real world bullying occurs in a schoolyard or classroom, teachers are often able to intervene, but online
bullying takes place off the radar screen of adults, making it difficult to detect in schools and impossible to monitor off
school property.
Cyber bullying and the law
Young people should be aware that some forms of online bullying are considered criminal acts. Under the
Criminal Code of Canada, it is a crime to communicate repeatedly with someone if your communication causes them to
fear for their own safety or the safety of others. It's also a crime to publish a "defamatory libel" - writing something that
is designed to insult a person or likely to injure a person's reputation by exposing him or her to hatred, contempt or
ridicule.
…
The role of Internet service providers (ISPs) and cell phone service providers
Internet service providers (ISPs) are the companies that provide Internet access to consumers. Most
ISPs have Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) that clearly define privileges and guidelines for those using their services,
and the actions that can be taken if those guidelines are violated. ISPs and cell phone service providers can respond to
reports of cyber bullying over their networks, or help clients track down the appropriate service provider to respond to.
Source D
Patchin, Justin W. "Cyberbullying By Gender." Cyberbullying Research Center 2010 Comments. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
<http://cyberbullying.us/2010-data/>.
Source E
"Cyberbullying Gets 11 Md. High School Students Punished, Report Says." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 01 Nov. 2013.
Web. 03 Nov. 2013. <http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57610295-504083/cyberbullying-gets-11md-high-school-students-punished-report-says/>.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Nearly a dozen high school students in Maryland were disciplined this week for alleged
cyberbullying, reports CBS Baltimore.
Officials say school administrators became aware of the cyberbullying allegations on Monday and by Tuesday,
they had taken action.
…
"We take bullying and cyberbullying very seriously and the consequences are very strict, said Bob Mosier,
Anne Arundel County schools.
At the beginning of the month, a new law took effect in Maryland that makes cyberbullying a minor a
misdemeanor offense, according to the station. The law is nicknamed Grace's Law after 15-year-old Grace McComas.
The Howard County teenager killed herself last Easter after she was cyberbullied relentlessly, reports the station. After
Grace's death, her family lobbied for action.
…
School officials say they will continue to crack down on cyberbullying and, the station reports, Maryland
schools have joined a pilot program with Facebook to try and combat issue.
Source F
Gardner, George. “Survey: Two in Three Teens Not Targets of Cyber Bullying.” Tech.Blorge.Com. 28 June 2007. Web.
3 Nov. 2013. <http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2007/06/28/survey-two-in-three-teens-not-target-of-cyberbullying/>.
A study conducted by the University of New Hampshire in 2000 found 6% of teens who engaged in online
activities were victims of cyber-bullying. Five years later, a survey by the National Children’s Home revealed an
increase, with 20% of teens reporting to have been bullied by electronic means. And today, PEW Internet & American
Life Project’s latest survey reveals one in three teens have experienced online harassment, a substantial growth and
likely to be the highest numbers reported.
But don’t call Guinness just yet; PEW defines cyber-bullying (in this report) as an ‘annoying and potentially
menacing online activity,’ – and the word spam comes to mind; in which case, we’ve all been the victim of online
harassment.
However, a few interesting things came from PEW’s report; the most common form of cyber-bullying
originates in someone making your private information public such as forwarding instant messages and e-mails to other
people without consent, spreading rumors online, and having risque or embarrassing images uploaded to online
galleries.
Among those who are the most likely to be targets of harassment are teens who share their identities and
thoughts online through social networking sites and personal blogs.
…
67% of teens say that bullying and harassment happens more offline than online, proving that this form of
aggression has been been plaguing teens long before the Internet existed; it’s just manifesting itself in a different form
for a digital age.
…
Whether it be the schoolyard bully or the e-bully, the only thing that has changed in recent years is the hype
around bullying on the Internet. Perhaps the only problem with cyber bullying is those who care about it in the first
place.
Given that, we’ll take the ‘glass is half full’ approach and say that 2 out of 3 teens have not been bullied online.
Source G
O'Mara, Mark. "Opinion: Should Parents Be Criminally Liable for Kids' Cyberbullying?" CNN. Cable News Network,
01 Jan. 1970. Web. 03 Nov. 2013. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/18/opinion/omara-parents-cyberbullying/>.
Two girls in Florida, 14 and 12, have been arrested and charged with aggravated stalking – cyber bullying.
They allegedly tormented a 12-year-old girl named Rebecca so relentlessly that last month, Rebecca leapt to her
death from a tower in an abandoned concrete plant.
The arrest came after the following post was made on the 14-year-old's Facebook account: "Yes IK I bullied
REBECCA nd she killed herself but IDGAF." Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said he would charge the parents if he
could, but there were no "obvious charges" against them.
Before filing charges against the girls, Judd asked the parents to bring the girls in for questioning. They refused.
…
But in a case such as this, should willful blindness or gross negligence be criminal? I think they should, and
here's why: If a child kills someone while operating a parent's car, the parents can be held responsible. If a child kills
someone while using a parent's gun, the parent can be held responsible. If a child breaks the law using a computer or
cell phone provided by the parent, how is that different?
Parents need to understand that the technology they give to their children can be used to break the law and
inflict harm. Parents need to understand that allowing their children the privilege of going online comes with
responsibility and liability.
The father of the 14-year-old girl in this case spoke to CNN's Chris Cuomo and said he regularly checks his
daughter's Facebook account. He said his daughter was asleep when the Facebook post was made, and he suspects the
account was hacked. When asked about other online services used by the daughter, Kik and Ask.fm, the parents
indicated they had not heard of them.
Most of today's parents would be astonished by their children's online behavior. But they shouldn't be. Just
because today's parents didn't grow up with social media doesn't mean they can be forgiven for not knowing about it.
…
This issue is urgent and critical, and we need to act before we lose another child.