WebQuest: Hero, Anarchist, Terrorist?

A WebQuest on Telling the Difference

by Tom March based on his earlier Terrorist or Freedom Fighter?

Introduction

People should not be afraid of their governments;

Governments should be afraid of their people.

View the trailer: V for Vendetta

It’s important to move beyond sound bites and look more closely at real examples of what are considered Terrorist acts. Why should you bother? Without a doubt you will be paying for the current War on Terror and you may even be called upon to fight in it. So let’s get clearer on what we’re talking about…

The Question

The main question you will find an answer for is:

When is a hero a terrorist and when is a terrorist a hero?

Task: As a team you will survey a collection of definitions, then apply what you have learned to individual examples (or Cases). Finally, through a group process, you will evaluate this range of real life cases to explain the difference between heroes and terrorists. Given that you are reading V for Vendetta in depth, it would be useful to also consider anarchists.  Use this Venn diagram to map out your thinking at this stage.

Background Information

Before becoming an expert on one example of a ‘Hero’ or ‘Terrorist’, let’s learn how some experts define it. Use the links below to choose or create a definition of ‘Terrorism’ that everyone on your team agrees with. Then move onto your individual roles.
Important points to make sure you consider in the definition you create are included in a Definition Worksheet (Word .doc).  Use the links below to sharpen your thinking.

Individual Cases

Now that you have come to a common understanding of what ‘terrorism’ is, it’s time to look at specific examples and apply the definition to the real world. Because the main question for this WebQuest is very complex, it’s a good idea to have a few people working on it at one time. Team members will now become experts on different cases / examples of ‘heroism and terrorism.’ With your teacher’s help, decide how many people will work together in groups (from 7?) and whether each case should have one or more students working on it within each group. It’s best if students can choose their own cases, but it’s actually most appropriate if the groups are thrown together, not necessarily made up of best friends (this gets you involved in problem-solving complex decisions with people you may not have chosen to work with - a lot like what happens in real world relations).

To focus your research, click to download a Case Worksheet (Word .doc).

Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes

Josef Mengele

Che Guevara

Nelson Mandela & the ANC

The Black Panthers

MugabeRobert Mugabe

WatsonEco-Terrorism

Group Synthesis

At the beginning of this WebQuest, you were asked the Question: What makes a terrorist a hero or a hero a terrorist? The answer isn’t so simple, is it? As writer John Feffer says in Who’s A Terrorist?)

The term ‘terrorist’ is controversial. The U.S. government has in the past supported groups that could easily be labeled terrorist, from the Contras in Nicaragua to RENAMO in Mozambique.’

Here a few Web pages that make this point:

Task: You learned so much by choosing / creating your own working definition of terrorism and then looking carefully at one example / case. Now, through a group process, you will distinguish between these cases in an effort to decide when an act is heroism or terrorism. You are not responsible for deciding whether each of these causes is right or wrong - but specifically if an example act is more about terrorism or freedom (this is hard enough!)

Your team might find it helpful to read through the following articles to help if the last exercise or group discussions bring your team to revise its definition of terrorism.

Use this Group Worksheet to move through the process of analysing each of the Cases individually and then in comparison. In short, you will use the downloaded Grid and the graphic below to ‘Place’ each example your team studied somewhere along the continuum. Your group must use a consensus decision making process. Later you will be able to state your own personal decision, but this group task is an exercise in seeing how it feels to reach an agreement that may not be totally to your liking.

Your WebQuest team should complete the Group Worksheet. You must order the cases listed below at unique places along the continuum. They do not have to be spaced evenly (all could be on one end of the scale or the other), but they can’t ’stack up’ on the same place. It will be tough - and somewhat artificial - but the task should sharpen your thinking and arguments.

Place Cases

Continuum

On the Worksheet you will be able to Drag the icons below onto the spot along the continuum that you decide on. The icons for the cases are not listed in any particular order below.

Now it’s time to finally address the big Question for this WebQuest:

When is a hero a terrorist and when is a terrorist a hero?

You are now to answer this question individually so that your personal opinion can be expressed as you want. In your essay you should consider what you analysed in the Assessment Table at the beginning of the group handout. If you need help on writing a persuasive essay there are many online resources to help you. One good one is The Paradigm Online Writing Assistant.

Putting the Learning to Work

What should you do once you have come such a long way? Don’t you feel like doing something? Use what you have learned about fighting for causes (just and otherwise) and apply your understanding to Action. Reach out into the Real World by using one of the 198 ideas listed below, then contact your Prime Minister, minister for foreign affairs, local member of parliament, Your Times, Illawarra Mercury, or students in other parts of the world.

Oh, and about the Action you take, we’d like to suggest something nonviolent…

Real World Feedback:

Try one of these 198 methods of Nonviolent Protest and Persuasion

Conclusion

You deserve a lot of praise for all the work you’ve done. And so does your brain. You’ve sure put the gray stuff to the test. You gained background information, developed expertise in one particular area and got into some pretty expert analysis. At times, you must have felt confused with ideas spinning every which way. That’s normal when you’re building new mental connections. How will you use these ideas and strategies as you continue to grow and learn? It’s all up to you. Before leaving off, how about one more challenge?

Note: If you would like to pursue your thinking on how US actions in the War on Terror relate to your definition of terrorism, you can try this Insight Reflector.