In preparation for HDOT's (www.hdot.org) spring launch of interactive online lesson plans, we begin a series of reviews of available resources. Please help us design the most useful lessons by submitting your comments.The Canadian nonprofit Media Awareness Network (MAN) has a very helpful website for understanding the conjunction of hate and violence in contemporary media. The site features a special focus on online hate including step-by-step lessons that walk visitors through the complex issues surrounding online speech. As the site notes, "The line between hate speech and free speech is a thin one."
In the "Online Hate" module the site defines hate and explores its implications on the internet and in law. It then details the ways in which hate sites manage their design, content, and their arguments to maximize their appeal, particularly to impressionable audiences. Finally, the module offer various strategies for responding to online hate.
MAN's website also has a great deal of other information including complete lesson plans with in-class overheads, activities and handouts ready to be printed from the site. Each article is supplemented with links to additional reading that can be used in more advanced settings. While most of their site is geared towards children, teens and their parents and teachers, the content speaks to a wide swath of adults who were never trained for the digital world in which we find ourselves.
