RBG Grades 6 - 12 CLASSROOM GUIDE USING DISCUSSION ARTICLES & MEDIA LITERACY SUPPLEMENTAL THIS GUIDE QUESTIONS & REVIEWS RESOURCES RESOURCES POST-VIEWING ABOUT ACTIVITIES THE FILM RBG is an inspiring feature documentary about the life and work of legendary Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A class screening of the film may complement a U.S. Teaching history, government, or gender studies curriculum, and will encourage students to reflect on the importance of the judiciary in determining the rights of oppressed groups, in particular women. Taught in conjunction with this guide, RBG will challenge students to the Film: think critically about the history of sex discrimination and women’s rights in the United States. Discussion questions and supplemental materials facilitate further research into related topics such as partisanship on the Supreme Court, checks and balances, activist judges, motherhood and working women, pop culture icons, and the #MeToo movement. All SFFILM Education materials are developed in alignment with California educational standards for media literacy. SFFILM Education welcomes feedback and questions on all printed study materials. Please direct all comments and queries to Keith Zwölfer, Associate Director of Education: SFFILM 39 Mesa Street, Suite 110 - The Presidio San Francisco, CA 94129-1025 [email protected] 415.561.5040 Content written by Tawnya Dudash. Guide designed by Lizzy Brooks. USING THIS GUIDE ABOUT THE FILM DISCUSSION QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES MEDIA LITERACY SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES ARTICLES AND REVIEWS USING THIS GUIDE Support materials are intended to facilitate group discussion, individual and collaborative creative exercises, subject-based learning and access to This study guide is intended to flexibly support resources for further investigation of material. educators in preparing for and following up on a class Educators are encouraged to adapt and abridge the screening of RGB. content as necessary to meet their unique learning objectives and circumstances. about the film Betsy West and Julie Cohen (USA, 2018) English, 97 min While most Americans think of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a progressive superhero and the beacon of left-leaning thinking on a court that veers ever-rightward, this raucous Recommended Subject Areas: and informative documentary portrait reveals the complex history that brought her to this Gender Studies point. From her legal career as a pioneer of Government gender discrimination cases to her friendship Law with Antonin Scalia to her long and love-filled Political Science marriage, filmmakers West and Cohen reveal a Political Studies deep thinker as well as an icon who lives up to U.S. History her star billing. Women’s Studies “In Betsy West and Julie Cohen’s wide-ranging World/Current Affairs RBG, Ginsburg’s life — and its many lessons, both learned and taught — come to entertaining and energetic life. It’s a fist-pumping, crowd- pleasing documentary that makes one heck of a play to remind people of Ginsburg’s vitality and importance, now more than ever.” – Kate Erbland, IndieWire USING THIS GUIDE ABOUT THE FILM DISCUSSION QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES MEDIA LITERACY SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES ARTICLES AND REVIEWS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Pre-viewing topics and discussion: Post Viewing Discussion: RBG takes place largely in the context of the judicial Characters and Story system. It may be helpful to review the three branches 1. Describe Ruth Bader Ginsburg. of government and discuss how the U.S. court system works. You can refer to the Supplemental Resources • What kind of person is she? What adjectives would section of this guide for support materials. you use to describe her? • What qualities does she have which most enhanced • How are judges, and in particular Supreme Court her ability to succeed? Justices, appointed? • What personal obstacles did she have to overcome? • What is the confirmation process? • How has she changed throughout her life? How has • What do you know about laws that affect equality for she remained the same? women, minorities, and other oppressed groups? • How does Ruth balance her • What rights relating to equality work life and personal life? What are her are there in the US Constitution? interests, and how do those around her support her in striking this balance? Ruth Bader Ginsburg overcomes • Ruth’s political beliefs are liberal many odds to succeed as a law DEscribe ruth and progressive, and yet she was close student, a lawyer, and then a judge. friends with the late Justice Antonin Before watching, ask students to Scalia, one of the most conservative consider their own experiences with bader Ginsburg. justices on the Supreme Court. How discrimination. do you explain their friendship? Could what kind of you be friends with someone who does • Have you or has anyone you not share your religious and/or political know been told you cannot do beliefs? something because of your race, person is she? gender, physical ability, or other difference? How did that make you feel, and what did you do in 2. Describe Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s response? family. • What do you think your life would be like if you were • How do you think Ruth’s mother’s death has born fifty, a hundred, or two hundred years ago? impacted the rest of Ruth’s life? What values did How have things changed since then for women and her mother instill in Ruth? minorities in this country? • What kind of person was her husband, Marty? What • When you think of the adults who raised you, did was his attitude toward Ruth’s career and how did gender impact what roles they performed regarding this affect her? work, home life, and child care? How and why do • What do you think it would be like to have Ruth as a you think that was? mother? A grandmother? A friend? USING THIS GUIDE ABOUT THE FILM DISCUSSION QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES MEDIA LITERACY SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES ARTICLES AND REVIEWS Post Viewing Discussion: 3. Upon graduation from law school, Ruth’s original Context plan did not include a focus on sex discrimination cases, and yet she wound up co-founding the Women’s 1. How has this film affected your opinion about the Rights Project of the ACLU and being one of the most importance of the Supreme Court? influential proponents of ending legalized gender • What connections do you see between the landmark discrimination. cases of the 1970’s and 1980’s and today’s society? • How did Ruth’s personal experiences lead her to • Why is it important to be familiar with the history of focus on arguing sex discrimination cases? the Supreme Court and its decisions? • What strategies did she develop for taking on cases • What direction is the political climate heading today to argue before the Supreme Court? How effective and what are the implications of this? were they? • How has her dedication to ending discrimination 2. Ginsburg was nominated to the Supreme Court in continued in her role as 1993 by Democratic President Supreme Court Justice? Bill Clinton, after which there Why are dissenting was a confirmation hearing and 4. While the names of Supreme subsequent congressional vote to Court Justices may be familiar confirm the nomination. Often, such to some, no other Justice has opinions of the votes are split along party lines. attained the status of pop Yet, despite Ginsburg’s outspoken culture icon, complete with fan opinions in favor of abortion rights sites, merchandise, Halloween supreme court so and equality for women, the vote was costumes, a recurring SNL 96 to 3 in her favor. character, tattoos, and memes. • Why did she have almost • What led to Ruth’s important? unanimous bipartisan support from attainment of this status? congress despite her strong views? • How does she feel about her celebrity? • What does this say about her as a person? • Icon is defined as, “a person or thing regarded as • Do you think this could happen in today’s political a representative symbol of something.” What does climate? Why or why not? Ruth symbolize? 3. As more conservative Justices have been appointed to 5. Supreme Court Justices are not supposed to the Supreme Court by Republican presidents, Ginsburg openly discuss or advertise their opinions on political has increasingly disagreed with the majority opinions. candidates. Yet prior to the 2016 election, Ruth Bader She now often authors the dissenting opinion, and has Ginsburg made highly critical remarks about Donald come to be known as “The Dissenter.” Trump, for which she later apologized. • Some say that Ginsburg’s dissenting opinions are • After more than twenty years as a Supreme Court more significant than her majority ones. How is this Justice, why do you think Ruth did this? possible, since it means that her side lost? • What do you think about her statements and her • Why are dissenting opinions of the Supreme Court apology? so important? • What is your opinion on judges maintaining • What is an example from the film of the impact of a discretion about politics? dissenting opinion? USING THIS GUIDE ABOUT THE FILM DISCUSSION QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES MEDIA LITERACY SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES ARTICLES AND REVIEWS Style and Message/Reading the Film for POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY Media Literacy 1. Why do you think filmmakers Betsy West and Julie 1. Stage a mock trial by selecting 9 Supreme Court Cohen decided to make a film about Ruth Bader Justices who will listen to arguments by “attorneys” Ginsburg? debating controversial subjects such as gun control, • What is their attitude toward their subject and how sanctuary cities or random drug tests in schools. is that conveyed? After the Justices vote, have them write majority and • Who is the intended audience and what is the film’s dissenting opinions and present the reports to the class. message? • Would you say this film is biased or objective in its 2.