ASCJ 210: Contours of Change in Media & Communication

What is the central trade-off for the public identified in They Know Everything About You?

Privacy for Convenience

1. FILL IN THE BLANKS: According to They Know Everything About You, the U.S. government used _____________________ as a reason to invade individual citizen’s privacy on the internet, citing the need to prevent _______________________.

the events of September 11, 2001; terrorist attacks

 The author of 1984 is ______________________ and the author of Brave New World is ______________________.

George Orwell; Aldous Huxley

The 4th Amendment guards against which of the following?

Unreasonable searches and seizures by government only

Prof. Scheer’s favorite quote is from President George Washington’s

“the impostures of pretended patriotism”

Documents released by Snowden to The Washington Post in the course of his whistleblowing revealed a massive “black budget,” which is defined as:

expenditures for intelligence and national security agencies such as the NSA and the CIA that are not reviewable by the public, or even most members of Congress

How much of the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation of the CIA's Enhanced Interrogation Techniques was released to the public as noted in the film The Report?

The executive summary only, with extensive redactions

TRUE/FALSE: In the business model of the internet, your information and data is the commodity being sold. You’re not the customer, you’re the mark.

True

Which organization governs the Gaza Strip and has been involved in conflicts in the region?

Hamas

TRUE / FALSE: As discussed in Chapter 7 of They Know Everything About You, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, was waterboarded almost 200 times, but was never inter

True

Which whistleblower was prosecuted with charges related to revelations about the CIA torture program?

John Kiriakou

Under the Biden administration, what role has the United States played in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict?

The U.S. has consistently supported Israel, offering diplomatic, financial, and military assistance.

When the Pentagon Papers were leaked by a whistleblower, what was contained in the documents?

A top-secret Pentagon study of U.S. government decision-making in relation to the Vietnam War.

TRUE/FALSE: Enhanced interrogation proved to be a successful way of gaining reliable information?

False

TRUE/FALSE:The military-industrial complex refers to a huge private sector dedicated to military arms which has become a huge source of power in our society.

True

What is the main difference between George Orwell and Aldous Huxley’s visions of future and dystopian methods of control, as outlined in an open letter from Huxley to Orwell in 1949?

Orwell's dystopia emphasizes control through fear and oppression, whereas Huxley's vision relies on control through pleasure and voluntary submission.

TRUE/FALSE: In They Know Everything About You, Robert Scheer argues that the convenience of online activities, like shopping, has not led to any significant loss of personal liberties or privacy for Americans.

False

If Julian Assange is found guilty, it sets a terrible precedent that puts all _____ at risk.

Publishers

CHOOSE ONE: Which U.S. President first uttered the phrase “military industrial complex”?

Eisenhower

TRUE / FALSE: An “opt-out” model of data collection is generally considered to provide stronger privacy protections than an “opt-in” model.

False

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY: In the book They Everything About You, Scheer argues that whistleblowers:

1. Are needed

2. Help society

CHOOSE ONE: Which of the following is cited as a primary factor contributing to Americans’ own surveillance and control as discussed in this course?

1. Prioritization of convenience over freedom

2. Development of self-censorship as a norm

3. Indifference or ignorance of the extent of data collection

In Chapter 8 of They Know Everything About You, Prof. Scheer notes that the point of Brave New World was that the public would come to accept intrusion as part of the normal fabric of life, even good for them. He then goes on to compare “old spying vs. new spying,” saying:

Old spying had to be selective, targeted; new spying is like a high powered vacuum, scooping up all information even if it’s extraneous or incomprehensible

What does Professor Scheer mean when he says, "You are not the consumer, you are the mark" in regard to the internet?

The main driving force of the internet is that it denies you agency, all while pretending it is extending your agency. You are being deceived into believing that your interests are the primary focus when all of your data is being collected and used. It is a cautionary statement.

In the epilogue of They Know Everything About You, Prof. Scheer discusses The Stanford Center for Internet and Society’s Director of Privacy, Aleecia M. McDonald, who says what about the number of privacy advocates compared to the number of employees of for-profit internet companies?

There are many different types of groups who advocate for privacy reform, but if you put all those groups together they wouldn’t fill one lunchroom at Google.

Which of the following is true with regard to privacy and surveillance solutions going forward according to the epilogue of They Know Everything About You?

1. Encryption is a solution to put some of the “genie back in the bottle”

2. It’s possible to make mass surveillance much less valuable than it currently is, so when conducted, they don’t get as much useful information.

3. Search engines can be designed that make money off of advertising related to search terms rather than tracking users, such as DuckDuckGo

In Chapter 8 of They Know Everything About You, Robert Scheer mentions that United States Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis believed that technological innovation's impact on privacy meant that:

The government's access to privately held information was ever increasing.

 TRUE/FALSE:One of the central questions of this course is whether our society is heading for greater freedom or greater control.

True

How does American capitalism impact the press?

It creates a cutthroat cycle in which newspapers prioritize profit over the quality of their information.

It creates a system where powerful billionaires and owners of corporations can buy newspapers and consequently bias forthcoming coverage.

Who on death row called in as a guest to speak to our class about his experiences?

Kevin Cooper

TRUE / FALSE: Despite many appeals, Kevin Cooper remains incarcerated and assigned to Death Row.

True

 China’s model of internet and privacy regulation emphasizes ______________ over _______________.

1. law and order, privacy

2. collective good, individual rights

 TRUE / FALSE: The U.S. government's view on the TikTok ban is exclusively based on concerns of national security, not about broader issues regarding economic competition with China.

False

TRUE / FALSE: In the United States, TikTok has faced attempted and partial bans over national security concerns due to its ownership by the Chinese company ByteDance and possible user data collection by the Chinese government.

True

CHOOSE ONE: In the Scheerpost podcast with Janet Yang as a guest, Yang talks about the AAPI community’s recent successes and continuous organizing efforts because many of them are what?

Close to struggle

What does “AAPI” stand for?

Asian American & Pacific Islander

TRUE / FALSE: Prof. Robert Scheer and David Greene, the civil liberties director at Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), think China “set the standard of observing people through technology.”

False

TRUE/FALSE: The reasoning used to justify the attempts to ban TikTok is to protect the American people from invasive and dangerous surveillance from the Chinese Government

True

Why does the United States claim that it wants to ban the social media app TikTok?

The U.S. believes because it is a Chinese-owned company, it violates the privacy and security of American citizens’ data in a way that may compromise national security.

TRUE / FALSE: The banning of TikTok would be a violation of the free market economy.

True

According to the Scheerpost podcast with Janet Yang, Greek philosophy emphasized __________, while Chinese philosophy emphasized __________.

individual exceptionalism; interconnectedness

 What dangerous social epidemic have Asian-Americans been subjected to since COVID?

Targeted racism

TRUE / FALSE: Janet Yang agrees with Andrew Yang that Asian-Americans are obligated to display their "American-ness" in order to avoid racist attacks.

False

TRUE / FALSE: During his presidency, Ronald Reagan consistently implemented policies that were supportive of all types of labor unions.

False

In the article “As Washington Post Flounders, Bezos Cuts Check to Celebrity Admiral,” Jeff Bezos says his motivation for buying the Washington Post was what?

Stewardship

 In the Gallup and Pew poll on unions, in the few past years there has been approximately a ___% approval rate of unionization.

70

In the film Harlan County USA, 180 coal miners were a part of the UMWA union to advocate against the Duke Power Company's mine and prep plant. What does UMWA stand for?

United Mine Workers of America

TRUE / FALSE: The miners who went on strike in the film "Harlan County, USA" could have succeeded without the women in their community.

False

 According to the podcast with guest Harold Meyerson, what is true about public support for unions?

Public support for unions are at an all-time high

 In the 1976 film, Harlan County USA, what job do the workers in Kentucky wish to organize under due to the unsafe and harmful conditions?

Coal Mines

TRUE / FALSE: Americans in general approve of unions at a rate of around 71%, but only 10% of all American workers actually participate in union membership.

True

Which of the following best defines settler colonialism?

A type of colonialism where colonizers establish permanent settlements in a new territory, often displacing indigenous populations.

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY: Who has called for Leonard Peltier's release?

Sen. Patrick Leahy and Pope Francis

Women's slavery turned into:

1. Housework

2. Forced Labor

3. Caregiving

In regards to guest speaker Josh Michale’s in-class presentation regarding Indigenous organizing, what were the two mutually reinforcing beliefs that most Americans believe is the cause for the elimination/lack of Indigenous communities in America?

1. There are no longer any Indigenous groups because they simply died off

2. The Indigenous people that still exist today aren't real natives because they appear different from those that existed back in the 1700's

TRUE / FALSE: Domestic workers are NOT excluded from any protections in California.

False

CHOOSE ONE: What best summarizes the role of the federal government in the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) protests?

The federal government hired private contracts, such as TigerSwan, to monitor and police the protestors

How many Cherokee nations are currently federally recognized?

0

TRUE / FALSE: Guest lecturer Maga Miranda states domestic work is stigmatized as a shameless second-class job, and that most do not understand the reality and conditions of these jobs because this kind of work is invisible and hidden from the mainstream.

True

How does new technology, as part of the contours of change, impact domestic work?

1. Speeds up the pace/practice of finding hourly domestic work

2. Removes the chance for stable employment (ie. work with healthcare, etc)

Which historical event or trend did guest speaker Kevin Cooper raise in discussing prisons and death row?

Transatlantic slave trade

Based on the experiences and events described by Kevin Cooper, which statement best reflects the systemic issues he is highlighting?:

Kevin Cooper's case demonstrates how racial bias and police misconduct can impede the fairness of the criminal justice system

During the guest lecture with Kevin Cooper, he began his talk by sharing which quote by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt?

1. “If silence seems to give approval, then remaining silent is cowardly.”

2. “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”

Kevin Cooper, an inmate on death row, characterized incarceration and prisons as:

1. An unjust system

2. A form of modern enslavement

3. Isolating

On February 9, 2004, Kevin Cooper was about to undergo execution as he was sentenced to the death penalty for four accounts of murder. Up until that point, he received a call from his attorney that uplifted his stay. How long was Cooper saved by?

3 hours and 45 minutes

TRUE / FALSE: Kevin Cooper said that rehabilitation on death row does not exist.

True

Kevin Cooper was serving a prior prison sentence at the California Institution for Men (CIM) in Chino for:

Burglary

What statements most accurately reflect Kevin Cooper’s lecture about his experience in prison?

1. Prison is a structure that strips people of their well-being to leave them alone and under abusive conditions.

2. Prison is modeled on a “slave and plantation” mentality to dehumanize inmates.

TRUE / FALSE: American capitalism is sustainable and successful, giving an increasing concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few.

True

What does the term “racial capitalism" mean?

The centrality of race in structuring social and labor hierarchies in capitalist economies.

 During the lecture on the economy, Professor Scheer poses which question to the class to consider?

If we are so modern and so advanced, why do we have so many unhappy people?

What foreign system or organization does Noam Chomsky reference when discussing surveillance and society?

China & Social Credit

TRUE/FALSE: When it comes to the contemporary U.S. economy, many citizens are upset and severely impacted due to low unemployment, inflation, GDP growth, poor wages, and high interest.

TRUE

Which country does Noam Chomsky say is "the kind of model to which society is moving", in terms of having heavy surveillance and a social credit system?

China

TRUE / FALSE: According to the James Galbraith's Scheerpost article, even though unemployment is low, inflation has fallen, and real earnings are rising, voters are NOT happy with the American economy.

True

TRUE / FALSE: Galbraith said "The Federal Reserve way alway constructed to be responsive, to have the voices of the banking system strongly represented as the banking systems become more and more concentrated in the hands of the very largest banks. Their voices have gained evermore weight."

True

What is a central argument made by Professor Scheer and Noam Chomsky in their podcast together?

Humans could be reaching their end as a species

In the ScheerPost podcast with economist James K. Galbraith, what do they assert about the quality of life and institutions such as the Federal Reserve?

The wealthy have the power over corporations and institutions allowing them to make the decisions.

Individuals are only considered a part of the "unemployment" group if they are actively searching for a job, which ultimately skews the percentage making it seem as if less individuals are unemployed than the number truly is.

True

USC professor Sandy Tolan, as a guest on Professor Scheer's podcast, claimed from his experience working as a journalist in Gaza covering the water crisis that ____ of the water was not fit for human consumption.

97%

This course helps uncover the patterns of exploitation within the US through our learning of various topics. Which of the following was NOT discussed in the context of exploitation?

Stock Market Manipulation

In Professor Scheer's book, "They Know Everything About You," he concludes in the Epilogue by arguing which theme that has been prevalent throughout the book?

It is up to each of us individually to fight for our rights and our democracy - we have the power to do so

TRUE / FALSE: The expansion of digital surveillance technologies has enhanced democratic freedoms by ensuring public safety

False

TRUE / FALSE: There is a loophole written into the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, that states a person can be compelled to give free labor if imprisoned as punishment for a crime.

True

TRUE / FALSE: The power dynamics of the opt-in vs. opt-out model are limited to social media

False

TRUE / FALSE: Chomsky states , in his podcast with Scheer, that modern-day, contemporary culture is moving toward a surveillance society.

True

TRUE / FALSE: Mass media has the power to influence entire communities.

True

TRUE / FALSE: In the age of the Internet, there is a clear separation between the government and the private sector.

False

How many years was Leonard Peltier wrongfully convicted for?

45 years

 According to guest lecturer Josh Michael, what was the significance of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL)?

The North Dakota pipeline was being built on the land of the Sioux tribe that put their water source at risk. The movement was made to bring awareness to the continuous neglect of Indigenous people.

Which of the following themes regarding primary and secondary school education has been consistently emphasized throughout the semester?

Our education system is skewed to make the United States look good

In Brett Story’s Prison Land: Mapping Carceral Power Across Neoliberal America, what does he describe the state of prisons after noting mass incarcerations?

A robust and extensive industrial complex that is a function of capitalism.

 According to Jim Mamer in his article on the Missing Links of Textbook History, dropping millions of tons of bombs on Vietnam during the war:

Caused significant casualties but did not secure a win

Why did the student in Jim Mamer’s American history class in the 1980s believe the United States had won the war in Vietnam?

Due to winning most battles and killing more enemies

 According to the column by Jm Mamer, why do many Americans have a blurred understanding of the United States' involvement in wars?

1. Due to wishful thinking

2. Because of bad teaching and textbooks

3. As a result of willful ignorance

 What is a common thread in the United States’ stated motivations towards engaging in wars, according to Jim Mamer?

Assertion of the need for self-defense

Which president expressed eagerness for a war in the late 19th century as noted by Jim Mamer?

Theodore Roosevelt

How did pandemic relief payments affect poverty and food insecurity initially, as discussed in Galbraith’s “Bidenomics and its Discontents”?

Poverty and food insecurity decreased

What impact did the ending of Covid-19 relief programs have on American households, as discussed in Galbraith’s “Bidenomics and its Discontents”

Resulted in pressure to return to work

Why are interest rates linked to campaigns to cut social insurance programs, as discussed in Galbraith’s “Bidenomics and its Discontents”?

They impact future budget projections