- What is the role of a “critic of society”?
- What are the social responsibilities of writers and artists?
- How can citizens take action against injustice or prevent future conflicts?
- How are communities and cultures shaped by war and politics?
- How have writers and artists responded to injustice, and what does their art offer?
- What social or political issues affect students’ lives and communities?
- How can students use art, writing, and activism to raise awareness of injustice?
- Reflect on Sontag’s public role as a writer and activist
- Understand Sontag’s key positions on modern political and ethical debates
- Relate Sontag’s perspectives on war and politics to other writers and activists
- Analyze the use of military force and the role of nationalism in modern conflicts
- Explore the work of writers and artists affected by war and injustice
- Consider the impact and risks of activism in contemporary society
- Develop civic voices and visions
- Use art, writing, visual displays, and activism to express complex ideas creatively
- High School Grades 11-12
- College or University
- Art and Culture
Medium > Visual Arts
Subject Matter > Art History
Subject Matter > Music
Subject Matter > Philosophy
- History and Social Studies
People > African American
People > Hispanic
People > LGBT
People > Native American
People > Other
People > Women
Place > Africa
Place > The Americas
Place > Asia
Place > Europe
Place > The Middle East
Themes > Civil Rights
Themes > Culture
Themes > Globalization
Themes > History of Science and Technology
Themes > Immigration/Migration
Themes > Politics and Citizenship
Themes > Religion
Themes > War and Foreign Policy
U.S. History
U.S. > World War II
U.S. > Colonization and Settlement
World > The Modern World
- Literature and Language Arts
Genre > Biography
Genre > Drama
Genre > Essay
Genre > Fables, Fairy tales and Folklore
Genre > Novels
Genre > Poetry
Genre > Short Stories
Place > American
Place > British
Place > Europe
Place > Modern World
- Analysis
- Compare and contrast
- Creative writing
- Critical analysis
- Critical thinking
- Cultural analysis
- Data analysis
- Debate skills
- Discussion
- Evaluating arguments
- Expository writing
- Film editing
- Gathering, classifying and interpreting written, oral and visual information
- Historical analysis
- Internet skills
- Interpretation
- Investigating/journalistic writing
- Journal writing
- Letter writing
- Literary analysis
- Logical reasoning
- Making inferences and drawing conclusions
- Map skills
- Media analysis
- Musical analysis
- Musical skills
- Online research
- Oral analysis
- Oral communication
- Oral presentation skills
- Painting
- Persuasive writing and speaking
- Photography
- Poetry analysis
- Poetry writing
- Report writing
- Representing ideas and information orally, graphically and in writing
- Research
- Role-playing/Performance
- Summarizing
- Synthesis
- Technology
- Textual analysis
- Using primary sources
- Using secondary sources
- Visual art analysis
- Visual art skills
- Visual presentation skills
- Writing skills
- ELA Reading: 1, 3, 5-7, 10
- ELA Writing: 1-10
- ELA Speaking & Listening: 1-6
- HSS Reading: 1-3, 5-10
- HSS Writing: 1-2, 4-10
WAR & ACTIVISM UNIT
Throughout her career, Susan Sontag combined writing and intellectual pursuits with impassioned political engagement. As a citizen and public figure, she felt it was imperative to bear witness to war and to speak out against injustice. She saw being a writer as a position that came with moral responsibilities. Sontag was an important voice in the movement to end the Vietnam War, and later traveled to Israel/Palestine and Sarajevo, seeking to understand the realities of life in these war zones, while providing support for besieged citizens. She was a lightning rod for struggles in the culture: feminism, cancer, AIDS, the Cold War, the Iranian Revolution and Islamic extremism, free speech and civil liberties, LGBTQ visibility, 9/11, and Abu Ghraib. For more than forty years, Sontag wrote with tremendous insight about the cultural and political forces shaping this country. She first wrote about war while she was in high school, at age fifteen.
This unit explores Sontag’s writings on activism, war, and American foreign policy, introduces the work of other activists, writers, and artists of her era, and encourages students to explore the work of contemporary writer-activists and artists . It also asks students to think about their own roles as citizens and activists by engaging with politics, policies, and current conflicts, while reflecting on how artistic projects, writing, public speaking, and activism can make a difference in their communities.
- Watch Regarding Susan Sontag and reflect on its relevance to your students and subject area. For extracurricular organizations, community groups, and book clubs, consult our guide on adapting the curriculum.
- Review our curriculum units and lessons below, then choose the individual lesson(s) most aligned to your needs. See our interdisciplinary diagram for more help choosing an appropriate lesson and unit.
- Select the handout(s) and student activity you will use with each lesson.
- Begin the lesson by watching and discussing the lesson video module with Handout 1
- Continue the lesson with Handouts 2-4 to deepen learning (optional)
- Complete the lesson with a student activity: options include writing, presentation, and creative assignments as well as class projects or debates
- Download or print all related resources for your lesson at our resource center (video module, handouts, worksheets, teaching plans), and prepare for classroom use. Preview the lesson video module, familiarizing yourself with the content and any potential areas of sensitivity for your students (see viewing and discussing sensitive materials).
