Industrial accidents are a fact of life in the modern world. Oil spills, chemical explosions, leaks of toxic waste, and other disasters can devastate individual lives and communities for generations. The lesson uses an Indonesian drilling explosion documented in the film, Grit, to explore what ethical and equitable recovery from such disasters might look like. Students will use role play and group discussion to explore how stakeholders can increase understanding and come to consensus about steps required to make everyone whole. The lesson can be adapted to focus on business ethics, safe science and engineering practices, government regulations and responsibility, civic engagement, or all of these.

OBJECTIVES
In this lesson, students will:
Learn about Indonesia and a devastating drilling accident that occurred in 2006 with effects ongoing
Use discussion and role play to consider how emotional reactions and differences in goals can effect long-term response to and recovery from industrial disasters
Practice perspective-taking (standing in someone else’s shoes)
Create a reflection on what they’ve learned, either in writing, art, or a multimedia project

GRADE LEVELS: 11-12

Subject Areas
Civics / Government
Global Studies
Business
Earth Science
Ecology / Environmental Science
Ethics
Research Skills
English/Language Arts

MATERIALS
Film Clips and a way to screen them; Internet connection; a way for students to share lists

ESTIMATED TIME NEEDED
90 minutes plus homework

Students should understand:
Who Dian and Hawarti are and that their father and husband, respectively, worked for Lapindo at the time of the explosion. They might not have been wealthy by U.S. standards, but they were not poor or economically unstable.

That the mudflats they see are deep and wide enough to cover entire villages that were once completely verdant.

That the flow has become a tourist site and Hawarti now tries to earn money by serving as a tour guide at the site.

Students should understand:
That Indonesia’s justice system officially cleared Lapindo of responsibility for the mudflow, blaming it on an earthquake. Many Indonesians believe that the decision was corrupt.

Aburizal Bakrie is one of the wealthiest men in Indonesia.

The company demanded that victims provide proof of property ownership before paying them compensation. Because homes and village offices were buried by the mud, most victims lost whatever proof they may have had.

Art has been a constant element of protests against Lapindo, including the effigy of Bakrie we see in the clip.

Students should understand:
The basics of the drilling process and how it relates to the argument that the mudflow was an industrial, not a natural disaster with Lapindo bearing sole responsibility.

That there has been discussion of compensation for property loss, but not for loss of culture, community, or history, a point made by artist and activist, Dadang.

There has been no investigation of ongoing health problems, including problems that may have resulted in illness and death months or years after the initial explosion.

Students should understand:
That effects of disasters extend beyond those immediately effected.

That Mr. Bakrie has longstanding ties to Indonesia’s conservative government and the ruling party, which was previous led by Suharto and was responsible for the 1965-66 purge that killed hundreds of thousands of political opponents and ethnic minorities under the pretense of ridding the nation of communists.

Students should understand:
In clips they did not see, the opposition party supported by the victims won a presidential election. It is under this new government that payments are made.

Students should understand:
The victims voted in favor of the government that is now granting Lapindo permission to resume drilling.

The end of the film isn’t included in the clips they are seeing. It includes Dian, who has become an activist, leading a protest against the resumption of drilling. We also see Dian start law school, with tuition funded by the settlement that her mother received. And we are told that scientists expect the mud to continue flowing until at least 2030.

Step 1: Introduce the Activity
Let students know the questions or issues that they are going to examine and how it links to what they are already studying.

Step 2: Learning about Indonesia – A Quick Research Activity (5-7 min.)
Prior to starting the core of the lesson, students need to know some basic information about Indonesia:

Location & capital

Population size

Major religion

Form of government

The history of the Suharto administration and the Purge

If the classroom does not have Internet access, this should be assigned as homework prior to the activity. If Internet is available, have students do a quick search to find the answers. See who finds credible answers most quickly, sharing sources so that everyone can learn where to go or which search terms are best to use. You might use this as an opportunity to introduce a search engine like DuckDuckGo rather than Google.

Step 3: Viewing Clips from Grit (30 min.)
Tell students they are about to watch clips from a documentary called “Grit.” The documentary follows an Indonesian mother (Hawarti) and her teenage daughter (Dian) who are victims of a 2006 industrial accident that buried their home and all the villages around it in mud. The impact of the disaster lasts for years and leads to Dian becoming an activist.

Show all six clips, pausing between each to ensure that students absorb key information (included in the description of the clips).

Step 4: Perspectives (20 min.)
Divide students into four groups:

Victims of the mudflow

Indonesian citizens who weren’t direct victims

Representatives of Lapindo

Representatives of the Indonesian government

Give each group time to generate two lists:

1. What are members of your group afraid of?
2. What do members of your group hope for?

Have students post their lists (either online or physically in the classroom) so that they can all see every group’s answers.

Step 5: Finding Solutions Through Analysis & Role Play (30 min.)
Guide students in a review of the lists. Help them notice commonalities and differences.

Then invite students to engage in a series of role play dyad conversations:

victim – Lapindo

citizen – Lapindo

government – Lapindo

government – victim

government – citizen

citizen – victim

The purpose of the conversation is to come to an ethical (not just legal) and equitable resolution that makes whole those who suffered loss. Encourage students to think about what various parties lost aside from property.

Students who are not directly involved in the role play also have a job. They will track whether proposed solutions adequately address the hopes and fears previously listed. And they will make a yes/no determination about whether proposals are ethical and equitable. So after each dyad, they will discuss the role play they have just seen.

Wrap up the role plays by inviting students to consider which, if any, of their solutions was adopted by the Indonesians dealing with the Lapindo drilling disaster.

Step 6: Reflection (5 min.)
Remind students that in the final film clip they learned that the government was allowing Lapindo to resume drilling.

As homework (and as an assessment tool), assign students to imagine that they are part of the Indonesian government and have to vote on whether to allow Lapindo to resume drilling. Reflecting on what they learned from their discussions and role play, they should write an essay, or use art or a multimedia form to explain how they would vote and why their position is ethical.

Optional: To connect with your curriculum, you might also assign students to incorporate additional research into their reflections (e.g., information on the potential dangers or benefits of fracking).

[Optional] Step 7: Sharing Reflections
As time allows, invite students to share their reflections with one another.

Study the science behind mudflows and other places they occur (e.g., Yellowstone National Park in the U.S.).

Write or create a multimedia biographical profile of a youth activist like Dian, who was inspired by an event that she/he/they experienced.

Compare the content in the film clips to what students know or have observed about the current U.S. government and corporate practices. Invite students to develop their own recommendations for drilling industry regulations or policies governing corporate accountability.

Research U.S.-Indonesian relations and make recommendations for future policy.

POV: Grit

ProCon.org – Provides explanations of multiple sides in current events debates. For debates around energy production, start here: https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001732

Lapindo Mudflow Victim Blog – A 2007 series of blog posts from a victim of the mudflow.

Friends of the Earth Indonesia – A source for current environmental advocacy initiatives in Indonesia, searchable by category (e.g., mining, agriculture, disasters).

eJOLT – A global atlas of environmental conflicts.

Physicians for Social Responsibility – A compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking

POV: Media Literacy Questions for Analyzing POV Films
This list of questions provides a useful starting point for leading rich discussions that challenge students to think critically about documentaries.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf)

SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

SL.11-12.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.

SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.

SL.11-12.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.

SL.11-12.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

(optional):

W.9-10.1 & 11-12.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

W.9-10.2d, 11-12.2d Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic

W.9-10.4, 11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to task, purpose and audience.

Content Knowledge: (http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/) a compilation of content standards and benchmarks for K-12 curriculum by McRel (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning).

Language Arts, Standard 8: Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.

Language Arts, Standard 9: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.

This resource was created, in part, with the generous support of the Open Society Foundation.