Assignments for this competency require that students deeply analyze an issue or topic and examine both their

own and others’ beliefs and perspectives.

Essential Question: How does this assignment help me better understand my thinking and question those ideas I
believe to be true?

Skills reflected in this category include but are not limited to: Writing, Media, Creative, Literature, Research,
Group Dynamics

Assignment/Activity Title — Inspirations Project: Dunn v. Ray: Based on a True Story

Year — Freshman

Portfolio Competency — Critical Thinking

Skill(s) —Research, Social/Ethical Awareness, Critical Thinking, Group Dynamics

Explain the assignment’s objectives, components, and goals.

The purpose of the assignment was to find a topic, including important issues and stories, thoroughly research it
with interviews from credible sources, and write a ten-minute play to present to the class. My group chose to
write about a true and controversial court case that led to the death of Alabama local, Domineque Ray. We had
to consider both the inadequate representation Ray was giving during his trial as well as some of the evidence
leading to his arrest. Ray, a Muslim, became famous after being refused an imam a week before his execution.
Our goal was to make the audience question his innocence, but beyond that to question the judicial system. We
often see cases in the news when a person is finally released with new evidence after spending most of their life in
jail for a crime they did not commit, many of which are of color. We do not know if Domineque Ray was
innocent, but we wanted to explore a narrative in which his guilt came into doubt.

Identify and explain the skills required to successfully complete the assignment and the reasoning for it to be
included under the chosen competency.

The primary skills used in this project were research and ethical awareness because while we wanted to take
some creative liberties in writing this, it was important to honor the memory of Ray and his family by including
as much evidence from the trial and articles available to us. It was also important to be able to interpret the trial
documents and apply them in a way that displayed critical analysis of all perspectives. Our group dynamic was
vital to the completion of our play because together we were able to compare sources and our own evaluations of
the information. This assignment falls under critical thinking because it brought into question our current values
of the American judicial system and due process; it allowed us to see Ray as more than a criminal.

Reflect on at least one of the following questions:

How does your new knowledge connect to prior knowledge?
How did you use skills and concepts across disciplines to better understand the topic?
How does what you learned challenge you to think differently about the topic or issue?

In many cases, we don’t spend time reflecting on how people’s backgrounds may have factored into their crimes
or the bias present in trials. This project allowed us to consider what it would have been like to be Dominique
Ray or a family member experiencing what he went through and to develop empathy for those who may have
been wronged by the system created to make the world right.
Student Signature (Print here: Dina Howell ) Date: 6/5/20