One Nation, Under Surveillance

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: How do authoritarian leaders gain and maintain control over a country??

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article. Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• surveillance (p. 12)
• aberrations (p. 13)
• authoritarian (p. 13)
• benevolent (p. 13)
• disparities (p. 14)
• invasive (p. 15)

3. Engage
Before students look at the first page of the article, ask: Which country do you think has the most surveillance cameras? Have students explain their choices. Then tell students that China has the most surveillance cameras.

4. Read 
Have students read the article, marking the text to note key ideas or questions.

5. Discuss
Distribute or project Up Close: One Nation, Under Surveillance, a close-reading activity for students to workon in small groups. (Note: The questions on the PDF also appear on the following page of this lesson, with possible responses.) Follow up with a class discussion. If you’re short on time, have each group tackle one or two of the questions. Collect students’ work or have each group report its findings to the class.

• What famous phrase from the Pledge of Allegiance does the title of the article allude to? How is the wording of the title different? What central idea of the article is indicated by this change in wording? (Word choice, central idea) (The title alludes to the phrase “one nation, under God,” but swaps out God for surveillance. This change in wording helps indicate that a central idea of the article is that China is so obsessed with surveillance that the government has an almost godlike knowledge and control of the people.)

• What does Yin Qi claim is the purpose of his surveillance technology? How is the Chinese government actually using its surveillance systems? (Compare & contrast, cite text evidence) (Yin claims his technology is for stopping crime at the earliest stages and making life safer and more convenient. He says it is a neutral system monitoring the data, not actual people. He also says that the company is not concerned about monitoring any particular group or individual. But the Chinese government is using its surveillance systems to target specific groups, such as ethnic minorities, and to control the masses and prevent protests and other forms of dissent.)

•  In the last section of the article, Noam Yuchtman says that authorities may consider a surveillance system such as China’s as successful, even if it doesn’t predict crime, because it acts as a deterrent. What does he mean? How does it act as a deterrent? (Word meaning, make inferences) (He means that though these surveillance systems might not predict crimes, they deter people from committing them—thus helping authorities reduce crime. They act as a deterrent because people become so fearful about being watched that they avoid any wrongdoing.)

• How does the anecdote about Zhang Yuqiao at the end of the article help support the central idea of the article? (Text structure, central idea) (The anecdote about Zhang helps support the central idea by giving specific examples of how Chinese authorities are using the surveillance data they collect to make predictions about future behavior. In past years, Zhang had only to stay off the main highways to dodge authorities. But now he pays in cash for train tickets and buys tickets to the wrong destination because he knows he is being tracked. And whenever he turns off his phone, authorities show up at his house to make sure he hasn’t left for Beijing—because they know he turns off his phone when he does make the trip.)

•  What is the authors’ purpose in writing this article? What picture do they create of Chinese President Xi Jinping? How do you think the Chinese government would respond if this article were published in China? (Author’s purpose, make inferences) (The authors’ purpose in writing the article is to explain how the Chinese government is using a vast monitoring system to control its citizens and predict their behavior so it can stop public dissent before it happens. They create a picture of Xi as ruthless, unconcerned with civil rights, and authoritarian. Students’ responses to the evaluation question will vary but should be supported by text evidence.)

•  What is the central idea of the sidebar “Tensions Over Taiwan”? What does it add to the main article? (Integrate multiple sources, central idea) (The central idea of the sidebar is that China is becoming more aggressive in its claim that Taiwan is part of China and will respond with force if Taiwan formally breaks away. The sidebar supports the picture the authors create of Xi as a controlling leader who quashes any form of dissent.)

6. Writing Prompt
Do you think it’s likely that the U.S. will one day be surveilled in the same way as China? Explain your thoughts in a brief essay. Consider what you know about people’s attitudes as well as the Bill of Rights.

7. Video
Watch the video about Chinese cameras. What does it add to your understanding?

8. Classroom Debate
Should the U.S. install more surveillance cameras?

9. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess students’ comprehension.