Steubenville, Ohio: A Community's Reckoning of Responsibility

Abstract:

This case explores the role of social media in bringing a sexual assault incident to national attention and to trial. Two popular high school athletes sexually assaulted a teenage girl at a party. Despite evidence of their guilt based on their own boasts and eye witnesses, the community refused to hold the boys accountable for their actions because of their status as star athletes on the local football team. “Steubenville, Ohio: A Community’s Reckoning of Responsibility” is part of a case series on violence against women that illustrates the critical role of leadership through an examination of how social factors influence women’s health. Students analyze the situations described by considering the circumstances that placed each protagonist in vulnerable positions. Participants examined the commonalities and differences of these situations in an effort to understand the circumstances that affect women’s well-being. Additionally, using the cases as a framework, students analyzed the connections between collective outrage, reactive action, and leadership.