Discussion Questions & Script Activity

Resources for debriefing the Faces of X series

Aren’t those lovely shots from the shoot? 👆

Anyways, how do you debrief from watching the Faces of X series? Following are resources to help you do precisely that — specifically, I) discussion questions, and II) an activity to analyze the scripts.

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I. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

The following questions encourage audiences to examine the content and structure of the Faces of X approach:

1. How did witnessing the three distinct perspectives — thesis, antithesis, and synthesis — shift your understanding of the issue compared to traditional debate formats? Which perspective surprised you most, and why?

2. In which moments did you find yourself strongly agreeing or disagreeing with one of the perspectives? What might this reveal about your own assumptions or values on this topic?

3. The synthesis perspective attempts to integrate competing viewpoints rather than declare a winner. What elements of synthesis did you find most compelling? What tensions remain unresolved?

4. How might media and education use this multi-perspective approach to create more complexity in our discourse? What barriers currently prevent this kind of integration?

5. If you were to add a fourth perspective to this conversation, what would it be? What dimension of this issue deserves more exploration?

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II. SCRIPT ACTIVITY

The following activity guides you in analyzing the anatomy of Faces of X scripts. It can be done solo, in breakout groups, or as a group:

1. Choose a video to analyze. In one sentence, articulate your perspective on the issue. Where do you stand?

2. Watch the video. Then scroll below the video, and read the script. Pay close attention. Find points you missed while watching the video.

3. Create a bulleted outline of the back-and-forth, before the synthesis. What are the key points? What’s missing?

4. Create a bulleted outline of the synthesis. What are the key points? What’s missing?

5. In one sentence, how would you articulate a synthesis perspective on this issue? You can draw from the script, or write your own.

6. From a synthesis perspective, how would you reframe the debate around this issue? For example, on abortion:

   1. Current: pro-choice vs. pro-life

   2. Reframe: people who want to reduce unwanted pregnancies and the need for legal abortion vs. people who want to restore traditional gender roles or treat abortion as a form of birth control

7. Revisit your response to step 1. Would you edit it in any way? Did your views on the issue change? If so, how?

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