Grade Level: Middle and High School (6-12)

Estimated Time: Five one-hour sessions

Lesson Overview:
This lesson helps students understand who Arab Americans are, where they come from, and the cultural diversity and complexity of what it means to be Arab American.

• It examines the backlash and anger felt by some, who label and stereotype, and act as if all Arab Americans, and others, such as Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, or Iranians, who are often lumped as Muslim fundamentalist extremists.
• It compares the current backlash against American Arabs with that against Japanese Americans during WWII.
• The lesson also examines how many communities in the United States are rallying around their Muslim/Middle Eastern/Arab neighbors, showing support in the face of discrimination and hostility.
• Students will explore what it means to stereotype, and the dangers of engaging in that kind of thinking.
• Finally, students will brainstorm ways they can build better relationships and understanding with people and groups with which they are less familiar.

Related National Standards from McREL:

Materials:
· Computer with Internet access (or newspaper articles from national papers)
· World Map, stick pins or small sticky dots
· Pen and paper
· Open minds

Procedure:

1. Begin by asking students to talk about what they know or think about what it means to be an Arab American, or who is an Arab American. Do your students have classmates who are Arab American? Which cities in the United States have high Arab populations. Make sure that students do not engage in negative stereotyping. Tell them that you'll talk about those notions later.

· "100 Questions and Answers about Arab Americans: A Journalist's Guide" is a Web site from the Detroit Free Press: http://www.freep.com/jobspage/arabs/index.htm

· The 2000 census has provide abundant demographic information. Also see: http://www.census.gov/dmd/www/teachers.html

2. Have students find articles on the Internet about the Japanese interned in this country after the attack on Pearl Harbor. PBS has a great site called "Children of the Camps."

Point out the fact that these people were American citizens, many of them several generations already. Talk about their frozen bank assets, their internment and loss of their homes, and the shame that many Japanese Americans still suffer as a result of having their liberties and rights as American citizens taken away.

Discuss with the students how the terrorist attack on the WTC/Pentagon is different than the attack on Pearl Harbor. Are there similarities? Make lists on the board for comparison purposes.

3. Using the World Map, show students North Africa and South West Asias and talk about the various countries.

Look at: Proximity to other countries in the region, Primary Religions; GNP; Birth Rates; Death Rates; Water Resources, Climates, Exports, and so on.

Discuss the ways in which North Africa and South West Asia have been described: Arab world; Muslim world; Dry world; Oil world.

What are the myths and realities associated with of these 'labels'? Don't forget about Indonesia! It is a primarily Muslim population, and far-flung from most of the rest of the Muslim world.

· Any good college-level World Regional Geography text will provide teachers with those distinctions, as well as descriptive information about the countries/peoples of the nations that comprise North Africa and South West Asia.
· Use also the CIA World Factbook, 2001, at http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ . It has extensive background information on any country in the Arab/Middle Eastern/South West Asian world.

4. Examine examples of the backlash against Arab Americans (or those who looked like they might be Arab Americans)
· See "Anxiety in Michigan: Arabs and Those Who Look Like Them Face Hate," from the Detroit Free Press at http://freep.com/news/nw/terror2001/arab14_20010914.htm

· See article on the murder of a Sikh, an owner of a gas and convenience store in Mesa, Arizona within days after the WTC attack at:

· Search the Internet for other similar articles

· See also the Southern Poverty Law Center's "Tolerance in the News: Americans vs. Arabs," http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=275 and "Tolerance Watch: A Backlash Builds Against American Arabs and Muslims" at http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=280

5. Explain the difference between prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination.

Stereotyping is an over-exaggerated emphasis on what is perceived by some as a negative quality or characteristic of a particular group of people.

Prejudice is judging a person on the basis of a negative stereotype.

Discrimination and/or hate crimes are when those stereotypes and prejudices are acted upon.

Explore the reasons that stereotyping exists and what students can do to combat negative stereotyping. There are numerous Web sites with really good information. Here are two excellent sites to begin your search.
· See "101 Tools for Tolerance: Simple Ideas for Promoting Equity and Diversity" from the Southern Poverty Law Center's Web site http://www.tolerance.org/101_tools/index.htm

6. Have students break into small groups to talk about how stereotyping can be very negative and harmful. Ask them to talk about groups that they think may face discrimination, i.e. American-Arabs; Other Middle Eastern people; undocumented immigrants, and so on.

Ask them to think about which stereotypes are placed on these groups of people, and to think about how those stereotypes can be reversed by 'thinking differently'. A good question for them to ask themselves is: "What can I say to myself about this particular group of people that will help me see it from a more positive, less stereotypical perspective."

Note: This kind of a discussion can be very emotion-laden, especially if a child feels directly affected, or is a very sensitive child.

Share thoughts and strategies with a large group discussion. Make a list on the board regarding how we form stereotypes about a given group of people, and a list of thought/ideas about how we can reverse our negative thinking. Depending on your students, this piece may work better as an essay that students share only with the teacher.

7. Brainstorm other ideas about breaking stereotypes and learning to understand people whose national, cultural, religious, and value systems may differ from the ones with which they are most comfortable.

What can students do in their own school or community to reverse the negative impact of stereotyping? For example, students could either attend or implement ethnic festivals or multi-cultural days at school or in the community; invite guest speakers from local organizations of ethnic groups to speak to their class; watch films/movies; read books (literature is a tremendous way to immerse students in geography, culture, history, politics…of other places).

Students might write an essay or a procedure paper on alternative strategies for combating stereotypes and backlash against people who seem physically similar to those responsible for the WTC attack.
· See "Journey to Peace"
· Srebrenica: A Cry from the Grave

Students may post their views in the "Sept. 11, Five Years Later" discussion forum at http://www.newzcrew.org between August 28 and September 25, 2006. The forum is run by students and is backed by content from the archive of the Online NewsHour.

Assessment:
· Contribution to class discussion
· Essay or other written assignment
· In-class Internet research
· Participation in Community/School/Place of Worship Multi-cultural Event or Activity

Related National Standards from McREL:

Geography Standards: Grades 6-12:
· Places and Regions, standard 6 : Understands that culture and experience influence people's perceptions of places and regions
· Human Systems, standard 9 : Understands the nature, distribution and migration of human populations on Earth's surface
· Human Systems, standard 10 : Understands the nature and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics
· Human Systems, standard 13 : Understand the forces of cooperation and conflict that shape the division of Earth's surface
· Environment and Society, standard 16 : Understands the changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution and importance of resources
· Uses of Geography, standard 18 : Understands global development and environmental issues

Self-Regulation Standards: Grades 6-12

· Standard 3 : Consider Risks
· Standard 6 : Restrains impulsivity

Thinking and Reasoning Standards: Grades 6-12

· Standard 1 : Understands and applies the basic principles of presenting an argument
· Standard 2 : Understands and applies the basic principles of logic and reasoning
· Standard 3 : Effectively uses mental processes that are based on identifying similarities and differences

Working with Others Standards: Grades 6-12

· Standard 2 : Uses conflict-resolution techniques
· Standard 3 : Works well with diverse individuals and in diverse situations
· Standard 4 : Displays effective interpersonal communication skills

Author Dr. Elizabeth Larson-Keagy is a Cultural Geographer. Since 1990, she has taught World Regional, Cultural, Social, Environmental and Human Geography on a full or part-time basis in colleges in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Arizona. Dr. Larson-Keagy currently volunteers as an Arizona District Coordinator for the We the People…the Citizen and the Constitution Program for High School students.

To find out more about opportunities to contribute to this site, contact Leah Clapman at extra@newshour.org