Grade Level: 7 to 12
Subject Matter: Ethnic Identity, Discrimination
Time Allotment: 2-3 class periods |
Overview
In this activity, students explore ethnic identity by examining its role
as both a benefit and a burden to society. The general discussion of
ethnic identity leads to a discussion about a more specific and
problematic social issue, discrimination, and its likely cause, fear.
Prep
- Lead a class discussion. You may wish to discuss questions such as:
- What defines ethnic identity? Most people agree it includes one or
more of the following: a shared heritage, a common belief system and a
set of similar physical characteristics. What other things do you think
it includes?
- Is ethnic identity something we're born with, something we invent
for ourselves, something we're given by others or a combination of these
things?
- Should people be allowed to discriminate against others based on
their ethnic identities, or should there be laws to prevent it? If so,
in what cases?
- The United States has been called a "melting pot." What does this
mean?
- What are the benefits of living with people with different ethnic
identities?
- What are the difficulties?
- Throughout history, millions have been abused or killed based on
their unique ethnic identities. If we could somehow all be the same,
would things be easier?
- Other than ethnicity, what are other things that people discriminate
against?
- What are some instances in which people have been discriminated
against in the past? What lessons can we learn from these instances?
- Are people being discriminated against today? Who? By whom? How is
this situation similar to situations in the past?
Steps
1. Ask students to gather in groups of three or four to discuss a past
situation in which they felt they were the source or the subject of
discrimination.
2. After providing ample discussion time, address the class as a whole
and explain that many people believe discrimination is really just an
expression of fear, an emotion shared by everyone. Ask students to
provide examples of social situations that people are commonly afraid
of. Solicit as many responses as time allows and write everything on the
blackboard.
3. Allow students to resume their group discussions, encouraging them to
consider how their discriminatory experiences may have been motivated by
fear.
4. After discussion time, ask individual students or groups to share
their thoughts with the class. If students do not see a connection
between discrimination and fear, or if they simply do not agree with the
concept, encourage them to offer alternative explanations. There should
be no right or wrong answers.
Putting it all Together
As politics, economics and technology draw once-remote populations
closer together, ethnic identity plays an ever-increasing role in
people's lives. While some relish new opportunities to interact with
people from different backgrounds, just as many, if not more, find the
prospect rather unsavory. It is convenient to dismiss the latter
category as narrow-minded, but a more helpful approach to ethnic
discrimination may lie in understanding that its source is often nothing
more than fear, a common thread among all people.
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