(1996). Multicultural Understanding Through Literature. Social Education, v60 n2 p99-103 Feb. Argues that the illuminating, conceptual, and contextual qualities of literature make it an excellent resource for teaching social studies concepts, especially those concerning multiculturalism. Advocates reading the books as complete works rather than piecemeal assignments. Includes suggestions for selected books and related topics. (MJP)…
(2001). Prejudice and Pride: Japanese Americans in the Young Adult Novels of Yoshiko Uchida. English Journal, v90 n3 p60-65 Jan. Discusses five books for young adults by author Yoshiko Uchida. Notes that these books, accessible to children in grades 5 and above, describe the prejudice against Japanese Americans, internment camps, and upheaval, sorrow, and anger spawned by the American government's racist actions. Shows how the books can prompt discussions about cultural differences, prejudice, friendship, and governmental responsibility towards citizens. (SR)…
(2001). Already Reading Texts and Contexts: Multicultural Literature in a Predominantly White Rural Community. Theory into Practice, v40 n3 p175-83 Sum. Examines how the inclusion of multicultural texts played out in one predominantly white rural community, focusing on repercussions of a key event that set off conflict in the community and describing how various interpretations of this event haped teachers' and community members' beliefs about the selection, interpretation, and teaching of multicultural literature. (SM)…
(2004). Beyond the Breach: Transforming White Identities in the Classroom. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v7 n4 p351-365 Dec. Efforts aimed at promoting multiculturalism in the classroom are often pedestrian and ineffectual. When instructors do succeed at facilitating honest discourse, they frequently fail to anticipate the great deal of pain, frustration and anger that is invoked. Rather than sustain a false sense of community, we argue that a dialogic, multicultural community can only be achieved by fostering breach of mainstream norms. Using cultural anthropologist Victor Turner's notion of social drama as a theoretical framework, we document the intense conflict that erupted in our classroom when students were pressed to engage one another regarding issues of race. In order to both acknowledge and make public our students' emotional responses to the dialogue, we implemented a 'recursive loop', a pedagogical strategy designed to provide immediate feedback and enable students to come to a richer understanding of how their experiences of race are inextricably linked. By analyzing the students' discourse,… [Direct]
(2003). The Unhappy Difference Diversity Makes. Academic Questions, v16 n2 p9-20 Jun. In examining the publications of a project run by the American Association of Colleges and Universities titled \Understanding the Difference Diversity Makes: Assessing Campus Diversity Initiatives,\ Carol Iannone finds that the \campus diversity movement\ is unwilling and unable to achieve genuine diversity. It succeeds masterfully, however, in diminishing real learning and in creating an educational environment devoted entirely to group identity and ideological conformity. (Contains 30 notes.)… [Direct]
(1994). Education for International Understanding: A Comparison of Attitudes and Self-Perceived Skills of Teacher Education Students in Finland and California. This study compared and investigated the attitudes toward educating for international understanding in college students preparing to become elementary school teachers in Finland and the United States–particularly California. The study also explored whether participants thought their respective teacher education programs had prepared them to educate for international understanding. A questionnaire was distributed to a sample of students training to become elementary teachers in each of the two countries (51 in the United States and 93 in Finland). Both groups were predominantly female, and the Finnish students were somewhat younger than those from the United States. Analysis of the responses showed that both groups considered international education to be important. Americans tended to understand international education in more personal, local, and domestic terms with an interest in developing students' positive self image, and attaching importance to taking responsibility for self… [PDF]
(1994). Human Diversity: Perspectives on People in Context. The Jossey-Bass Social and Behavioral Science Series. The following essays allows for exploration of similarities and differences of diverse groups and stimulate cross-fertilization of ideas: (1) "Toward an Overarching Framework for Diversity" (Edison J. Trickett, Roderick J. Watts, and Dina Birman); (2) "Our Similarities Are Different: Toward a Psychology of Affirmative Diversity" (James M. Jones); (3) "Paradigms of Diversity" (Roderick J. Watts); (4) "Feminism and Psychology: A Dynamic Interaction" (Nancy Felipe Russo and Amy J. Dabul); (5) "Optimal Theory and the Psychology of Human Diversity" (Linda James Myers and Suzette L. Speight); (6) "An Ecological Perspective on Cultural and Ethnic Psychology" (John W. Berry); (7) "The Discourse of Oppression in the Social Sciences: Past, Present, and Future" (Isaac Prilleltensky and Lev S. Gonick); (8) "Toward an Ethnography of 'Voice' and 'Silence'" (Shulamit Reinharz); (9) "A White Man's Perspective on…
(1995). A Grassroots Approach to Formulating a Multicultural, Interdisciplinary Core Curriculum. This paper reports on the study at Brevard Community College in Florida to discover how faculty and students can learn from each other. By examining the diverse elements of the college population and making the findings widely available, the disparate liberal arts courses and the diversity of participating faculty and students can become mutually enriching. The goal is to get students to discover America by using a problem-posing pedagogy that is based on a dialogue between students and faculty, and on collaboration in which the crucial issues of the time are set forth and exposed. Students are encouraged to question possibilities and make choices in order to participate in a community of scholars. The student survey with results, and the memo to faculty soliciting contributions, and sample faculty contributions are included. Contains a 55-item bibliography. (Author/EH)… [PDF]
(1996). Exposing Prejudice: Puerto Rican Experiences of Language, Race, and Class. Institutional Structures of Feeling Series. This book is about language prejudice as experienced by Puerto Ricans in the mainland United States. Prejudice is expressed as social signs that include, but go well beyond, language. When people express linguistic prejudices, they generally start by objectifying the languages in question as though the languages were sharply defined. For Puerto Ricans in the United States, English is the more valued language, Spanish, the less valued. Most Puerto Ricans living in the United States speak English, but they are told that it is inferior English, as if English were a clearly defined object. The object of this inquiry is the indexical dynamic that sustains language prejudice, its structural source, and its enactment in daily routines as expressed in interviews. Chapter 1 shows that race and ethnicity are competing categories of origins difference, and that difference in language of origin is only occasionally safe in the United States. Chapter 2 explores the ways in which Puerto Ricans…
(1995). Many Faces of Mexico. This resource book braids together the cultural, political and economic realities which together shape Mexican history. The guiding question for the book is that of: "What do we need to know about Mexico's past in order to understand its present and future?" To address the question, the interdisciplinary resource book addresses key themes including: (1) land and resources; (2) borders and boundaries; (3) migration; (4) basic needs and economic issues; (5) social organization and political participation; (6) popular culture and belief systems; and (7) perspective. The book is divided into five units with lessons for each unit. Units are: (1) "Mexico: Its Place in The Americas"; (2) "Pre-contact to the Spanish Invasion of 1521"; (3) "Colonialism to Independence 1521-1810″; (4)"Mexican/American War to the Revolution: 1810-1920"; and (5) "Revolutionary Mexico through the Present Day." Numerous handouts are included with a number… [PDF]
(1994). Counseling for Racial Understanding. This book is a practical guide for professional counselors and others concerned with evaluating and reducing the effects of prejudice. It is based on the concept that before victims of prejudice can be helped, the nature of prejudice and its effect on all individuals must be understood. Full of real-world advice, this book addresses how to identify the problem, handle prejudice-related events, initiate post-event counseling, meet the needs of the victims, counsel those who act on feelings of racism, and bring about permanent change. Chapters are: (1) Prejudice and Its Forms of Expression; (2) Characteristics of Affected Populations: People Who Are Prejudiced; (3) Characteristics of Affected Populations: People Who Are the Targets of Prejudice; (4) Defining a Prejudice-Related Event; (5) Short-Term Responses to Overt Events; (6) Establishing an Environment for Community-Directed Counseling; and (7) Foundations for Permanent Change. Contains 10 references and an annotated resource…
(1995). Exploring Language through Multicultural Literature. This report describes a project that used children's literature to introduce 6- and 7-year-old children (n=25) in the United States to other languages to arouse their interest in finding out more about language. Most of the children were monolingual and spoke English; two boys spoke some Spanish. The study was conducted to see if young children's awareness about languages could be raised by their examination of children's books written in several different foreign languages, several of which were similar to stories that the children had read in English. The children were grouped into groups of 4 or 5 for about 45 minutes; each group met to look at the books on four separate occasions. The children were fascinated with the books and were quick to pick out similarities and differences in the print; they were curious, perceptive, and eager to talk about the languages. Findings demonstrate that children's literature can be one meaningful way to introduce young children to other cultures… [PDF]
(1990). Le Canada: Un pays bilingue et multiculturel. Etudes sociales: 7e annee, sujet C. Cahier de l'eleve et Unite d'enseignement Guide. Edition finale. (Canada: A Bilingual and Multicultural Country. Social Studies: 7th Year, Subject C. Student Workbook and Teaching Unit Guide. Final Edition). This document, consisting of a teacher's guide and a student notebook, presents 14 lessons for secondary school students on the bilingual and multicultural nature of Canada. The teacher's guide includes general introductory instructions, discussions of the cultural heritage of the Canadians and of the individual student, explorations of Canada's bilingualism and multiculturalism, and a summary. The guide also outlines objectives, materials required, lesson steps, and follow-up activities. The student notebook includes a variety of tables, maps, and student learning activities that correspond to the lessons in the teacher guide. Topics included in this unit are cultural groups, countries of origin, stereotypes, and bilingualism. (SG)… [PDF]
(1997). Incredible Diversity: A Unit on Indian Literature. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad, 1997 (India). This paper describes a unit in a high school world literature course which focuses on non-Western literature. The novel on India to be included is "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya. The 13-day unit includes worksheets and focus questions for research. Additional novels are suggested with a rationale presented as to why the Markandaya novel was chosen. (EH)… [PDF]
(1997). Increasing Cultural Awareness of Sixth Grade Geography Students through the Usage of Integrated Units, Literature Based Instruction, and Cooperative Learning Strategies. This research focused on increasing cultural awareness and cultural literacy among 17 world geography students in a Florida sixth-grade. Pre- and post-tests, surveys, cultural notebook evaluation sheets, a speaker's bureau directory log, accountability notebook log, and a cultural resource materials log were used to gather data. Strategies included integrated units on North America and Europe, literature-based instruction on cultural folk tales and novels, and cooperative learning group projects using computer technology. The target group demonstrated an increase in personal cultural experience as measured by the pre- and post-tests. Each unit concluded with a cultural festival as a culminating event. Team teaching was using with the geography and literature instructors cooperating. (EH)… [PDF]