Online+Assignments

**WEB ASSIGNMENTS** **3/27 & 3/28** = Japanese Internment - Tuesday =

In this chapter you are learning about inequalities regarding race and ethnicity. You are learning the difference between prejudice and discrimination, as well as what sociologists mean by the terms minority, race, and ethnicity. Stereotypes, or sets of distorted, exaggerated, or oversimplified images that are applied to a category of people, appear throughout any society. An example of stereotyping and discrimination in American history is the internment of Japanese Americans in relocation camps during World War II. In this activity you will take a closer look at the experiences of Japanese Americans during the war, as well as what life was like inside the internment camps. You will visit the Camp Harmony web site to learn more about the experience of Japanese Americans during World War II. Then answer the questions below about the material on the site and then (BONUS) write a haiku that describes Japanese American internment during World War II.
 * 1) What did the Munson report, a report commissioned by Congress, say about the Nisei? What effect did it have?
 * 2) Describe the living conditions at Camp Harmony.
 * 3) How did newspaper articles describe the Japanese Americans' departure from Bainbridge Island?
 * 4) How were the Japanese Americans' civil liberties restricted?
 * 5) BONUS: A haiku is a Japanese poetry form that has three lines and seventeen syllables. The first and third lines have five syllables each; the middle line has seven syllables. Using the pictures and reports from this Web site for inspiration, compose a haiku that describes the internment experiences of Japanese Americans during World War II.

**Remember: ** Leave this page open, the web site and questions will open in new windows. When you are finished with the Camp Harmony web site come back to this page to continue.

Hate Crimes - Wednesday

 * “It’s possible to strike deep at one’s core without a bullet or a knife blade.”
 * “We cannot outlaw hate, but laws shape attitudes.”
 * “Laws must punish the crime, not objectionable beliefs.”
 * “Hate should be recognized and opposed in all its forms.”
 * “Racism and homophobia cannot be solved by longer prison sentences.”

These quotations were taken from opinion pieces in a New York Times feature on hate crimes. The Times introduces their feature on hate crimes with this paragraph: > "The trial of the Rutgers student Dharun Ravi, who used a webcam to spy on his roommate Tyler Clementi with another man before Clementi committed suicide, has raised questions about whether Ravi’s actions were a hate crime or simple boorishness. But some have even questioned whether there need to be hate crime laws at all. Do they protect against intimidation and bigotry, or are they unnecessary and unfair?"

Follow the debate here: @http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/03/07/are-hate-crime-laws-necessary/justice-not-vengeance-for-hate-crimes

Read the opinions of at least three contributors and then answer the following questions:
 * 1) What are the arguments for hate crimes legislation? To you, which of these arguments are the strongest and which are the weakest? Which do you agree and disagree with?
 * 2) What are the arguments against hate crimes legislation? Which of these arguments are the strongest? To you, which of these arguments are the strongest and which are the weakest? Which do you agree and disagree with?
 * 3) What is brought up in these pieces that you had not thought about before? Does this make you think differently about the issue?
 * 4) What is not discussed in these pieces that you think might be pertinent to the debate?
 * 5) How, if at all, has reading these pieces influenced how you think about hate crimes? Has your own opinion changed or been strengthened?