Race & Ethnicity Research Project

For this project, you will:

1. Find a partner or work individually.
2. Research two racial or ethnic groups from a country you have never lived in.
   1. For your research, you must use the following sources:
      1. the chapter we are now studying,
      2. one or more books from the library,
      3. one or more articles from a print newspaper or magazine (though you may access these over the internet), and
      4. one or more web sites.
   2. Your project must include a separate page that lists all your sources in alphabetical order using APA style on or before Fri, Jan 25. (20%)
      Reynolds, B. (2003). Teaching English. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
3. Present your research to the class on Thurs, Jan 31. (50 %)
   
   1. Your presentation should highlight the similarities and the differences between the two groups.
   2. Your presentation must be at least 8 minutes and no longer than 12 minutes.
   3. Both members of the group must speak for a significant portion of the presentation.
4. To prepare for the presentation, you will:
   1. discuss your project with another group during class time on Friday, Jan 25.
   2. Practice at least twice as a team and give me a paper saying when and for how long you practiced. (10%)
   3. Record your best practice, transcribe it, and give me the transcription on Mon, Jan 28. (20%)
      
5. In Hamid's class, you will write a compare & contrast essay based on your presentation.

Hints

1. Choose a reliable partner.
2. Get your partner's contact information including phone number and e-mail address.
3. Agree on a schedule with specific times and places when you can work together.
4. Start early.
5. Ask me for help if you need it, but ask early.
   

Homework

The Dandelion

The dandelion is a common but beautiful weed all over the world. It's difficult to kill, even if you don't water it or care for it. One reason is that it has a long, thick root. The root has many root hairs, so it can gather lots of water and nutrients from the soil. On top of the root and above the ground, the dandelion is composed of 3 parts. The first part is a strong, hollow, light-green, 20 cm stem, and it carries nutrients up like a pipeline. The next part is the few bird-wing shaped, dark-green leaves on both sides of the stem. The leaves gather sunshine and make energy for the dandelion to grow.

1. Please complete this paragraph.
2. Write 2 paragraphs using your outlines.
3. Write 100 words or more about one character in your graded reader (library book).
4. Write 100 words or more to tell me about what to do and where to go if I visited your country.
5. Write 15 sentences using different modals showing pobability.
   

For Mimo

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Pet Camp

Red Run Camp is a pet camp in Kansas. Red Run camp has dogs and cats and pigs and rats as pets. Red Run camp has Moms and Dads and kids. Moms and Dads get the cabins. Kids get the huts. Pets get the pens. Red Run Camp is fun.

Red Run Camp bus ran up the hill to the summit. It got to the camp. The bus has the bus man and pets in it. It has six pet bulldogs, Pippin, Dominic, Galahad, Benjamin, Madison and Ransom. And it has ten cats, Janis, Puffin, Pompom, Solomon, Rivet, Poplin, Velvet, Wigwam, Havana and Kit. It had a big pig and seven rats and a rabbit.

Dan has Puff the dog. Puff is tan and fat. Puff cannot sit in the hot sun. Puff gets ill in the hot sun.

Don has Rags the dog and Miff the cat. Miff the cat was in a box. Don's Mom had Miff in the box. Miff is a big bad red cat.

Hamilton is the camp mascot. Hamilton is a bobcat. Yes, a bobcat. Hamilton is not a bad bobcat. But Hamilton is a big bobcat.

Mom and Dad got "Bigwig Cabin". Bigwig Cabin is the red cabin. It has a canvas top. Mom was in the cabin. A cupful of Big Red fell on Mom's denim bonnet. Mom was mad. "Napkin", said Mom. "Dan get the bag of napkins in the van. It is in the tan van", said Mom in a yell. "OK", said Dan in a yell.

Dan got in the van and got the bag. The bag was full. It had napkins and melons and Tang and lemons and muffins and carrots and nutmeg and ham and a box of hotdogs on top. The ham fell and the hotdogs fell. Dan cannot get the ham and the box of hotdogs. "Don will get the ham and hotdogs", said Dan. "I will tell Don to get the ham and box of hotdogs and get the bag of napkins to Mom."

The ham and box of hotdogs sat in the hot sun. Don did not get the ham and box of hotdogs. The ham got rotten. The box of hotdogs got rotten. The rotten ham is toxic. The box of rotten hotdogs is toxic. The camp fed the dogs and cats well but the pets got the ham and hotdogs and had a picnic on the rotten ham and toxic hotdogs. And Hamilton had ham and hotdogs.

The pets got ill. Miff, the cat was pitiful. The dogs did not vomit. The cats did vomit. Hamilton is a big bobcat. Hamilton did not vomit. Dan had a wagon. Hamilton sat in Don's lap and Don sat in the wagon. Don and Dan had to lug Hamilton to the pet fix man.

"I confess", said Don. "I did not get the ham and hotdogs. The ham and hotdogs sat in the hot sun and got rotten. "

Linton Milton, the pet fix man will fix the ill pets. Linton Milton has a pet fix hospital. The pet fix hospital is in a big bus. Linton has pills on the bus and beds on the bus. Linton will fix the pets on the big bus.

Linton had a pill to fix the dogs and cats. Miff got on the bed. Miff got a pill. Miff got rid of the rotten ham and hotdogs. It was a mess. Rags got a pill. Rags got rid of the rotten ham and hotdogs. It was a mess. Puff got a pill. Puff got rid of the rotten ham and hotdogs. It was a mess. The dogs and cats got a pill. The dogs and cats got rid of the ham and hotdogs. It was a big, big mess.

The rat did not get a pill. The rat was not ill. The rat was not sad. The rat was a rat. Rats seldom get ill.

Miff and Rags ran to Don. Puff ran to Dan. The dogs and cats had gotten up. The pets ran and ran. Linton did not get mad at Rags and Puff. Linton got mad at Don and Dan. "The pets cannot run on the bus", said Linton Milton. Mom got on the bus and the pets got off. The pets ran and ran.

Hamilton got a big red tablet. He did not get a pill. Linton did not let Hamilton get up 'till he was well. Hamilton was not a pup. Hamilton was big. Hamilton was a big bobcat. Hamilton got up and fell. Hamilton was got up and fell. Hamilton got up and got off the bus. Hamilton got to the pen and got in his bed. Hamilton did not run yet.

The sunset was red. The pets ran and had fun. Red Run Camp was fun.

Cultural differences (6-2)

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1
An Irish woman was visiting tourist places in a Latin American city when she got a terrible headache. She knew what medicine she needed, so she stepped into a local pharmacy. The pharmacist was waiting on another customer when she came in. The Irish woman patiently waited her turn. While she was standing there, two other customers came in, then another, and then three more. Each time, the pharmacist turned his attention to the new people. He did not greet the Irish woman; he never said, "I'II be with you in a minute."

After about twenty minutes, the woman couldn't stand the pain in her head any longer. "Hey, I've been here a long time," she said loudly, very annoyed and insulted. "Why is everyone ignoring me? I need service too!" she shouted rudely (impolitely).

2
A Middle-Eastern businessman and his brother invited an American guest to their family home for dinner. The American got there on time and enjoyed the interesting conversation, the coffee, and the attention. But as time passed, he got very, very hungry. Finally he asked in an impatient voice, "So when do we eat?"
"Finally you are hungry!" answered one of his hosts. "We were waiting for you to say you were ready to eat."

At the dinner table everything was delicious, and the American guest ate quickly. He emptied his plate, and his hosts' wives put more food on it. As soon as he cleaned his plate a second time, the women served him more. After several plates of food, he could eat no more: he was going to burst! "Please, please, please-don't give me any more food," he begged them. "I can't eat another bite!"

"Then why didn't you leave any food on the plate?" asked the other host, surprised. "We were amazed at how much you were eating!"

3
A group of international students were attending college in Europe. They had a long time between semesters for travel, so they decided to hitchhike as far as they could in other countries. In many places, they were successful: they put their thumbs out or pointed them backwards and smiled; friendly drivers stopped. As soon as the first traveler got a "yes" answer from a driver, he motioned with his hand or fingers for his friends to come-or he held both thumbs up in an "O.K." sign or made a circle with the thumb and the next finger of one hand. The young tourists saved money, saw a lot of the countryside, and had interesting conversations and experiences.
On the other hand, in Greece and Turkey, the visitors were not so lucky. Few drivers stopped to give them rides; instead, most people ignored them. Others gave them mean looks from their cars: they seemed almost insulted that the visitors were begging for rides. A few drivers shouted terrible words at the travelers; two even got out of their truck and started a fight. The students felt confused, afraid, and unwelcome; after a few days they took the bus back to the countries where they were studying.

Cross-Cultural Conversation (6-1)

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"You want to talk about culture?" Alain began the conversation in a proud voice. "The United States is only a few hundred years old. Americans aren't lucky enough to have any culture-they have zero culture, I say." He made the sign for "nothing" with his hand.
"You are completely correct," interrupted Werner, loudly. He was pointing his finger. "Old Europe of the last thousand years--it's easy to tell that's where the great culture was! The age of architecture--just look at the magnificent historical cathedrals and castles. Our ancestral art legacy-if you don't know the works of world-famous painters and sculptors from previous centuries, it's essential to see them in our excellent museums. And everyone has the chance to experience our classical literature and music in first-class theaters and concert halls. I just gave you a logical description of a long and significant cultural history!"

"You call a short millennium a cultural history?" Waving his arms, Kamil was objecting strongly to Werner's views. "The real beginning of culture-I mean, significant civilization was in the Middle East and Africa over five thousand years ago. Ancient communities not only knew how to create magnificent architecture and art; they also made amazing scientific and technological discoveries. They invented things. They figured out how to write and do mathematics; they studied astronomy-the science of the skies, the sun and the planets-and invented the calendar. They even had medicine; it's important to remember that the ancient religions came from that area too. I'm happy to tell you about their achievements because they made world civilization possible. Those were the 'Civilizations that gave humanity the most meaningful cultural legacy!"

With his hands together and his head down, Jade agreed with Kamil. In a soft but nervous voice, he added, "But the really important science and technology began to develop in Asia and the Americas. While the ancient Chinese were building walled cities, they organized the first governments. They invented tools for work and weapons for protection. And the native peoples of the Americas had very, very old civilizations and societies. That was ancient traditional culture."

"Ancient culture? That's a contradiction in definitions!" Grinning, Kevin objected in an enthusiastic way. Going against Jade's views, he said, "It's impossible for culture to be old or traditional. The opposite is true! Culture isn't dead-it's alive. Culture is modern! Culture is now!"

Ken was starting to fall asleep, but suddenly he came alive. "I agree!" he said, interrupting Kevin in a forceful way.
"You tell them!" said Kevin, wanting support for his point of view.
"Culture is worldwide-it's universal!" answered Ken in his clear speaking style. He had a wide smile on his face. "I mean, like-take today's food culture. With our global fast food, I have to say, everyone eats the same. And because of the worldwide media-movies, TV, CDs (compact disks), the Internet--everybody knows the same information, plays the same music, enjoys the same stories-even the jokes! And I mean, it's like-people everywhere have a chance to buy the same clothes--all because of advertising. A beautiful young couple in jeans and bright Hawaiian shirts anywhere in the world, eating hamburgers and french fries with their friends from many countries--finally, we have a global culture! And tradition has nothing to do with it!"

However, Monika was of another opinion. "You want to call modern movies, music, food, and clothes culture?" she said, beginning to get irritated. "Culture isn't about the sameness of people in communities around the world; it's about their differences. Like-it's important for people to greet one another in various ways, and they need to use different titles and follow a variety of social rules in their relationships. Some societies are formal, while others are informal, or casual. Some groups are friendly, and others aren't. And another example is the diverse use of language-is it direct or indirect? How do communication styles include motions, gestures, facial expressions, and other body language? And customs are so interesting! They're what people of different national groups do in their everyday lives and on special occasions like holidays or celebrations. Culture means cultural diversity What makes life amusing? It's the variety of cultures around the world, its contradictions and opposites!"

"Why are you talking so much?" interrupted Alain, impolitely.

"Yeah, and why don't you understand what culture is?" said Werner in a loud voice.

"And another thing-what's your problem with ancient civilizations and tradition?" disagreed Kamil with an unpleasant expression on his face. He liked to contradict Monika in a rude way.

"And why do you always have a different view of things?" asked Kevin and Brandon. They weren't smiling either, and they wanted to talk a lot more.

Time with the Family--Past and Present (5-2)

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The sun was rising. A woman got up from a straw mat on the floor of her simple two-room family cottage. Her husband and their four children were still asleep on the mat. (There were five other children: the couple gave two of them to a family with too few workers; the other three died long ago.) The woman pushed aside the family goats. When she started the fire for cooking, the man and the children got up. While the daughter helped with the housework, the sons went outside to work in the fields with their father. They could see a castle, not far away. The family lived under the protection of the lord and master of the castle. They weren't his slaves or servants, but they paid him taxes. There was no schooling, so they couldn't read or write or get jobs in cities. During the long workday, they took breaks only for meals. Occasionally, they went to the village center, where they laughed and talked and played games. At night, people of the community got together around big fires; they told stories about the past. Most families used to live this way in England over eight hundred years ago.

In the first half of the twentieth century, the Japanese family was much more 'traditional" than the typical American family. Young people didn't even use to date; in other words, they didn't go out together as couples. Instead, their parents arranged their marriages. Maybe they fell in love after they got married, and maybe they didn't. Either way, the wife had children and stayed home with them while the husband supported the family financially. He rarely helped in the household; he seldom spent time with the children. He used to make all the rules, and then his family followed them. When they got older, the children had to work on the farm or in the family business. Often, the husband and wife and their children lived in an extended family situation--three generations in the same crowded house. Because marriage was not an individual matter, family life didn't use to be much fun. It was hard work.

Where I grew up, the community on our street was like an extended family. There was no space between our row houses, and they all had front steps, All the children in the neighborhood used to play ball on those steps; on the warmest evenings, the neighbors used to sit outside on the steps to talk. For these reasons, even at an early age I knew about everyone's family forms and situations For instance, our next-door neighbors were two women with an adopted son. To the left lived an older couple, married over forty years; they took care of their grandchildren. Two families lived in the same house across the street: a single mother with her ten-year-old daughter and an unmarried couple with a small baby. Next to them lived a successful businesswoman. She was married, but she didn't live with her husband because he had a better job and a new life in another country. Now I'm married and live with my family in another neighborhood. Even so, I will never forget the families of my community when I was young.

A few years ago, a young woman left her family, married again, and moved far away with her new husband. For this reason, a thirty-six-year-old divorced father has custody of his two children, eleven and eight years old. He usually has to work weekends as a waiter, so he can't spend much time with his son and daughter. Even so, he still takes them to movies when possible. On his days off from work, he goes to a loca1c.ommunity college. He's studying to improve his job skills so he can make more money for his family; at night he does his homework at the same table as the children. But who takes care of them when their father is working or going to school? His "extended family"--his mother, other relatives, and his girlfriend--help out as much as they can. The children used to go to the college child-care center; now they sometimes stay and play at the community sports center Because this hard-working father loves his family very, much, he believes their lives will get better and better.

A short history of the changing family (5-1)

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Like the community, the family is a social institution. Long ago, human beings lived in loosely-related groups. Each group had a common ancestor (a family member from the distant past). But for over a millennium (a thousand years), there have been two main types of families in the world: the extended form and the nuclear form. The extended family may include grandparents, parents, and children (and sometimes aunts, uncles, and cousins)--in other words, relatives living in the same house or close together on the same street or in the same area. In contrast, the nuclear family consists of only parents and their biological or adopted children. Because of the, industrialization in the nineteenth century, the nuclear family became the most common family structure.

Today there are many different kinds of families around the globe. Some people live in traditional families--that is to say, a stay-at-home mother, a working father, and their own biological children. Others live in two-paycheck families--that is, both parents work outside the home. There are many single-parent families; in other words, only a mother or a father lives with the children. Still others have adoptive or foster families (i.e., adults take care of children not biologically theirs) or blended families--in other words, divorced or widowed men and women marry again and live with the children from their previous, or earlier, marriages. There are also same-sex partnerships--with or without children, childless marriages, unmarried live-in relationships, and so on.

What caused the structure of the family to change? In the early 1900s in the United States the divorce rate (i.e., the percent of legal endings compared to the number of marriages) began to rise, and the birthrate (i.e., the number of births per 100 or 1000 people) began to decline; in other words, couples stayed married for fewer years, and they had fewer children. Women often chose to get an education and take jobs outside the home. Decades later, the same changes began to happen in other industrialized countries, Today, they are happening in many of the developing nations of the world as well.

The decades of the 1930s and 1940s were difficult years in the industrialized world. Many families faced serious financial problems because the heads of households lost their jobs. During World War II (1939-1945), millions of women had to take care of their homes and their children alone. Because so many men were at war, thousands of these "war widows"--that is to say, women whose husbands were away at war--had to go to work outside the home. Most women worked long hours at hard jobs. There weren't many "perfect families."
During the next decade (a period of ten years), the situation changed in many places. There were fewer divorces, and people married at a younger age and had more children than in the previous generation. Men made enough money to support the family, so a mother seldom worked outside the home when her children were small. Children began living at home longer--that is, until an older age, usually after high school or even college. The traditional family was returning in the United States, it seemed--as in many other countries.

In the years between 1960 or so and the end of the twentieth century, however, there were many new changes in the structure of the family around the globe, From the 1960s to the 1970s, the divorce rate greatly increased and the birthrate fell by half. The number of single-parent families rose, and the number of couples living together without marriage went up even more.

Many people today would like the traditional two-parent family back--that is to say, they want a man and a woman to marry for life; they also think the man should support the family and the woman should stay home with the children. However, few families now fall into this category. In fact, if more women decide to have children on their own, the single-parent household may become more typical than the traditional family in many countries. Also, unmarried couples may decide to have more children--or they might take in foster children or adopt. And because people are staying single and living longer (often as widows), there may be more one-person households. On the other hand, some people believe similar events happen again and again in history: if this is true, people may go back to the traditional extended or nuclear family of the past. Others think the only certainty in history is change: in other words, the structure of the future family could begin to change faster and faster--and in more and more ways.