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Discrimination & Prejudice: Home

Resources for Ms. Patenaude's (Lemos) Advanced English 10 class.

Assignment

PREJUDICE PROJECT & ESSAY REQUIREMENTS

Ms. Lemos/Adv. English 10

 

Prejudice Project (Oral Presentation):

 

Each of you has to choose a prejudice that you believe still exists in the world.  It should be one that you are truly interested in and invested in (i.e., child labor camps, race discrimination, age bias, etc.) This assignment should be one based on intrigue, excitement, and passion. 

 

This experience should be considered one where your independent creativity and nature can shine.  The goals are to inform and enlighten your classmates as to how this prejudice affects each and every one of us whether now or quite possibly in the future.  The presentation of such prejudice and its effects on the people of the world will be used to improve your oral presentation skills.

 

Tasks at hand:

 

1.                  Pick a prejudice.  Research using Global Issues in Context and find 2 valid sources of information for your prejudice.  These 2 sources will be checked for credit on Friday, October 12, 2012.

2.                  Create a note card with the five most powerful reasons such prejudice sustains itself on the front and the five most popular reasons why it should be eliminated on the back.  This note card is due Monday, October 15, 2012. 

3.                  Students will create a 5-slide PowerPoint presentation to be used as the visual aid in presenting this prejudice.  One slide will incorporate a parallel point to The Crucible by Arthur Miller.  This PowerPoint CANNOT be used as speaker’s note cards.  Lab time will be given on Thursday, October 18 and Friday, October 19.  Any additional time needed will be at the discretion of the student.  PowerPoint must be emailed to Ms. Lemos at karlem1@gpsk12.org by Monday, October 22, 2012.

4.                  Students will speak for 4 minutes (you will be timed) about the prejudice.  Be sure to include background information, a definition of such prejudice (if not easily understood by the majority), key points as to why this prejudice sustains itself in society, and key points on what we ALL must do in order to eliminate this prejudice in the future.

5.                  The written portion of this project is The Crucible essay (see back side).  This is a 5 paragraph essay. The Rough Draft #1 is due on Monday, October 22, 2012.  Research found on your prejudice and this presentation may be incorporated into the essay.  Be sure to cite all sources.

 

 

Essay (Written Portion):

 

The Crucible revolves around three major topics:  reputation, hysteria, and empowerment.  Read each of the following excerpts and pick 1 of the 3 topics to write a 5-paragraph essay.  One of the support paragraphs to said essay can be derived from the research and materials you have found and read for the Prejudice Project portion. 

A.    Reputation - Reputation is tremendously important in Salem, where public and private moralities are one and the same. This fear of guilt by association becomes particularly evident as the play progresses.  Many characters base their actions and accusations on the simple need to defend themselves and protect themselves from scrutiny and attention.  Many characters lack the ability to uphold their integrity and remain uninvolved.  The need to protect how one is perceived by society remains the ultimate goal of most people in Salem.

Question: What value is placed on one’s reputation and at what cost are people willing to protect and defend such reputations?

  1. Hysteria - Hysteria tears apart a community and replaces all logic.  This wave of hysteria enables people to believe that their neighbors, whom they have always considered upstanding people, are committing absurd and unbelievable crimes.  By accepting such absurdity as truth, many people used the hysteria to act on old grudges and point fingers at people they have long hated.

Question: Why does hysteria acquire and retain such power over logic and truth and why does rational thinking take a back seat to such madness?

  1. Empowerment – At a time when women held such little control and power in society, the witch trials allowed several characters to elevate their status in society by accusing others of such falsities.  By becoming the accuser, many women were able to gain power in society and were suddenly seen as commanding and untouchable.

Question: What possesses people to seek power and control and how does the good of oneself overtake the good of the community so easily?

Thesis #1:        __________________________________________________________

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Thesis #2:        __________________________________________________________

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