Social Studies Curriculum

History/Social Sciences Electives

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Adopted January 1999

Minority Groups and Ethnic Cultures

Course Description:

Minority Groups and Ethnic Cultures is a study of the social, political, cultural, and economic forces that affect minorities and ethnic cultures in the United States. What questions do you have about minority groups? Explore the customs, behaviors, issues and legacies of America's diversity.

Sample questions that will be addressed in Minority Groups and Ethnic Cultures include:

• Who are the indigenous peoples of the United States?
• Who are the minority groups and ethnic cultures of the United States?
• What are the important issues facing minority groups and ethnic cultures in the U.S. today?
• What has been the progression of civil liberties for minorities in the U.S?
• What has been and is the political/legal status of minority groups and cultures in the United States?

The course title and description have been approved by the Anchorage School Board. This course outline is meant to serve as an example of one possibility for organizing this class. It does not represent the only way the course may be organized. Each course outline has been written by a different teacher so there will be differences in the approach used from one course to another.

Course Goals:

Through this course students will:

• Acquire understanding of the beliefs, customs, traditions, values and issues among the various minority groups and compare similarities and differences.
• Develop an historical and geographical awareness (when, who, how and where) of specific minorities and ethnic cultures.
• Develop understanding of the economic, political and social positions of minority groups and the issues that may separate or bind them from the majority.
• Gain understanding of the status of minority groups across the globe.
• Acquire understanding of how conflict between the majority and minority groups can cause political, economic and cultural change to a region and the country.
• Develop understanding of the relationship between the government and minority groups in the United States.

Course Objectives:

The student will:

• Develop charts, graphs and maps to show the demographic characteristics of minority groups within the United States.
• Explain and compare beliefs, customs, traditions, values and issues of minority groups in U.S.
• Read and reflect about life experiences of minority person(s).
• Interpret how minority people express their feelings and experiences through letters, essays, novels, poems, films, dance or songs.
• Describe the historical and geographical backgrounds of the minority groups in the United States.
• Illustrate how minority group conflict or expansion can cause political and cultural change in a region and a nation.
• Identify the cause of disputes between ethnic, racial and religious groups in the U.S.
• Identify contemporary issues of various minority groups and propose solutions.
• Collect, and comment on current event articles concerning minority issues.

Course Outline:

1. Overview of each minority group listed in introduction.
   1. Origins and movement
   2. Culture
   3. Government doctrine, institutions and practice concerning minorities
   4. Social and political issues, conflict and change
2. Explore current issues raised by students or the press concerning minority groups
3. Develop questions concerning issues/problems
4. Acquire, organize, and analyze information relevant to issue/problems.
5. Develop answers to questions

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