Unit 4 - Critical Cultural Issues

Unit 4's Weekly Questions:
D1: What do you feel are the root causes of power imbalances between or within cultures?

D2: How have government policies had effects on cultural groups in Canada and around the world?

D3: How can social action lead to permanent cultural change and personal engagement?

IGNORE BELOW HERE:
Here are the instructions for the Unit 4 Project.

Week’s Question:
Write a written response to this question. Work in pairs to develop ideas and then write the response. You should make connections to other units.

You will watch this 20 minute Canadian documentary on Shadeism as a class and then complete the work below. For more information go to http://shadeism.com/

In groups of 2-3 respond to the following. I suggest you create and share a Google doc with the people in your groups.

1. How does this documentary show the power struggle between and within cultures?
2. Think about what the underlying causes might be.
3. Are there any contrasting issues within the greater North American culture or societal norms?

Please create Google Docs to share with your groups again for today's work.

1. Find a list of Oscars from any year (specifically for acting) won by ethnic minorities - analyse the roles they played to get these awards.
2. What is the potential impact on cultural identity and on relations between cultural groups of the misrepresentations found in mainstream media?

HINT: Find the ethnic groups and link them to their stereotypical Western roles. Then prove, or disprove this link. Explain the wide ranging problems with stereotypes like this.


Work period.

Students are to brainstorm topics they want to cover for Unit 4.
They should be following the instructions given to them on Monday.

Reflect on the week's question (What do you feel are the root causes of power imbalances between or within cultures?) in light of todays topic.

Watch this TED Talk about language (5 mins). 3 Ways to Speak English.

After watching the video (you can watch it again if you want), share your thoughts with the class. What do you feel? How does this relates to your own experience?

Now respond to the following prompts and questions:

1. How does cultural imperialism (ie: Western influence) influence the loss of a culture's’ language? (Provide examples from the World [current or historical] and Ridgemont)
2. Articulate. What factors play into our perception of what it means to be articulate? Provide examples.
3. How does RHS both succeed and fail to support the many different cultures in our school. Try to be constructive in any criticisms, one goal of this unit is to promote cultural diversity. To do so effectively we need to be mindful of peoples feelings and sensitivities. Remember, most people struggle to admit fault.
4. Finally, connect your thought on these discussion points back to your project's culture.

Here is the Prezi about the Impact of Colonialism on Africa we viewed in class today.

Read this article on Donald Trump and his presidential campaign comments. (1 pg)

Respond to the following:

1. Highlight the contradictions and explain why they are contradictions.
2. Explain why this type of policy would be proposed and possibly supported.
3. Outline the less obvious problems with this proposed policy.
4. What is the root cause of this? It might help to create a family tree of causes.
5. Can you connect this article and its contents to your project?

If you have time, please do the following:

After viewing the Prezi and listening to the lecture do the following:
Get into groups (3-4), create a shared Google Doc if you like.

Compare the impacts of colonialism on Africa to the impacts of colonialism on Canada.

• Brainstorm some overarching questions that you could use to guide your thinking.

Look at cultures that were effected within Canada (Native, European groups, Others…)
Hint: don’t just focus on the obvious groups, or a single era.

I am away today. You can work on your projects for the period, or you can use this period to catch up on any missing work. I would rather have you finish work from any class than have you waste time.

Watch TED Talks by Clint Smith:
How to Raise a Black Son in America,
The Danger of Silence.

1. Does the Canadian Experience compare to the American Experience? Explain.
2. How does societal conflict affect family dynamics?
3. How do you rise above the cultural problems?
4. What will you sacrifice to “break the silence”?
5. What systemic barriers to integration and achievement face ethnocultural minority groups?
6. What are the major cultural issues at the community, provincial, and national levels in Canada?

REMINDER: Projects are due first week of January!


Write a written response to this. You can work in pairs to develop ideas and then write. You should make connections to other units. While answering the Week’s Question (the last one of these!) think of the prompts below:

In order to effect cultural change at Ridgemont (part of your project for Unit 4), it would be a good idea to look into examples of diplomacy (failures and successes) around the world to learn how to do so effectively.

Food for thought: In September 1993, Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin said “One does not make peace with one’s friends, one makes peace with one’s enemies”

How does this tie into your study of culture?

Dec 15th
Multiculturalism vs Melting pot

Get into groups of 3-4 (max). Write down your answers and arguments for the questions below. At the end of the class you will all have an opportunity to present your points of view.

• Are hyphenated identities (ie: Somali-Canadians) a positive phenomenon? Why?
• What is the rationale behind hyphenated identities?
• How long do people have to live somewhere to lose, or gain, the hyphenation?
• Does hyphenation have any connection to immigration policies, social norms, etc?

Dec 16th
Watch Mockumentary Babakiueria (29:21). Shows a satirical look at the colonization of Australia from the perspective of the Indigenous Australians.

Discuss reactions and responses to video.

How would this look in a Canadian context?

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL for this Unit. Please get it done by XXXX.

Below you will find links to various videos that hopefully provide you with some food for thought. i.e.: I hope these videos help you think about your summative in a new light, so it can be more robust.

We will be watching one at the start of each class.

Here is a link to a great TED talk about what headscarves mean to you.

As you head into a very stressful time, here is a short video to provide you with a possible way to cope: Hardwiring Happiness.

This short video shows a Palestinian woman's courageous journey as a photojournalist in the Gaza strip.

Anthony Appiah has an interesting take on whether religion is a good or a bad thing in this TED Talk.

The Hazara people of Afghanistan have suffered from persecution for over a hundred years. Here is an account by a young man who managed to seek asylum in Australia.

As teenagers, you may appreciate the connection to social media that this short video makes. Texting might just be a key to help teens through problems!

This video shows how Kenyans harnessed crowdsourcing and were able to report post-election violence using cell phones and google maps. This technology is now being used across the world to gather data so events can be understood and help can be provided.