Instruction
Prompt 1:
After watching the following video clips, consider and answer the following questions the questions that follow.
From Swastika to Jim Crow [4:15] During World War II, Jewish scholars fled Nazi Germany and often had trouble finding work at American universities. By contrast, many historically black colleges hired the refugees. This selection explores the ways in which definitions of race are fluid.
https://wwnorton.com/common/mplay/6.11/?p=/college/soc/soc-in-prac-videos/&f=swastika-to-jim-crow&ft=mp4&cdn=1&cc=1
(Links to an external site.)
Links to an external site.
The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, Clip 1 [4:17] Convict leasing began in the years following the Civil War and continued for decades. African Americans were arrested for minor offenses (such as loitering) and given long sentences in order to provide cheap labor for companies and income for states. This selection explains how convict leasing led to the criminalization of African Americans.
https://wwnorton.com/common/mplay/6.11/?p=/college/soc/soc-in-prac-videos/&f=jim-crow-convict-leasing&ft=mp4&cdn=1&cc=1
(Links to an external site.)
Links to an external site.
The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow [9:49] Jim Crow laws and racial violence emerged in the 1870s following the economic success of newly freed slaves in order for whites to maintain political power.
https://wwnorton.com/common/mplay/6.11/?p=/college/soc/soc-in-prac-videos/&f=jim-crow-laws&ft=mp4&cdn=1&cc=1
(Links to an external site.)
Links to an external site.
Strange Fruit [8:52] Music plays a big part in culture and social movements. Billie Holiday's recording of "Strange Fruit," a song about lynching, raised awareness about racism despite being banned from the radio after its 1939 release.
https://wwnorton.com/common/mplay/6.11/?p=/college/soc/&f=strange_fruit&ft=mp4&cc=1
(Links to an external site.)
Links to an external site.
QUESTIONS:
How do these videos contribute to the idea that race is socially constructed?
In what ways have past practices after the end of slavery attempted to continue the exploitation that existed during slavery?
How have dominant groups responded to attempts to make visible racist practices?
Prompt 2:
After watching the following video clips, consider and answer the following questions the questions that follow.
In Whose Honor? [4:42] Many professional and college sports teams use Native Americans as mascots. This clip details Charlene Teters's struggle, as a Native American and former University of Illinois graduate student, to challenge some of the troubling portrayals of her people in sports.
https://wwnorton.com/common/mplay/6.11/?p=/college/soc/soc-in-prac-videos/&f=in-whose-honor&ft=mp4&cdn=1&cc=1
(Links to an external site.)
Links to an external site.
Race, Power, and American Sports [7:06] How are professional sports related to race and power? In this selection, Dave Zirin and Sut Jhally discuss the problem with biological explanations of African American dominance in many professional sports.
https://wwnorton.com/common/mplay/6.11/?p=/college/soc/soc-in-prac-videos/&f=race-power-sports&ft=mp4&cdn=1&cc=1
(Links to an external site.)
Links to an external site.
QUESTIONS:
Why do you think that Native Americans representations have been so pervasive in sports mascots?
How are associations made between ethnic and racial groups and sports a way for dominant groups to maintain power?
How are fantasy sports linked with race and power?
Prompt 3:
After watching the following video clips, consider and answer the following questions the questions that follow.
Latinos Beyond Reel [11:26] Latinos are often absent from network news coverage and history. News stories about Latinos are overwhelmingly negative.
https://wwnorton.com/common/mplay/6.11/?p=/college/soc/soc-in-prac-videos/&f=latinos-beyond-reel&ft=mp4&cdn=1&cc=1
(Links to an external site.)
Links to an external site.
Valentino’s Ghost [10:15] Where do images of Arabs as violent villains come from? This selection highlights the history of media representations of the Middle East.
https://wwnorton.com/common/mplay/6.11/?p=/college/soc/soc-in-prac-videos/&f=valentinos-ghost&ft=mp4&cdn=1&cc=1
(Links to an external site.)
Links to an external site.
QUESTIONS:
How does coverage of illegal immigrants shape perceptions of Latinos?
How do media portrayals of Arabs shape political realities?
What similarities between Native Americans, Latinos, and Arabs do you see in media representations?