Global Poverty
Find an object in your home that was not made in the United States. Conduct some Internet research and write a brief description of the living conditions in that country. Reflecting on your research, the PBS NewsHour video and Wade’s blog post (see Resources), and other course materials, respond to the following questions:
- What are your views on global poverty? Why do you think it exists?
- How are the lives of those that live in the country you have identified above differ from the United States? What impact does global poverty have on our everyday lives?
- What suggestions do you have for eliminating global poverty?
Race as a Stratification Category
One way we stratify people in the United States is by race. The consequences of this stratification are far reaching and something that is constantly debated in the media. In this unit, A Film about Races: A Fresh Look at Diversity, explores the idea of race, how we understand it, its impact, and misconceptions. Respond to the following questions in your initial discussion post:
- What was your initial understanding (or definition) of race? Has this changed from watching this film?
- What impact does classifying people by race have?
- What misconceptions does this film suggest exist regarding race? What examples of these misconceptions have you seen in your everyday life?
- Looking at your current or future career, what impact do you think race will have on your professional life?