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If I Grow Up -- Essential Questions and Supplemental Reading
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What is attribution theory and how does it affect the way we explain the behavior of others?
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How does being in the presence of others affect our behaviors? Thoughts? Decisions?
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How does conformity relate to obedience?
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How does society pressure people to conform? Are you a conformist or a rebel?
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What is socialization? What are some of the ways we are socialized as we grow up?
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How are perspective, assumptions, and observations used to draw conclusions about people and their behaviors?
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How can we understand racism as a system of discrimination? What is its relationship to poverty? Socioeconomic status?
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Which is more powerful, the individual or the group?
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What is the history of gangs and ghettos in the US?
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What community conditions enable gangs to take root?
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What does life in gang territory look like to DeShawn?
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Why is so much violence committed by men?
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What is institutional and structural racism, and what are some examples of it in the US?
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How can structural racism be used to explain DeShawn’s life, based on what we know right now?
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How does structural racism help explain the way that gangs organize their economy?
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But if drug dealing gets you rich, why do drug dealers live with their mommas?
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If drug dealing is the most visible “tournament” for poor black men, and participation almost always equals death or jail time, how much choice really exists for poor black youth?
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How does perspective change the way we see and interpret things?
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How can humor be an effective means of communicating perspectives?
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So how much “choice” is there when it comes to our individual fate?
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What are the key factors that contribute to our life outcomes?
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Why read/ write a book about a poor, black boy who ends up in jail?
Supplemental Course Texts/Materials:
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Short reading on Cognitive Dissonance Theory
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Stanford Prison Experiment Documentary
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A Class Divided PBS Documentary on the Blue-Eyed, Brown-Eyed Experiment
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Brief History of Bacon’s Rebellion
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“Constructing Race, Creating White Privilege” by Pem Davidson Buck, excerpted
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“Defining Racism: Can We Talk?” by Beverly Daniels Tatum, exerpted
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“History of Street Gangs in the United States” by James C. Howell and John P. Moore
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“Dichotomous Thinking: Structure and Agency, Nature and Nurture” by Sally Raskoff
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“Male Violence: Are We Prisoners of Masculinity?” by Quassan Castro
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Race: The Power of an Illusion PBS Film, Episode Three, “The House We Live In”
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“Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live With Their Moms?” Chapter Three From Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
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Flowchart on Institutional and Structural Racism created by Anne Ross
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“The Silent Genocide – Facts About the Deepening Plight of Black Men in America” from The Black Star Project
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“Are Emily and Brendan More Employable Than Lakisha and Jamal?” exerpt from the University of Chicago Study on Racism in Hiring
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