Racial and Ethnic Issues in American Schools and Society will deal with the impact of relations between different groups of people in our schools, society, and nation. All students will look at the past, present, and future concerns that have hurt racial relations within the United States. This class will focus on the most recent racial violence that has erupted within our cities and communities that has hurt the peace and security of these areas for our citizens. We will identify the reasons why there have been many incidents that have shook the foundations of trust between minority groups and the police forces in their home towns. There will be a great deal of information that will be presented on the hardships that ethnic and racial groups are facing within the 21st Century and how these Americans and our newest immigrants are currently perceived in this society. All students will learn about the positives stories of these citizens to attain the "American Dream." While this country is a proud "melting pot" with people from every corner of this world, we will look at the recent political concerns that have been presented against wide scale immigration to this nation. This is an important look at the lives of our minority students from different races, ethnic groups, and even our oldest citizens, the Native Americans and the terrible problems that continue to hurt the reservations across the United States. All participants will have interesting readings, government studies, news clips, and movies that will best present this vital information on the difficulties, goals, and solutions of equality that our minority and ethnic students would like to achieve in our schools and communities.

Teachers enrolled in this course will...

Know

1. the impact of past and present racial concerns and how these movements have changed American society and history
2. the resources that are available to teachers in dealing with the influx of new immigrants or ethnic groups that are struggling to assimilate into American sch
3. why it is important for our nation to foster a better learning environment for all groups of people, regardless of their color, last name, and ethnic group
4. the most troubling aspect of race relations that we currently see within American society and the problems that have occurred between minorities and police in cities like Baltimore, Chicago, and New York
5. how the political process of this current election has hurt the perception of open immigration to this nation, the views of elected officials, and the beliefs of Americans
6. why many Americans are concerned to accept immigrants from warring nations like that of Syria and how parts of immigration is tied to the national security of this country

1. the importance of government legislation in aiding immigrants that are currently trying to assimilate into American society
2. why it is vital for our schools to have programs to foster a greater sense of unity amongst all of our students - regardless of race and ethnic groups
3. how the court systems have reacted towards the negative racial tensions between racial incidents and the police
4. the national concerns of drug abuse, alcoholism, suicide, lack of a college education, and opportunities that are and have been seen on reservations
5. the challenges that inter-racial couples and families endure within American society

1. determine the impact of race relations and the inequalities that are still seen in this nation as we live in the 21st Century
2. analyze the struggles that immigrants endure on a daily basis and their goals of attaining the “American Dream.”
3. describe the national concerns of racism and hatred that has recently been seen through the views of the most recent election
4. understand the issues of security that have been widely spoken about over the creation of a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico
5. determine the ethnic and religious tensions that are widely circulating within the United States against groups that are seen as threats to our nation, not potential citizens.
6. identify if all groups of people regardless of race, ethnic, religious or economic backgrounds are entitled to the same college opportunities within this nation.
7. explain the massive resentment that has been shown towards Moslems, Sikhs, and other groups that have been verbally and physically assaulted