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SECTION BY SECTION: HISTORY/govt.: democratic process HISTORY II: Immigration & Culture
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DECISION TEACHER'S GUIDE A.
General
1) Background Synopsis: Talented boxer Jesus Chavez finds his rise to the world championship cut short when he is deported to Mexico for a youthful crime in his past. Back in the country he left as a child, Jesus faces two new battles: the fight for the right to return to this family and career in the U.S., and the struggle to find acceptance in the country of his birth. Key
concepts: o U.S. immigration policy – who gets to stay here? o Cultural identity - what does it mean to be American? Mexican-American? Latino? o Citizenship – how can citizens change public policy? o
Consequences – thinking through the impact of our actions 2) Preliminary Questions § Why did Jesus’ family move to the U.S.? § Why was Jesus deported? § Why does Jesus say he feels like a “man without a country”? § Do you feel that someone in Jesus’ situation should be able to return to the U.S.? Why or why not? B.
History/Democratic
Process
1) Relevance/Purpose §
“Split
Decision” provides an interesting case study of how public policy can affect
individual families, and how the democratic process can be used to change public
policy. 2) Discussion Questions § What public policy issues affect Jesus and his family? § What are other public policy issues that affect the lives of people in your own community? § How are citizens in the film trying to change public immigration policy? (What methods are they using?) § What other approaches could they use? § How would it affect our ability to change public policy if we did not have the rights of free press and speech? §
How is the media used to change
public policy? Does “Split
Decision” have a point of view about the issues it portrays, and does it seem
objective? 3) Group Projects §
Select a public policy issue, such as
some aspect of immigration policy. Divide
the class into two sides, and have them debate two sides of the issue.
They should prepare for the debate using the Internet, magazine articles,
and books to gather information. 4) Individual Projects § Have each student select a public policy issue that is currently being debated (Teacher can provide a list, or can refer students to resources such as newspaper and advocacy websites). Write a paper about this issue. What is the current policy, and who is trying to change it? How are they trying to change it? Do you think they will succeed? § If students have read “The Grapes of Wrath,” fill out a Venn Diagram comparing the Chavez family to the Jodes family. What do they have in common? What is different about the two families? C.
History/ Immigration
& Culture
1) Relevance/Purpose §
“Split Decision” provides
excellent examples of how immigrants contribute to our national identity and
culture, and can be used to motivate a general discussion of U.S. immigration
history & policy 2) Discussion Questions § What aspects of Mexican culture are illustrated in the film, relative to Jesus’ family, and the Mexican environment he returns to? § How has immigration affected American culture? More specifically, from Mexico, from other Latin American countries, from Asia, from Europe? § How much of his family’s original Mexican culture and history did Jesus retain as he was growing up in Chicago? Is it important to understand the history and culture of the countries our families originally came from? §
Why did Jesus’ family come to the
U.S.? What are the primary reasons
in general that families from other countries come to the U.S.? 3) Group Projects §
Divide the students into groups, and
assign an ethnic/cultural group to each (Mexican-American, Native American,
African-American, European, etc.) Have
each group discuss and prepare a list of the positive aspects each of these
groups bring to American culture. (With
additional training materials, this could also serve as a springboard for
discussions on stereotyping). 4) Individual Projects § Prepare a report on how U.S. immigration policy has changed over time. What political processes affected these policies? § Prepare a report on current U.S. immigration issues (areas in which groups or politicians are pushing for change). Describe both sides of the issues. Or have each student identify a single issue and present it to the class. § Select a particular U.S. immigration issue and prepare a report describing the points of view in detail on both sides of the issue (example: whether to offer amnesty to tax-paying families currently residing illegally in the U.S.) D. Sociology1) Relevance/Purpose §
“Split
Decision” provides a basis for discussion of issues of groups, culture, and
stereotypes 2) Discussion Questions § What groups (formal/informal; primary/secondary) does Jesus belong to over the course of the film? His American family? His Mexican family? § What is the family’s socioeconomic status? What behaviors does this status lead to? § What cultural values of Jesus’ family are illustrated in the film? § Do recent immigrants have a high or low level of political power? Do you think this is appropriate? Why or why not? § What stereotypes exist for immigrants from various regions? (Latin American, Asia, Europe) How do stereotypes of Mexican immigrants compare to the people portrayed in the film? §
What overall sociological issues are
illustrated in the film? 3) Individual Projects § Prepare a report on the cultural norms of a selected immigration group. Compare the reality to stereotypes that exist. 1) Relevance/Purpose §
“Split
Decision” illustrates some of the factors involved in joining a gang, and the
consequences of such involvement. It
can be used to promote responsible decision-making. 2) Discussion Questions § Why did Jesus join a gang? § What are the positive and negative aspects of gangs? § How did Jesus’gang involvement affect his life? § How could Jesus have avoided joining the gang? How could he have avoided participating in the armed robbery? § What advice did Jesus have for his younger brother Jimmy? § What advice did Jesus’ grandfather have for him? § What are decisions that Jesus makes at various stages of his life, and what are the consequences of those decisions? F. Media
Literacy 1) Discussion Questions § Documentary format is often used to tell stories that illustrate current social or political issues. Have you seen other documentaries that do so? Which ones? § What are the differences between documentary format and narrative (“fictional”) movie format? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each in telling a story? § Is the use of documentary format a good method for creating more public awareness about issues? Why or why not? Which is more effective in helping people reconsider their opinions: using a purely factual approach, or touching their emotions in some way? § Does “Split Decision” have a point of view about the issues it portrays, and does it seem objective? Are there ways in which it could have been made more objective? |
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