In this exploratory study, the authors investigated students' perceptions of justice. A stanza from a poem was used to stimulate student writing, drawing, and conversation. Students were engaged with the exploration and considered issues surrounding being good or bad, race, and power. They also represented justice abstractly in their drawings and…

Teaching race and ethnicity in various sociology courses, we found students in our classes can be very reluctant to approach the subject of race, discrimination, and racism. Moreover, during class discussion, they often have a hard time defining and analyzing these concepts. In this study, we examine how popular culture can be a useful tool to…

In the majority of public schools across the nation, Black male youth are undergoing what can be deemed as "educational genocide"--the killing off of any chances for an equitable education. This dramatically decreases opportunities for Black male youth to develop into fully participating citizens in a democratic society. In many ways,…

Can race and assimilation be taught? Interdisciplinary pedagogy provides a methodology, context, and use of nontraditional texts culled from American cultural history such as from, theater and historical texts. This approach and these texts prove useful for an examination of race and assimilation in America. The paper describes a course that while…

In order to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to live and work in an interconnected and interdependent world, it is essential they have teachers who understand global processes and can employ a global perspective in the classroom. While globalization can lead to expanded economic markets, increased mass…

Using a feminist lens and a constructivist approach as the theoretical framework, we used rap lyrics and videos to help college students explore mass media's representation of the "independent" Black woman and the concept of "independence" in general. Students must be able to formulate their own concept of independence to…

Discusses a research project on how artists in rap videos create a "counter-discourse" (or ways of talking and thinking about) on themselves and the places they live. Focuses on the experience of sharing the paper based on this research, specifically considering a lecture at California State University-Dominquez Hills. (CMK)