English - (Peralta) - Social Issues - March2021: Home

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The U.S. makes up 5% of the world’s population but 25% of its prisoners.  As of 2016, there were 2.2 million adults locked up in the United States.  And although African-Americans and Hispanics make up only 32% of the U.S. population, they account for 56% of the prison population. This topic also includes how people of color are treated by police. In recent years, the Black Lives Matter activist movement began in response to a series of shootings of unarmed Black males by police officers. The movement campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards Black people. Why is this movement so important? What can be done to make our police and criminal justice systems more just?  

DATABASE TOPIC:  Police Powers    (Exploring Issues Database)

• OVERVIEW:  Police Powers 
• FACTS:  Police Powers Facts & Statistics  
• INFOGRAPHICS:  Police Power Infographics 
• DEBATE:  Are Police Biased Against Racial Minorities? DEBATE AT A GLANCE
• DEBATE:  Do U.S. Police Abuse Their Power?  DEBATE AT A GLANCE

ARTICLES:

• OVERVIEW:  Racial Profiling  (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  How Black Lives Matter Became became a U.S. protest cry (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  What Black Lives Matter demonstrators can learn from civil rights protests of the past (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  Protests spread across the country for change  (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  Opinion: Many ways to warm up relations between police, black citizens  (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  The shooting of Trayvon Martin started a movement that stirs people still  (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  Definition of systemic racism in sociology  (Newsela)

PHOTO & VIDEO:

• VIDEO:  Black Lives Matter movement, explained  (Washington Post)
• VIDEO: Amanda Gorman's poem from Biden's inauguration
• VIDEO: "I Have a Dream" Speech by Martin Luther King (subtitled)

Guns kill an average of 96 Americans every day. There are 89 guns for every 100 people in the United States.  The school shooting in Parkland, Florida was the 90^th mass shooting in the U.S. since 1982. 64% of homicides in this country involved a firearm, compared to 4.5% of homicides in England.  Americans are divided between protecting the 2^nd Amendment right to own guns versus protecting the public. For this topic, you can focus on gun violence in urban neighborhoods, gun control, or school shootings.

DATABASE TOPIC:  Gun Control     (Exploring Issues Database)

• DATABASE OVERVIEW:  Gun Control  
• FACTS:  Gun Control Facts & Statistics
• INFOGRAPHICS:  Gun Control Infographics
• DEBATE:  Do gun control laws reduce gun-related deaths?  DEBATE AT A GLANCE
• DEBATE:  Should background checks for gun buyers be expanded?  DEBATE AT A GLANCE
• DEBATE:  Should military-style assault weapons be banned?  DEBATE AT A GLANCE
• DEBATE:  Should individuals have the right to carry a concealed handgun?  DEBATE AT A GLANCE

DATABASE TOPIC:  Mass Shootings    (Exploring Issues Database)

• OVERVIEW:  Mass Shootings  
• FACTS:  Mass Shootings Facts & Statistics
• INFOGRAPHICS:  Mass Shootings Infographics
• DEBATE: Will stricter gun control reduce mass shootings?  DEBATE AT A GLANCE

ARTICLES:

• ARTICLE:  Issue Overview - Guns in America  (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  Understanding key terms in the gun control debate  (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  PRO/CON: Is it time to pass tough gun control laws?  (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  Student survivors emerge as critics of current gun laws (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  Demonstrators march across the nation to demand gun regulations  (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  In Chicago, 660 people have been shot this year. That is 320 fewer than 2017  (Chicago Tribune)

PHOTO & VIDEO:

• PHOTO GALLERY:  Gun violence in Chicago kills hundreds every year  (Chicago Tribune)
• PHOTOS:  Creative Commons Photos of Gun Violence  (Photos for Class)
• VIDEO:  Bullets Have No Names - Chicago Violence Documentary Trailer

Mental Health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel and act. In society, it has typically been considered a private issue and people with mental illness have feared judgement. With awareness, we can become more compassionate human beings and help those with mental illness to feel safe and accepted. How can we reduce the shame of mental illness in order to become a more understanding society?

DATABASE TOPIC:  Mental Health

Rosen Teen Health & Wellness Database

• OVERVIEW:  Anxiety and Panic Attacks
• OVERVIEW:  Depression and Mood Disorders
• OVERVIEW:  Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• OVERVIEW:  Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• OVERVIEW:  Self-Harm
• OVERVIEW:  Social Anxiety and Social Phobia
• OVERVIEW:  Suicide

SIRS Researcher Database

• DEBATE:  Does society's view of mental health issues prevent people from seeking help?  DEBATE AT A GLANCE

Exploring Issues Database

• OVERVIEW:  Teen Suicide 
• FACTS:  Teen Suicide Facts & Statistics  
• INFOGRAPHICS:  Teen Suicide Infographics 
• DEBATE:  Do antidepressant drugs contribute to the problem of teen suicide?  DEBATE AT A GLANCE 
• DEBATE:  Is the media contributing to the rise in teen suicide?  DEBATE AT A GLANCE:  
• DEBATE:  Do new technologies contribute to teen suicide?  DEBATE AT A GLANCE:  

• DEBATE:  Are suicide prevention programs effective?  DEBATE AT A GLANCE:  

ARTICLES:

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community has made great strides in gaining equal rights in the 21^st century. In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that all states must recognize marriages between same-sex couples and allow same-sex couples to adopt. However, there is still no federal statute addressing employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. What are the next steps in the LGBT Rights Movement? 

DATABASE TOPIC:  LGBTQ Rights  (SIRS Researcher Database)

• ISSUES PAGE: LGBTQ Rights
  • DEBATE:  Gender Identity:  
    Are more laws needed to protect the rights of transgender people?
  • DEBATE:  Transgender Children:  
    Should children be allowed to transition to the gender they identify with?
  • DEBATE:  Marriage Equality:  
    Should same-sex marriage remain legal in the United States?
  • DEBATE:  Adoption:  
    Should faith-based adoption agencies have the right to deny services to LGBTQ people seeking to adopt?
  • DEBATE:  LGBTQ People in the Military:  
    Should the military have the right to exclude transgender individuals from serving in the armed forces?
  • DEBATE:  Workplace Discrimination:  
    Should laws that protect against workplace discrimination be strengthened?

ARTICLES:

• ARTICLE:  The Stonewall Riots: Catalyst for Gay Rights Movement   (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  How Did the Rainbow Flag Become an LGBT Symbol?   (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  White House lifts transgender student bathroom guidance   (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  The Supreme Court says gay couples are allowed to be married   (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  Employment discrimination: The next frontier for LGBT community  (USA Today)

WEBSITES:

• WEBSITE:   Widespread Discrimination Continues to Shape LGBT People’s Lives   (Center for American Progress)

The #metoo movement started to shed light on the rampant sexual assault and harassment in the workplace. In the U.S., 54% of women surveyed reported being the victim of sexual assault and/or harassment. 95% of those victims also reported that there was no punishment for the male perpetrator. Recently, celebrities have brought attention to this issue and how widespread it is in their own workplaces. Do you have any ideas on how to address this issue?

DATABASE TOPIC:  Sexual Harrassment  (SIRS Researcher Database)

• DEBATE:  Is the #MeToo movement a catalyst for ending workplace sexual harassment?  DEBATE AT A GLANCE

ARTICLES:

• Text Set:  The #MeToo Movement  (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  What the Numbers Behind the #MeToo Movement Show Us  (Ms. Magazine)
• ARTICLE:  "Silence Breakers" grace cover of Time magazine as Person of the Year  (Newsela)
• ARTICLE:  They spoke out before #MeToo about sexual attacks
• ARTICLE:  #MeToo and Time's Up Founders Explain the Difference Between the 2 Movements — And How They're Alike  (Time)

WEBSITES:

• WEBSITE:  Time's Up
• WEBSITE:  me too
• WEBSITE:  Understanding the Me Too Movement: A Sexual Harassment Awareness Guide

PHOTO & VIDEO:

• VIDEO:  ‘It’s Not Just A Moment, It’s A Movement’  (You Tube)
• VIDEO:  How the "Me Too." Meme Went VIRAL  (You Tube)