Assignment
1. Define the term the "melting pot." Are we a melting pot? If not, can you think of a more accurate metaphor?
2. Spend time observing popular media (newspapers, magazines, TV shows, movies, pop music, and social media) for evidence of the myth of the melting pot. How closely do these images reflect your understanding of your own and other ethnic and racial groups?
3. What associations do you make with the terms "culture," "ethnicity," and "traditions"?
4. Some of the best ways for us to humanize and understand backgrounds that are different from our own are through learning the language, eating the foods, and taking part in festivals and various traditions. Can you share some of your special/important/notable traditions, rituals, festivities, foods, or languages spoken?
5. This is less fun to write about, but just as relevant: have you ever experienced discrimination? Can you tell us about it?