Assignment: Diversity and Culture in Global Travel and Tourism
Project requirements
Students are to research various sources for cases, lawsuits, opinions, and/or events that are related to topics of discrimination and diversity.
Students should choose and prepare a presentation covering either a discrimination practice (showcasing a claim that was either dismissed or substantiated by a court) or event that had major impact on discrimination/anti-discrimination policies and practices or the way a general public viewed specific groups.
In the presentation, students will explain:
a) Circumstances of the case/event
b) Timeline, if applicable
c) Main issues in the case (for example, racial or gender discrimination)
d) What happened next
e) What can we learn from the case/event
Objective:
1. To learn about legal aspects of discrimination
2. To research actual legal cases/historical event
3. To present such case/event in class
Examples of final project:
1. A historical event - The Stonewall riots
a) In your presentation you explain what were the Stonewall riots. What happened, and who were the main players in the event (police, gay groups, general public, media, etc.)
b) Explain when this took place (not only dates but also what was happening in the country at the time - civil rights movement, anti-war movement etc.)
c) What were the main issues? Discrimination against gay and lesbian minorities - legal (explain anti-homosexual laws at the time) and social. Also important was use of violence against any group of citizens, etc.
d) Explain how the riots impacted the civil rights movement and, in particular, the organizing and self-defining of gay and lesbian Americans. What were the consequences?
e) What can we learn: there is going to be a difference between writing about a case and an event. You might find yourself mixing the d) and e) together.
You might want to create a timeline with events, main names, historical documents etc. as a flyer to distribute during your presentation.
2. Legal Case - Abercombie and Fitch
(There will be number of cases we will analyze in class, so you will have a chance to get used to this format)
a) Circumstances of the case - few words about the company and its history, few words about hiring policies and policies of creating "The Look Book"
b) Timeline of events
c) Main issues: discrimination based on looks (and/or race), explain 3 different class action law suits
d) What happened next - the company settled, changed their practices (or did they?), hired an executive in charge of diversity. Many companies took notice.
e) What can we learn: what are not acceptable hiring practices.