ERIC Number: EJ890359
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Oct
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0092-055X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Only Some Are Dead Men Walking: Teaching about Race Discrimination and the Death Penalty
Bordt, Rebecca L.
Teaching Sociology, v32 n4 p358-373 Oct 2004
This paper describes an experiential learning exercise I have used to teach race discrimination in my introductory and criminology courses. The exercise is designed to introduce students to the concept of non-conscious forms of racial bias, a form of race discrimination often difficult for students to grasp. Using a hypothetical criminal case, students imagine themselves as jurors in a capital murder trial and decide whether the defendant should receive the death penalty or life imprisonment. The results of the exercise are used as a basis for class discussion. Specifically, I consider why the students' findings either support or challenge previous research and consider social-psychological arguments about how racism manifests itself on a non-conscious level. After outlining the specifics of the exercise and describing the class discussion in detail, I offer an evaluation of the assignment based on student feedback and my own reflection. (Contains 3 tables and 7 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Race, Racial Discrimination, Experiential Learning, Crime, Death, Punishment, Controversial Issues (Course Content), Teaching Methods, Criminology, Class Activities, Racial Bias, Court Litigation, Case Method (Teaching Technique), Course Descriptions
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Arizona
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A