Duques, Matthew (2004). Revisiting the Regenerative Possibilities of Ortiz. Studies in American Indian Literatures, v16 n4 p96-98 Win. The author of this article revisits Simon Ortiz's poem, \From Sand Creek,\ in which the latter can in so few words convey both the horrific tragedy of conquest and colonization, while at the same time find a space for possibility, a means for recovery that is never about forgetting but always occurs as a kind of recuperative remembering. Ortiz speaks of \bad things\ which are so pervasive in the past, detrimental ideologies that persist today, pain that lingers, yet with a remarkably powerful sense of courage and optimism. The author opines that people must immerse themselves in the simple beauty of Ortiz's words, remembering what they often forget, acknowledging, as Ortiz tells, that \repression works like a shadow,\ choosing not to overlook what is destroyed and beaten down amidst those mentalities that operate under dichotomies that desecrate difference, learning not only from people's own past genocides and massacres, but also recognizing the arduous yet fruitful process,… [Direct]

Johnston, Trevor (2005). In One's Own Image: Ethics and the Reproduction of Deafness. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, v10 n4 p426-441 Fall. The ethics of the use of genetic screening and reproductive technologies to select against and for deafness is presented. It is argued that insofar as deafness is a disability it is ethical to act in such a way as to avoid the conception or birth of children with genetic or congenital deafness. The discovery and recognition of signing deaf communities as cultural and linguistic communities (minorities) does not alter this basic ethical position, although the consequences of widespread application of this technology appears destined to lead to the eventual disappearance of these communities. The argument that acting to avoid deafness is unethical because it will lead to the elimination of a linguistic or cultural group (genocide or ethnocide) or conversely that acting to ensure deafness is ethical, if not praiseworthy, can only be sustained if deafness is not regarded as a disability at all. I argue that the premise that deafness is not a disability of some sort is false and thus the…

Ritchie, Annabelle (2004). The Ecology of French in Australia. Babel, v38 n3 p24-28, 38 Sum 2003-2004. Language ecology, a term developed by Haugen (2001), describes the relationship between languages and the environment in which they exist; that is, how they grow, change, interact and adapt in a Darwinian-like quest for survival. Of the 6000 or so languages in existence today, some are spoken by vast numbers of people, but others are used by very few. Such endangered languages face the risk of extinction due to natural disasters, cultural assimilation, or genocide. Their loss represents a loss of cultural diversity, and for this reason is a matter of concern. English is the official and dominant language in Australia. Despite this dominance, however, many Australians use a language other than English in their daily activities. Such a "minority language" is one used in fewer settings and by fewer people than English. This article discusses the status and survival of French as a minority and foreign language in Australia. In particular, it describes the domains of usage of… [Direct]

McRoy, James J. (1982). Content Analysis of Essays from a Cross-National Survey: Implications for Teaching Strategies in Holocaust Studies. The content of essays written by randomly selected samples of 1500 U.S. and 500 British secondary students on the topic "What have I learned about Adolf Hitler?" were partitioned into theme-related assertions and analyzed. An experimental group of 150 9th- and 11th-grade male students who had studied the Holocaust also contributed papers that were compared with those in a control sample of U.S. males. General awareness of the meaning of the Holocaust was relatively high for both British and American students, although the former possessed a broader range of knowledge of historical phenomena associated with the event. Students who had studied the Holocaust had a more sophisticated understanding of the topic. Questionnaires soliciting views on curricular issues pertinent to the Holocaust were also completed by 84 voluntarily participating U.S. teachers. Findings suggest that Holocaust curricula should be introduced at the ninth grade and should stress the interplay of…

Hartley, William L. (1998). The Holocaust in Hungary and Poland: Case Studies of Response to Genocide. Curriculum Project. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad Program, 1998 (Hungary/Poland). This curriculum project was designed primarily to be incorporated into a larger world history unit on the Holocaust and World War II. The project can be adapted for a lesson on 'situational ethics' for use in a philosophy class. The lesson requires students to examine a historical case and to write and discuss that particular case. The project's lesson aims to get students to examine critically such issues as "Man's inhumanity to man"; and "How could this happen?" These issues would be framed against the backdrop of the organized resistance to Nazi occupation that took place in the Warsaw Ghetto in the spring of 1943. The project is organized along the traditional lines of a lesson plan, and includes summary notes, questions to be answered both in writing and group discussion, as well as references to several general works on the Holocaust. (Contains 15 references of books and videos.) (BT)… [PDF]

(2006). A Year in Review 2006. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, v23 n23 p30-35 Dec. "Summers To Step Down, Ending Tumult at Harvard" kicked off in 2006 as one of the most talked about news stories in higher education. Only a few months later, an event involving another elite institution would grab even more headlines, and with more serious ramifications. Three Duke University men's lacrosse players were indicted on rape charges. The alleged rape would raise issues of race, gender and class, as the accuser was an African-American female student at historically Black North Carolina Central University, also located in Durham. Students across the country came together to pressure their university administrations to divest from companies conducting business in the African nation of Sudan, where an estimated 2 million people have been displaced and between 200,000 and 400,000 have died in what has been called state-sponsored genocide. More than 100 students participated in a "Solidarity Die-In" in March at the University of California, Los Angeles. The… [Direct]

Fine, Mike (1977). The Institution of Carlisle School: A Microcosm of 500 Years of Indian Policy. The history of the Carlisle Indian Boarding School is a microcosm of 500 years of Indian policy. Established through the efforts of career military man Richard Pratt in 1879, the school symbolized the emerging view of assimilation, an important change from earlier attempts at genocide and prior militant attitudes towards the Indians. Long interested in Indian education, Pratt established the school's goal of assimilative education and sought to achieve it by totally immersing Indian students in the white world. He changed the name, appearance, language, clothes, and manners of every student through a three-phase program of work programs, European classroom instruction and shop education, and a live-in program with white American families. The initial supposed success of Carlisle led to the government's founding of 25 more off-reservation boarding schools. White-Indian relations, federal Indian policies, and Pratt's own Indian theories were prevailing elements in the school's…

(1999). CNN Newsroom Classroom Guides. September 1999. These guides, designed to accompany the daily Cable News Network (CNN) Newsroom broadcasts for September 1-30, 1999, provide program rundowns, suggestions for class activities and discussion, links to relevant World Wide Web sites, and a list of related news terms. Top stories include: Venezuela constitutional crisis, Panama's first female president, and the Internet's 30th birthday (September 1-3); unrest in East Timor, Viacom buys CBS, earthquake in Greece, and the international community's response to reports of genocide by pro-Indonesian militia (September 7-10); President Habibie and the military role in East Timor, Hurricane Floyd and preparations in coastal Florida, forecasts for Hurricane Floyd, factors that "feed" a hurricane, and effects of Hurricane Floyd (September 13-17); hardships for victims of Hurricane Floyd, earthquake in Taiwan, Operation Warden in East Timor, aftershocks and damage from the earthquake in Taiwan, cause of violence in East Timor…

Bailey, Harold (1975). Institutional and Societal Effects on the Black Student Athlete. This dissertation explores the role of blacks in the field of organized athletics. From the institution of slavery, to vocational education, to unequal educational opportunity, to exploitation for profit, the white ruling class has been successful in maintaining control of the lives and destiny of the black community, particularly in the field of education. Educational institutions are guilty of exploitation of the black student athlete at the expense of his education, and, in many cases, guilty of psychological genocide. It is noted that one area of importance in a discussion of the black student athlete must include the mass media. Many believe that racism does not exist in the area of mass communication. It is a proven fact that the black colleges suffer in many ways from lack of adequate news coverage of athletic events. On the other hand, the predominantly white educational institutions receive not only more than adequate publicity but reap monetary benefits from such…

(1973). The Third Reich in Perspective: A Resource Unit for Teachers and Group Leaders. A brief history of the Nazi rise to power and genocide of Jews is contained in this pamphlet. The pamphlet was designed to supplement secondary social studies textbooks when it was found that most texts omit or skim over the treatment of the Jews by the Nazis. The document begins with a brief overview of historical content which the developers feel constitutes the minimum amount of information that teachers and students need to understand the meaning of the events in Germany that preceded and occurred during the Nazi era. Information is presented on unification of German states into one nation under Otto von Bismarck; Prussian militarism; social collapse following Germany's defeat in World War I; democracy during the Weimar period from 1918-1933; background of Adolph Hitler; Hitler's rise to power; and Nazi treatment of Jews. The second part of the pamphlet contains suggested learning activities and an annotated list of films and books. Activities involve students in word study,…

Friedlander, Henry (1973). On the Holocaust: A Critique of the Treatment of the Holocaust in History Textbooks Accompanied by an Annotated Bibliography. The booklet reviews the largely inadequate treatment of Nazi persecution of the Jews in history textbooks and presents an annotated list of other books which treat the Holocaust in depth. Studies of texts commonly used in high school, college freshman survey of Western civilization courses, and advanced university history courses show that discussion of the Holocaust is bland and superficial. Some texts, such as R. R. Palmer's survey of modern Europe, briefly mention the murder of Jews and identify the extermination camps, but they do not provide detailed discussion. Even more recently published paperback history "essay" books skim over the persecution and killing. The author concludes that this reticence is due to the fact that scholars have been unwilling to recognize and acknowledge the fact of genocide. For students who want to study the Holocaust on their own, the bibliography lists approximately 150 resources. These are categorized as (1) reference materials…

McHarg, Ian L. (1971). Man: Planetary Disease. The 1971 B. Y. Morrison Memorial Lecture. The 1971 B.Y. Morrison Memorial Lecture by Ian L. McHarg, noted landscape architect, planner, and lecturer, is presented in this pamphlet. His expose is two-fold. \Man is an epidemic, multiplying at a superexponential rate, destroying the environment upon which he depends, and threatening his own extinction. He treats the world as a storehouse existing for his delectation; he plunders, rapes, poisons, and kills this living system, the biosphere, in ignorance of its workings and its fundamental value.\ In contrast, \survival of man is contingent upon categorical rejection of this cultural inferiority complex that is the Western view, and its replacement with the ecological view–man in nature. This reveals the ways of the working world and shows our ignorant interventions as self-mutilation, leading to suicide, genocide, biocide.\ To determine if man can survive, he concludes with the question, \Are you healthy? If you find any system which is healthy, you have found a system which… [PDF]

Harris, Ian M. (2002). Peace Education Theory. During the 20th century, there was a growth in social concern about horrific forms of violence, like ecocide, genocide, modern warfare, ethnic hatred, racism, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and a corresponding growth in the field of peace education where educators from early child care to adult use their professional skills to warn fellow citizens about imminent dangers and advise them about paths to peace. Peace education has five main postulates: (1) it explains the roots of violence; (2) it teaches alternatives to violence; (3) it adjusts to cover different forms of violence; (4) peace is a process that varies according to context; and (5) conflict is omnipresent. This paper traces the evolution of peace education theory from its roots in religious traditions of love, compassion, charity, and tolerance to modern theories based on reducing the threats of interpersonal and environmental violence. This brief review of some main contributors to peace education theory gives rise to… [PDF]

Lambert, David (2004). Geography in the Holocaust: Citizenship Denied. Teaching History, n116 p42-48. In this article David Lambert argues powerfully for teachers of the humanities to place citizenship at the centre of their work. He seeks to demonstrate that the division between subject-boundaries needs to be broken through if students are not to be denied what they are entitled to: an understanding of what it is to be human. Lambert argues that geography in schools has not, traditionally, been seen as having much of a part to play in achieving this. By examining the Holocaust, perhaps the most extreme example of human brutality of the twentieth century, he makes the point that all subjects have something to contribute to the wider goals of education. Until now, the Holocaust has been located in time, but not in space: Lambert shows how this lost dimension can be restored by focusing on the human geography of the genocide. Ultimately, of course, such an approach raises fundamental questions with which all teachers need to deal. What, he asks, is the purpose of teaching? "When… [Direct]

(1975). Family Size and the Black American. Population Bulletin, v30 n4. In the past, many family planning and population organizations have paid relatively little attention to black fears of birth control coercion and to the writings, speeches, and attitudes that have resulted. Nor have they considered the history and reasons for black sensitivity on the subject of planned family size. This bulletin puts some of these issues and concepts into context within the American scene. It explores the present spectrum of opinion among black leaders and the cultural and political backgrounds that have influenced current thought. The responses of blacks in putting family planning into practice are also outlined, together with some probable trends in family size. It is concluded that, at present, black women are more influenced in the practice of rejection of family planning methods by the practical considerations of bearing and raising children than by any abstract political and philosophical questions on either side. But, some black men may look at issues… [PDF]

Seabrook, John H., Ed. (1995). Community College Humanities Review, 1995. Community College Humanities Review, v16 Dec. This annual volume of the Community College Humanities Review (CCHR) presents a wide range of articles dealing with humanities–from Lloyd Kaplan's attempts to set the record straight (by presenting a more accurate appraisal and a truer perspective of Dave Brubeck's outstanding contribution to the course of jazz) to Walter Krieglstein's exploration of recent discoveries in basic science (by attempting to evaluate their potential as a stimulus for cross-fertilization between the sciences and the humanities). Contained are the following articles: (1) \Comments at the National Conference of the Community College Humanities Association: Washington, D.C., November 9, 1995\ (Sheldon Hackney); (2) \Conform, Go Crazy or Take a Nap: Nourishing the Prophetic Vision\ (Mary Rose Reilley); (3) \The Legacy of Dave Brubeck\ (Lloyd Kaplan); (4) \Interdisciplinary Study: Towards the Millennium\ (Maryanne M. Garbowsky); (5) \The Silencing Canon: Native American Texts and Literature Study\ (Mary… [PDF]

Gibb, Dwight (2002). Teaching Thinking. History Teacher, v35 n2 p175-200 Feb. If history teachers' aim is to teach students how to think, why not ask: What forms of thought do historians use, and what specific techniques will inculcate these forms? In this article, the author proposes a fundamental shift, from courses with a focus on the mastery of data to courses with a priority on learning the historian's craft. The author has explored this approach through experimentation over the years with the cooperation of students at Lakeside School in Seattle, and devised a format which works. Here, the author describes this model which is applied to a tenth grade world history (since 1500) course during the 1998-99 academic year. The content begins with a tour of varied societies, and then proceeds to an introduction to Islamic and Atlantic intercommunicating zones during the fourteenth through seventeenth centuries. From there it moves to a more traditional, and more specific, study of European developments. The course concludes with personally engaging subjects,… [Direct]

Au, Wayne, Ed. (2009). Rethinking Multicultural Education: Teaching for Racial and Cultural Justice. Rethinking Schools, Ltd Since the 1980s, "Rethinking Schools" magazine has been renowned for its commitment to racial equality in education. Now, "Rethinking Multicultural Education: Teaching for Racial and Cultural Justice" has collected the best Rethinking Schools articles that deal with race and culture. "Rethinking Multicultural Education" moves beyond a simplistic focus on heroes and holidays to demonstrate a powerful vision of anti-racist, social justice education. Practical, rich in story, and analytically sharp, "Rethinking Multicultural Education" reclaims multicultural education as part of a larger struggle for justice and against racism, colonization, and cultural oppression–in schools and society. This book contains four sections. Section I, Anti-Racist Orientations, contains the following: (1) Taking Multicultural, Anti-Racist Education Seriously: An interview with Enid Lee; (2) Origins of Multiculturalism (Christine Sleeter and Peter McLaren); (3) What… [Direct]

Hanna, Jack C.; Maddalena, Gracemarie. (1994). Respect, Reflect, Resolve. Ten Anti-Violence Lessons for Use in Middle and High School. First Edition. This teacher's guide provides 10 interactive lesson plans to educate youth about the consequences of violence. The lessons explore the different kinds of violence in society, conflict resolution through mediation, the behaviors that constitute sexual harassment, statistics on violence, ways to avoid domestic violence and the use of deadly force, the impact of television violence, sentencing enhancement statutes for gang activity, non-violent theories of social change, the problems facing minorities in Germany, and foreign policy alternatives to ethnic violence, civil wars, and genocide. The teaching strategies challenge students to solve problems peaceably through mediation and creative thinking. Beginning with the premises that respect is an unalienable right and that disrespect has no place in a democracy, the first priority of this curriculum is to foster respect for the inherent worth of all human beings. Once respect is established, the second step to avoiding violence is to…

Klein, Ana Maria (2003). Child Protagonists: The \Anne Franks\ of Today. Multicultural Education, v11 n2 p23-26 Win. The literary works surveyed here were written by authors who, as children, witnessed apartheid, holocaust, imprisonment, escape, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and other horrors that marked their lives. In each case, the selected texts are rendered as diaries or as first-person narratives describing disturbing situations which are resolved either through reading, writing or merely adjusting. In this article, the author discusses text interrogation as an instructional approach for instructors to use to introduce some of these literary works. Using this approach, the instructor uses focused questions to develop proximity to the text and to anticipate and address some of the historical and contextual information that will have to be carefully explained to youngsters. This approach promotes literacy in three ways: (1) using a compelling genre; (2) providing readers with opportunities to articulate reactions, personal positions, fears and concerns; and (3) the freedom to decide to \gloss… [PDF] [Direct]

Boright, Lucinda L. (1990). Cambodian Refugees. The Khmer are the predominant ethnic group of Cambodia, yet they have suffered genocide in their own homeland. The English language is the primary social barrier confronted by Cambodian refugees to the United States, since there are no similarities between English and Khmer alphabets and tenses. Refugees who arrrived in 1975 tended to be educated, to come from urban areas, and to possess some knowledge of Western culture. However, more recent arrivals are likely to be uneducated and from rural areas with no conception of American customs. Orphaned teenagers and children, along with widows, constitute a large portion of the Cambodian refugee population. All Cambodian refugees seem to possess some degree of survival guilt. Emotional problems range from depression, anxiety, and paranoia to sleep disturbances and death. Enlisting the help of a Khmer shaman (if available) will facilitate survival merit in the counseling experience. A crisis intervention model must be the basis of…

van Krieken, Robert (1999). The "Stolen Generations" and Cultural Genocide: The Forced Removal of Australian Indigenous Children from Their Families and Its Implications for the Sociology of Childhood. Childhood: A Global Journal of Child Research, v6 n3 p297-311 Aug. Examined the development and outcomes of Australian government policy of forced child removal from Aboriginal families. Discusses policy antecedents, its surrounding philosophy and politics, and the emergence of a more critical understanding of this policy in recent years. Examines the general implications of this history for the sociology of childhood. (JPB)…

Aparicio, Teresa, Comp.; Dahl, Jens, Comp. (1990). IWGIA Yearbook 1989. Based on various international sources, this publication gives an overview of events affecting the indigenous peoples of the world during 1898. Part I, the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) Annual Report, describes the programs and activities of IWGIA during 1989. Part II addresses issues of political problems and progress, genocide, land disputes, health, and human rights. After an obituary for George Manuel, a great North American Indian leader, the yearbook focuses on particular geographic locations. A map for each section shows the names and locations of the indigenous people, as well as the population of the area. The report discusses the following areas: (1) the Arctic; (2) North America; (3) Central America and Mexico; (4) South America; (5) the Pacific; (6) Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand); (7) East Asia; (8) Southeast Asia; (9) South Asia; (10) West and Central Asia; (11) Europe and North Asia; (12) Northern Africa; (13) West Africa; (14) the Horn…

Hossain, Tania; Pratt, Cornelius B. (2008). Language Rights: A Framework for Ensuring Social Equity in Planning and Implementing National-Education Policies. New Horizons in Education, v56 n3 p63-74 Dec. Background: An important issue in the discourse on language rights is the degree to which they influence the development and implementation of language policies or perpetuate inequalities in many language situations. Skutnabb-Kangas (1996, 2002a, 2002b) and May (2000), for example, have argued that language rights offer a reasonable framework for protecting minority languages. In contrast, Brutt-Griffler (2002a) argues that a focus on language rights is neither theoretically justified nor realistic as a means for protecting the interests of linguistic minorities. This article uses the antithetical views expressed by Brutt-Griffler, a critic of language rights, and by Skutnabb-Kangas, an advocate of those rights, as a point of departure in marshaling arguments to advocate human rights as both a mechanism for ensuring social equity, for expanding educational offerings particularly to school-age children, and, in turn, for fostering national development. Focus of Discussion:… [PDF] [PDF]

Klug, Beverly J.; Whitfield, Patricia T. (2003). Widening the Circle: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy for American Indian Children. This book provides non-Native teachers with information about Native American cultures and offers a pedagogical model that blends Native and non-Native worldviews and methodologies. The book aims to describe the process of becoming bicultural as it relates to success in teaching Native students; provide a short history of American Indian nations, including educational practices and legislation related to American Indian education; assist teachers in developing a better understanding of culture; and present examples of culturally relevant pedagogy and ways of partnering with Indian communities. The first three chapters discuss bicultural awareness, a short history of American Indian education as a tool of cultural genocide, and the effects of colonization on Native communities as a whole. Chapters 4-5 explore the concept of culture and ways of recognizing the role of culture in one's own life, and describe general cultural values and traditional ways of educating Native youth….

Thomas, Gordon P. (2000). Educating for Empathy and Tolerance: Holocaust Studies and the Teaching of Writing. The Holocaust is a powerful topic for writing classrooms because it elicits strong emotions from most students at the same time that it is remote enough to keep from overwhelming them (at least at first). At the same time the topic presents a minefield for the unwary or naive writing instructor–it is important, for example, to emphasize the rhetorical aspects of the subject and encourage students to study other examples of ethnic or religious exclusivity, bureaucratic indifference, eugenics, and genocide. Most important, the topic can demonstrate to students how serious, sustained inquiry can reveal facts, attitudes, and opinions that will shape their personal intellectual landscape. Some reasons for using the Holocaust in a writing course are: accessibility (the Holocaust is a story with a beginning, middle, and end); the emotional force of the topic; the emotional distance afforded by the topic; the moral complexity of many of the issues; the historical complexity of the subject;… [PDF]

Frazier, Louise; And Others (1981). Social Studies: Elementary School Guide for Teaching about Human Rights. Human rights are those essentials of human existence that are inherent in the species. They are moral claims that satisfy the basic needs of all human beings. Ten major goals and numerous objectives were developed to undergird the Detroit (Michigan) curriculum, and this guide is established around the 10 major goals for teaching students about human rights with activities and resources appropriate for elementary students. Each of the 38 lessons is structured around one of the major goals and provides objectives, learner outcomes, activities, and resources. The 10 goals help develop understandings that: (1) all people are interdependent; (2) all ethnic groups are unique and worthwhile; (3) the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration of the Rights of the Child are a goal for world peace and cooperation; (4) governments at national, state, and local levels affect one's human rights; (5) self-esteem in individuals is enhanced through the knowledge of…

(1997). Rwanda's Women and Children: The Long Road to Reconciliation. A Field Report Assessing the Protection and Assistance Needs of Rwandan Women and Children. Rwanda faces tremendous challenges as it tries to fight off insurgents, rebuild its infrastructure, reintegrate refugees, and assist genocide survivors. This report details an investigation which assessed the protection and assistance needs of Rwandan women and children. Part 1 of the report contains the executive summary, key findings, and the study's objectives. Part 2 details the needs of women survivors and returnees for protection, shelter, economic assistance, and health care; describes key programs; and discusses reintegration issues. Part 3 presents children's needs, focusing on separated and orphaned children, issues surrounding residential care, reintegration strategies, children-headed households, street children, girls, and educational needs. The findings of this investigation indicate that significant United Nations funds have been earmarked for women's programs; however, many programs face obstacles related to capacity, resources, and skills. There continues to be a… [PDF]

Trollinger, Linda Burcham (2001). Fragmenting and Reconstructing Identity: Struggles of Appalachian Women Attempting To Reconnect to Their Native American Heritage. This qualitative study drew on the stories and reflections of six Appalachian women of Native American descent to explore their experiences of reconnecting with their lost Native identity. This paper visualizes those experiences in light of the relationships between personal realities and structural influences. Historically, Native identities have been fragmented and cultural heritage has been lost through several avenues: (1) systematic cultural genocide, primarily carried out in government boarding schools; (2) denial of identity as a means of survival; (3) emotional impact of negative stereotypes and stigmatization; (4) high incidence of Native Americans marrying out of their ethnic group; (5) removal of Native children from their families to be adopted by non-Native parents; and (6) loss of federal recognition of tribal status. In the past 30 years, there has been a great increase in the number of people identifying as Native American, reclaiming lost heritage and reconstructing… [PDF]

Monsma, Stephen V. (2005). Honoring Religion as a Source of Diversity and Unity. Journal of Education, v186 n2 p41-50. Unity without diversity is, at best, boring, and at worse, totalitarian. Diversity without unity constantly threatens to degenerate, at best, into tensions and failures at cooperation and, at worst, into genocide. The sources of diversity in the United States are many. Racial and ethnic differences as well as differences based on national origins, social class, region, neighborhood, and sexual orientation all come readily to mind. Common ideals and beliefs such as democracy, freedom, and equal rights for all are sources of unity. The American experience has been as successful as it has because there is much that divides the people, leading to dynamic change and a creative restlessness, and because there is much that unites the people, leading to the acceptance of a shared, or communal, responsibility. However, to complete the picture and to understand both the rich diversity of American society and the unity of American society, religion and its role in society must also be taken… [Direct]