Discrimination in the Human Race (p37)

Issues addressed

• Stereotypes and prejudices.
• Dealing with issues of power, control, negotiation.

Purposes of the curriculum 3-18 

This lesson contributes toward young people becoming:

• successful learners able to think creatively and independently and make reasoned evaluations
• confident individuals with a sense of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and able to relate to others
• effective contributors able to work in partnership and in teams

Aims

• To consider personal prejudices and preconceptions.
• To help people get to know each other.
• To raise awareness that in a group there are differences between individuals as well as things which are held in common.
• To experience being part of a majority group and being in a minority group.

Time

10-30mins

Group size

minimum 8

Age

Any

Preparation

None

Instructions

In open space, count down from ten while participants arrange themselves in an order, e.g. by shoe size, by colour of hair, by eye colour, by birthday month. Debate which imaginary sector, e.g. April - July birthdays, is the best and most powerful. How does it make everyone feel, i.e. those in the group identified as the "least" powerful and those in the "most" powerful group?

Discuss whether it is wrong for people to judge which groups are most important in society. Discuss the values of individuals that were not acknowledged in focusing on the particular characteristic which determined their position in the order created. Do we make judgements or presumptions about people based on how they appear to us? How does this affect the decisions we make or actions we take? Discuss some of the presumptions you have seen in everyday life and the effects they have had. In particular, how does this affect who holds power in our society and why?