Assignment Task: Please answer the following questions about minorities in America:
1. What challenge does the presence of people in the United States speaking languages other than English present for them? For schools? For the workplace? For you?
2. In which situations do you see ethnicity becoming more apparent? When does it appear to occur only in response to other people advancing or celebrating their own ethnicity? In these situations, how can ethnic identity be both positive and perhaps counterproductive or even destructive?
3. Chronicle how aspects of leisure time, from schoolyard games to Halloween costumes to sports teams, trivialize Native Americans. What experience have you had with such episodes, or what representations have you seen in the mass media?
4. Language and culture are almost inseparable. How do you imagine your life would change if you were not permitted to speak your native language? How would your life be affected if you were expected to speak some language other than your native language?
5. What stereotypical images of Chinese Americans and Japanese Americans can you identify in the contemporary media?