Figure 7.1 Do you think race played a role in Trayvon Martin’s death or the public reaction to it? Do you think race influenced the initial decision not to arrest George Zimmerman or his later acquittal? (Photo courtesy of Ryan Vaarsi/Flickr)

Introduction

Trayvon Martin was a seventeen-year-old black teenager. On the evening of February 26, 2012, he was visiting with his father and his father’s fiancée in the Sanford, Florida, multi-ethnic gated community where his father’s fiancée lived. Trayvon went on foot to buy a snack from a nearby convenience store. As he returned, George Zimmerman, a white Hispanic male, and the community’s neighborhood watch program coordinator noticed him. In light of a recent rash of break-ins, Zimmerman called the police to report a person acting suspiciously, which he had done on many other occasions. The 911 operator told Zimmerman not to follow the teen, but soon after, Zimmerman and Martin had a physical confrontation. According to Zimmerman, Martin attacked him, and in the ensuing scuffle, Martin was shot and killed (CNN Library 2014).

Module Objectives 

At the end of this module, students will be able to:

     1. Understand the difference between race and ethnicity and explain the difference between the majority and minority groups. (CLO.4,6)

     2. Explain the difference between stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and racism; while identifying different types of discrimination. (CLO.4,6)

     3. Describe how major sociological perspectives view race and ethnicity. (CLO.4,6)

     4. Explain different intergroup relations in terms of their relative levels of tolerance. (CLO.4,6)

     5. Give historical and contemporary examples of each type of intergroup relation. (CLO.4,6)

     6. Compare and contrast the different experiences of various ethnic groups in the United States. (CLO.4,6)

     7. Apply theories of intergroup relations and race and ethnicity to other subordinate groups. (CLO.3,4,6)

Module Activities 

Below is an outline of the items for which you will be responsible throughout the module.

 READ

DUE: Early in the module

Read the following early in the week to help you respond to the discussion questions and to complete your assignment(s).

Introduction

     1.  Read the introduction.  (MO 1)

Required Textbook Readings and Resources

     2.  Chapter 7 in our textbook. – (MO 1,2,3,4,5,6,7)

     3.  Watch the following videos: (MO 7).

• CrashCourse. (2017, November 20).
  [Video]. YouTube. 
• CrashCourse. (2017, November 20).
  [Video]. YouTube. 

 DISCUSS

Respond to the discussion prompts and questions by the due dates outlined in the assignment.  You should contribute your first post no later than Day XX. Then, follow up on the posts of your classmates and faculty and respond to your own posts by Day XX.

     4. Module 7 Discussion– (MO 5) DUE: Post Day X, Replies Day - XX

 SUBMIT

Submit your completed assignment by Day XX of this module.  For detailed instructions on completing each assignment, see the associated course page.

1. Module 7 Discussion. - (MO 2, 3, 5) DUE: Day XX

Note the checkboxes to the right that help you track your progress: some are automatic, and some are manual.