THE CHOICES PROGRAM BROWN UNIVERSITY
VIDEO COLLECTION

Lessons for Ethnic Studies

VIEW CURRICULUM UNIT

Why teach Ethnic Studies?

Why is it important to center marginalized people in the study of American history?

Lesson: Interpreting a Native Map

What was life like for Native people in the North American colonies?
What was the relationship between Native people and European colonists?
Reading maps: How to analyze a map

Lesson: The Geography of Expansion and Dispossession

Why are Indian views sometimes left out of the history of the West?
Why is it important to incorporate Native American perspectives in U.S. history?

Lesson: “Invisible” Churches

How did enslaved people challenge the institution of slavery?
How did enslaved people respond to and resist slavery?
How did enslaved people resist slavery?
How did enslaved people build communities?

Lesson: Legend as an Historical Source

In Indian societies, what is the purpose of a myth or legend?
What things do historians have to consider when they analyze Native American primary sources?
How does the Kiowa smallpox legend contribute to our understanding of their history?

Lesson: Letters from Black Soldiers and Their Families

What role did enslaved Black people play in the American Civil War?
Who were the “contrabands of war” and why were they important?

Lesson: Native Hawaiian Resistance to Annexation

How have Native Hawaiians continued to resist U.S. settler colonialism of their lands?

Lesson: Immigrant Experiences in U.S. History

Why has the United States been a destination for immigrants?
How were immigrant communities segregated within the United States in the 19th century?
What is the historical relationship between race and U.S. citizenship policy?
How has race affected the experience of immigrants?
What were the national origin quotas of the 1920s?

Lesson: Documenting Life in the Camps: The Watercolors of Kango Takamura

Analyzing Historical Sources: Images

Lesson: Women's Experiences in SNCC

Who was Ella Baker?
What role did women play in SNCC?
Did you ever experience violence in Mississippi?
Were you ever afraid for your safety?
What was your daily work like in small communities in the South?

Lesson: Cuban American Experiences

What was your family’s experience emigrating from Cuba?
How and why do many Cubans try to leave Cuba?
Back to top