Project Instructions

Background

Social Darwinism, Eugenics, and Scientific Racism were used to support New Imperialism. These ideas created race-based hierarchies, which put people on a social ladder: some people, they argued, were born superior because of physical and genetic features. With such ideas, imperialists justified the conquest of the world at the turn of the twentieth century.

• Social Darwinism is the theory that competition between people, societies and nations was “natural” in their struggle for limited resources and the “fittest” would get the most resources, survive, reproduce, and conquer “less fit” people and societies (countered by Kropotkin in Mutual Aid)

• Eugenics is the study of the agencies under social control that improve or impair racial qualities of future generations either physically or mentally; there is positive and negative eugenics

• Scientific Racism is the belief that scientific evidence exists to support racism and racial hierarchies; belief held by Social Darwinists and Eugenicists

Instructions

First Steps

For this project, students choose ONE media portrayal of race in society today and create a project that brings this issue to light. The media they choose can be a billboard on the street, an advertisement in a newspaper, a magazine, or on tv, or a video clip online. What they choose must show some connection to race and ideas discussed during New Imperialism.

In choosing a media portrayal, think about the following:

• How is race seen or heard or felt?

• How does a viewer or listener experience racial ideas? What are those ideas?

• What is the message given on the surface?

• What underlying message can be understood by digging deeper?

• What connections can you see to Social Darwinism, Eugenics and/or Scientific Racism?

Next Steps

After choosing, you will analyze it.

In analyzing the item, you can do any of the following:

• You can create a counter-portrayal: this means you will take the same image or video and create your own using different (or counter) images

• You can create an animation: this means coming up with a short video clip where you discuss the problems seen or heard in the media portrayal using animated characters

• You can create a poster or infographic: this means coming up with a visual project that highlights or calls attention to the problem using colorful text and images

These are just suggestions. It is completely up to you to design something unique!