Name: ________________________________________

These scenarios will help us to focus our thoughts on what discrimination involves (in terms of discriminating against someone).  We will use these scenarios to create warrants (a.k.a. criteria) which we will use in upcoming arguments.  Do not fill in the “criterion” until told to do so.

[NOTE:  These are volatile issues and you will probably have strong opinions about them.  However, be ready to respect AND LISTEN TO other people’s opinions.]

Scenario #1

Mrs. Sterne was filling out green cards to recommend some of her students for honors level classes next year.  In her fourth period, there was only one student who really wanted to be in honors: Keith Harding.  She looked through her grade book and saw that Keith was a good student, some B’s but mostly A’s.  Mrs. Sterne knew that Keith came to class prepared and ready to discuss assigned reading material.  However, about a month ago, Keith got contact lenses to make his eyes an eerie yellow-green color.  His eyes disturbed Mrs. Sterne when she was teach-ing. Remembering that, she didn’t recommend Keith for honors.  Is this discrimination?

Scenario #2

Shelia had three classes with Jeremy and Lupe.  Jeremy, Shelia had noticed, often showed up to class late, didn’t have his homework, and gave teachers a hard time.  Lupe, however, never was late, usually had her homework ready to turn in, and was quiet during class.  One day, in biology, the teacher told everyone that they needed to choose a new lab partner for an up-coming activity. Shelia chose Lupe over Jeremy.  Is this discrimination?

Scenario #3

Regina’s mother asked her to go to the grocery store for some milk and eggs.  On her way down the street, Regina thought about the two stores close to their apartment building.  The closest one, about two blocks away, was run by an old Jewish man.  A non-Jewish person ran the other one, but that store was over seven blocks away.  Regina stopped on the sidewalk, thinking about where to go.  “I guess I’ll just go to the close one,” she said, “even though it’s run by a dirty Jew.”  She then went on to the old man’s store.  Is this discrimination?

Scenario #4

This morning, Rico was on his way to school when an elderly woman got on the bus.  There was only one seat left on the bus, right by Rico.  She made her way towards Rico and asked,  “May I have this seat?”  Rico responded loudly, kindly thinking she needed a shout to hear him, “YEAH, OF COURSE YOU CAN SIT HERE!”  The woman covered her ears and said, “Goodness, dear, I’m not deaf.”  Is this discrimination?

It was Valentine’s day at Edwards Elementary.  First grader Leonard was busily making out Valentines for all of his classmates when he realized he only had one left.  Yet there were two people in his class for whom he hadn’t made out a card.  One was Reggie and the other was a hearing-impaired student named Lidia.  Leonard thought that Lidia was a geek for wearing hearing aids, so he filled the last card out to Reggie.  Is this discrimination?

Scenario #6

During fifth period PE one day, a freshman class geared up to play some basketball.  Two team captains were chosen.  Aldo was the captain who got to pick first, and he immediately limited his choices down to two.  There was Chameeka, a girl Aldo knew from junior high, who had been the captain and star-scorer of the girls’ basketball team in 8^th grade.  There was also David, a guy Aldo had played ball with after school.  Aldo knew that David was a decent player.  Aldo looked from Chameeka to David several times, and he decided that a girl couldn’t be as good as David.  He chose David.  Is this discrimination?

Scenario #7

Carlos lives on the same street as Alisha, and they have gone to school together for the last two years.  One day, Carlos noticed that Alisha was walking home with another girl he didn’t know.  The girls walked hand-in-hand, and when the girls got to Alisha’s house, they kissed and hugged. The next day, Carlos took a black permanent marker to school and wrote “Dyke” on Alisha’s locker.  Is this discrimination?

Scenario #8

William Burrows has worked in the mailroom of a large Chicago marketing firm for the past four years.  Although he dropped out of college because he needed to work—he has to support his mother who is on disability and two younger siblings, William has tried getting into the company’s internal training courses so he can move out of the mail room and into a better job.  Each year, however, the company posts the registration dates for the courses too late for William and the eight other people in the mailroom to apply.  When William questioned his boss about it this year, he said, “Sorry, but the people in the entry positions upstairs get first shot at the training.  The company thinks they’re more valuable.”  Is this discrimination?