Text Study: Jigsaw
- Explain to your students:
In the late 1960s and the 1970s new tensions arose between African Americans and Jews. Today, we're going to explore one subject of those tensions: affirmative action policies. (More information can be found in the Affirmative Action section of the introductory essay.) - Divide your class into two groups and give each group one of the document study guides. (If you have a larger class, make more groups and each document will go to two or more groups. Then use groups of four instead of groups of two for part d.)
- Have the groups read and discuss their document. Then they should prepare to teach their document to another group by working on the "Teaching Preparation" section of their document study guide.
- Split into new groups of two (or four) students, with each student (or pair of students) having studied a different document. Have each member of the group teach the other students about the document s/he read.
- Have your students come back together as a class and discuss the following questions:
- Would you be willing to "give up" your spot at your first choice college so that another student from a historically underserved minority could go to that school? Why or why not? In what, if any, circumstances would you feel differently? (Be sure students who themselves are members of a historically underserved minority have a chance to contribute to the conversation.)
- Why do you think Jewish communal organizations took official positions on affirmative action? Do you think this is an issue of particular concern for the Jewish community? Why or why not?
- If you were in charge of designing a just and equitable admissions policy for a university, what would it look like and why?
