Chapter 9, Student Web Activities, Sociology and You, Glencoe, 2003

Chapter 9: Inequalities of Race and Ethnicity
"Japanese Internment"

Introduction
In this chapter you learned about inequalities regarding race and ethnicity and patterns of racial and ethnic relation. You learned the difference between prejudice and discrimination, as well as what sociologists mean by the terms minority, race, and ethnicity. Stereotypes, or sets of distorted, exaggerated, or oversimplified images that are applied to a category of people, appear throughout any society. An example of stereotyping and discrimination in American history is the internment of Japanese Americans in relocation camps during World War II. In this activity you will take a closer look at the experiences of Japanese Americans during the war, as well as what life was like inside the internment camps.

Destination Title: Camp Harmony

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Directions
Start at the Camp Harmony Web site.

Browse through the site, taking notes as you go.

After you have read through the information, answer the following questions.

1. What did the Munson report, a report commissioned by Congress, say about the Nisei? What effect did it have?

2. How did newspaper articles describe the Japanese Americans' departure from Bainbridge Island?

3. Describe the living conditions at Camp Harmony.

4. How were the Japanese Americans' civil liberties restricted?

5. A haiku is a Japanese poetry form that has three lines and seventeen syllables. The first and third lines have five syllables each; the middle line has seven syllables. Using the pictures and reports from this Web site for inspiration, compose a haiku that describes the internment experiences of Japanese Americans during World War II.