Online Discussion 1 (Chapter 1)
The author describes the first encounters between Native Americans and Europeans with the quote, “The breath of other people killed them”.
- Describe, using an example from the chapter, what this idea means in terms of Host, Agent and Environment.
- How did this type of thinking later affect attitudes towards immigrants in the years following the American Revolution?
Online Discussion 2 (Chapter 2)
Cultural differences combined with fear of strangers led to stigmatization of Irish immigrants in the mid-19th century.
- Why were the Irish immigrants themselves blamed for cholera in the early part of the 19th century? (Think in terms of interactions between host characteristics and environmental factors.)
- Can you think of any parallels to modern-day racism?