Web Resources
Gay Rights
Engel, Stephen. "Making a Minority: Understanding the Formation of the Gay and Lesbian Movement in the United States."
Handbook of Lesbian and Gay Studies. Diane Richardson and Steven Seidman, eds. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2002.
Available through Opposing Viewpoints. Web. October 15, 2010.
This article, excerpted from The Handbook of Gay and Lesbian Studies and accessed through the Gale Opposing Viewpoints database on the Boston Public Library website, gives a solid overview of the evolution of the gay rights movement. Author Stephen Engel, an associate professor of political science at Marquette University, has recently authored a book on the gay and lesbian movements in the United States and the United Kingdom, and his experience is reflected in the essay's inclusion in a field studies handbook. Although the article does not go into great detail in any of its sections, it is extremely comprehensive in its overview of the gay rights movement, beginning in World War II and continuing through to the present day. Engel covers the post-war homophile movement, the Stonewall riots, the effect of the AIDS crisis on the gay rights movement, and finally, the emergence of the gay rights movement into mainstream American culture. The language is relatively straightforward and easy to understand without compromising on quality. This article would be of most use to students who were already familiar with the present gay rights movement but wanted to gain a better understanding of its place in American history in the second part of the 20th century.
GLAAD - Resources. Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, 2010. Web. November 1, 2010. <http://www.glaad.org/resources>.
The resources page of GLAAD, a national organization dedicated to raising awareness about gay and lesbian issues, provides a variety of materials that would be useful for discussing issues relating to the gay rights movement as it presently stands in America. Of particular note is the "Stories to Watch" section, which provides links to weekly news stories from across the country that relate to gay and lesbian issues, and the "Best and Worst of the Media," a round up by month of the best and worst news stories covering gay and lesbian issues, all with links to the relevant articles. The "Talking About" series provides pro-homosexual arguments for a variety of contentious topics of current debate, and the resource kits list relevant organizations to be contacted for further information dealing with gay and lesbian issues in particular communities and in relation to particular events over the course of the year. This site would be useful for students conducting research on contemporary issues, or to provide material for classroom debates and discussions.
Mexican-American/Chicano Rights
Immigration Policy Center. Immigration Policy Center, 2010. Web. November 7, 2010. <http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/>.
The immigration debate currently going on in America is likely to be a topic that students are both aware of and in some cases, probably personally affected by, since the demographics of Brighton High suggest that there must be students or families who are undocumented amongst the population. The Immigration Policy Center has been included as a resource because it offers a non-partisan approach to a heated topic, and because Mexican-Americans and Hispanics have received the bulk of the negative attention throughout the course of the debate. As with other resources, this one offers a good way to make parallels between the past and the present and to spark discussion on how questions of civil rights influence a wide range of topics. The "Issues" section offers a comprehensive list of issues relating to immigration, including fact sheets on current topics such as the DREAM Act, and the "Resources" section offers clear, concise explanations of the issues that students will find easy to understand. This site would be best suited to providing resources for a class discussion, but it could also be used by students wishing to conduct research or become more informed about a current affairs topic.
United Farm Workers: History. United Farm Workers, 2006. Web. November 10, 2010. <http://www.ufw.org/_page.php?menu=research&inc=research_history.html>.
The research section of the United Farm Worker's website provides a reasonably well-done list of links, articles, and other related documents that will be useful to supplement a lesson on the history of the UFW or César Chavez. The materials are definitely pro-Chicano and pro-farm worker, and at times the language can be overtly biased (one article refers to Chavez's family being swindled of their property by "dishonest Anglos"), but on the whole the sources have value because they help students understand the history of the movement and Chavez's role in it. The photograph section features pictures taken at recent rallies for farm workers rights today, which allows for links to be made between the issues that Chavez fought for and issues that remain unresolved to this day. The video section provides similar resources, dealing with farm worker issues recently in the media. Overall, this is a solid resource, good for finding lesson aides, visual activators, or short clips to view in class.
Women's Rights
Gibbs, Nancy. "Love, Sex, Freedom, and the Paradox of the Pill." Time 3 May 2010: 40. Available through Opposing Viewpoints. Web. November 20, 2010.
This article, published in Time and accessed through the Gale Opposing Viewpoints database gives a good introduction to the impact that birth control had on women's lives in the twentieth century, and makes clear the link between feminism and the free availability of the pill. Written in a factual, informative tone, the language of this article is straightforward, meaning that its content should be readily understood by most students. It is not a comprehensive article, but it does do a nice job of providing a sound overview. Being a magazine article, there are no sources listed, which is a downside, but the timeline of significant events in the history of 20th century birth control is a welcome addition and would serve as a useful guide for students wanting to learn what they should be researching next. This would make a good introductory article for students doing research or as a handout to be read for class to prompt a discussion on the issues surrounding birth control and opportunities for women.
NOW - Key Issues. National Organization for Women, 2010. Web. November 15, 2010. <http://www.now.org/issues/>.
The issues section of the National Organization for Women's website offers an easy to navigate list of key and other important issues that NOW concerns itself with as an organization. Clicking on each subject heading takes you to a new page filled with the latest news, information and links to news stories about these issues. The key issues sections also offer resources on the topic from a historical and activism perspective. The value of this list lies not only in its compilation of links to articles, but in the fact that it helps to convey just how many issues intersect with gender: military service, Social Security, immigration, lesbian rights, employment, and more. This site would be of great use to students conducting research, particularly on contemporary women's rights issues.
TitleIX.info. The Margaret Fund of the National Women's Law Center, 2010. Web. November 20, 2010. <http://www.titleix.info/Default.aspx>.
The TitleIX.info project, spearheaded by The Margaret Fund of the National Women's Law Center aims to give a comprehensive overview of the myriad ways in which Title IX changed the lives of American women, and offers a number of great resources for educational purposes. The "Living Law" section gives a detailed timeline of events from the signing of the initial bill in 1972 to the present; a sidebar entitled "10 Key Areas of Title IX" appears on each page and offers quick links to information on how Title IX affected women in athletics, employment, education and more. "The Faces of Title IX" offers interesting personal accounts of how Title IX impacted lives, and the resources section offers helpful links to descriptions about legal cases concerning Title IX issues. Overall, this would be a great resource to share with students to make them aware of Title IX's importance, its impact in leveling the playing field for women, or for students doing research on Title IX or related issues who need to educate and familiarize themselves with the legislation and what it helped to achieve.
Engel, Stephen. "Making a Minority: Understanding the Formation of the Gay and Lesbian Movement in the United States."
Handbook of Lesbian and Gay Studies. Diane Richardson and Steven Seidman, eds. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2002.
Available through Opposing Viewpoints. Web. October 15, 2010.
This article, excerpted from The Handbook of Gay and Lesbian Studies and accessed through the Gale Opposing Viewpoints database on the Boston Public Library website, gives a solid overview of the evolution of the gay rights movement. Author Stephen Engel, an associate professor of political science at Marquette University, has recently authored a book on the gay and lesbian movements in the United States and the United Kingdom, and his experience is reflected in the essay's inclusion in a field studies handbook. Although the article does not go into great detail in any of its sections, it is extremely comprehensive in its overview of the gay rights movement, beginning in World War II and continuing through to the present day. Engel covers the post-war homophile movement, the Stonewall riots, the effect of the AIDS crisis on the gay rights movement, and finally, the emergence of the gay rights movement into mainstream American culture. The language is relatively straightforward and easy to understand without compromising on quality. This article would be of most use to students who were already familiar with the present gay rights movement but wanted to gain a better understanding of its place in American history in the second part of the 20th century.
GLAAD - Resources. Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, 2010. Web. November 1, 2010. <http://www.glaad.org/resources>.
The resources page of GLAAD, a national organization dedicated to raising awareness about gay and lesbian issues, provides a variety of materials that would be useful for discussing issues relating to the gay rights movement as it presently stands in America. Of particular note is the "Stories to Watch" section, which provides links to weekly news stories from across the country that relate to gay and lesbian issues, and the "Best and Worst of the Media," a round up by month of the best and worst news stories covering gay and lesbian issues, all with links to the relevant articles. The "Talking About" series provides pro-homosexual arguments for a variety of contentious topics of current debate, and the resource kits list relevant organizations to be contacted for further information dealing with gay and lesbian issues in particular communities and in relation to particular events over the course of the year. This site would be useful for students conducting research on contemporary issues, or to provide material for classroom debates and discussions.
Mexican-American/Chicano Rights
Immigration Policy Center. Immigration Policy Center, 2010. Web. November 7, 2010. <http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/>.
The immigration debate currently going on in America is likely to be a topic that students are both aware of and in some cases, probably personally affected by, since the demographics of Brighton High suggest that there must be students or families who are undocumented amongst the population. The Immigration Policy Center has been included as a resource because it offers a non-partisan approach to a heated topic, and because Mexican-Americans and Hispanics have received the bulk of the negative attention throughout the course of the debate. As with other resources, this one offers a good way to make parallels between the past and the present and to spark discussion on how questions of civil rights influence a wide range of topics. The "Issues" section offers a comprehensive list of issues relating to immigration, including fact sheets on current topics such as the DREAM Act, and the "Resources" section offers clear, concise explanations of the issues that students will find easy to understand. This site would be best suited to providing resources for a class discussion, but it could also be used by students wishing to conduct research or become more informed about a current affairs topic.
United Farm Workers: History. United Farm Workers, 2006. Web. November 10, 2010. <http://www.ufw.org/_page.php?menu=research&inc=research_history.html>.
The research section of the United Farm Worker's website provides a reasonably well-done list of links, articles, and other related documents that will be useful to supplement a lesson on the history of the UFW or César Chavez. The materials are definitely pro-Chicano and pro-farm worker, and at times the language can be overtly biased (one article refers to Chavez's family being swindled of their property by "dishonest Anglos"), but on the whole the sources have value because they help students understand the history of the movement and Chavez's role in it. The photograph section features pictures taken at recent rallies for farm workers rights today, which allows for links to be made between the issues that Chavez fought for and issues that remain unresolved to this day. The video section provides similar resources, dealing with farm worker issues recently in the media. Overall, this is a solid resource, good for finding lesson aides, visual activators, or short clips to view in class.
Women's Rights
Gibbs, Nancy. "Love, Sex, Freedom, and the Paradox of the Pill." Time 3 May 2010: 40. Available through Opposing Viewpoints. Web. November 20, 2010.
This article, published in Time and accessed through the Gale Opposing Viewpoints database gives a good introduction to the impact that birth control had on women's lives in the twentieth century, and makes clear the link between feminism and the free availability of the pill. Written in a factual, informative tone, the language of this article is straightforward, meaning that its content should be readily understood by most students. It is not a comprehensive article, but it does do a nice job of providing a sound overview. Being a magazine article, there are no sources listed, which is a downside, but the timeline of significant events in the history of 20th century birth control is a welcome addition and would serve as a useful guide for students wanting to learn what they should be researching next. This would make a good introductory article for students doing research or as a handout to be read for class to prompt a discussion on the issues surrounding birth control and opportunities for women.
NOW - Key Issues. National Organization for Women, 2010. Web. November 15, 2010. <http://www.now.org/issues/>.
The issues section of the National Organization for Women's website offers an easy to navigate list of key and other important issues that NOW concerns itself with as an organization. Clicking on each subject heading takes you to a new page filled with the latest news, information and links to news stories about these issues. The key issues sections also offer resources on the topic from a historical and activism perspective. The value of this list lies not only in its compilation of links to articles, but in the fact that it helps to convey just how many issues intersect with gender: military service, Social Security, immigration, lesbian rights, employment, and more. This site would be of great use to students conducting research, particularly on contemporary women's rights issues.
TitleIX.info. The Margaret Fund of the National Women's Law Center, 2010. Web. November 20, 2010. <http://www.titleix.info/Default.aspx>.
The TitleIX.info project, spearheaded by The Margaret Fund of the National Women's Law Center aims to give a comprehensive overview of the myriad ways in which Title IX changed the lives of American women, and offers a number of great resources for educational purposes. The "Living Law" section gives a detailed timeline of events from the signing of the initial bill in 1972 to the present; a sidebar entitled "10 Key Areas of Title IX" appears on each page and offers quick links to information on how Title IX affected women in athletics, employment, education and more. "The Faces of Title IX" offers interesting personal accounts of how Title IX impacted lives, and the resources section offers helpful links to descriptions about legal cases concerning Title IX issues. Overall, this would be a great resource to share with students to make them aware of Title IX's importance, its impact in leveling the playing field for women, or for students doing research on Title IX or related issues who need to educate and familiarize themselves with the legislation and what it helped to achieve.
