Alcoholism in
Native American Communities
19th
Century Photo of Blackfoot Indians
I. INTRODUCTION:
A number
of important problems confront the people of Native American communities. Most notably, American Indians suffer from higher
incidences of alcoholism and at younger ages than other racial groups in the
II. TASK:
Imagine yourself a Blackfoot Indian living on a
reservation. You are aware of the fact that your people have a higher level of
alcoholism than the other racial groups living around you. You worry
about these issues enough to mount a public awareness campaign on your
reservation. You will thoroughly
research the topic of alcoholism among Native Americans, and you will propose
new public policy to help eliminate the problem in the future.
You will work in groups of four to create a
PowerPoint presentation that you will present to the Bureau of Indian Affairs
when they visit your reservation. Your
public policy solutions to the Native American alcoholism problem must include
an example of a proposal for best policy solution that you and your group
discover.
The teacher will divide you into your groups. Each group will have a:
A Group Leader
Public Policy Analyst
Researcher
PowerPoint Designer
Make sure that you work through all the research,
the steps of the Public Policy Analyst, and the design of the PowerPoint
together as a group.
Blackfoot Teepees
III. PROCESS:
In order to design new policy initiatives several
steps have to be taken. Exact problems must be identified, new policy must be
formulated, costs and feasibility must be determined, and steps toward
implementation of the new public policy must be taken.
Follow the
steps below and complete the Public Policy Analyst worksheets. You will have to use the research information
in the resource section below to help you fill out some of the worksheets:
v
Use the 6-step Public Policy format, which
you have already learned. Complete the handouts given to collect information
for each step.
v Go
to the PPA and complete the worksheets:
1. Identify and define the problem of not
alcoholism in the native American Indian culture. Use the worksheet found at the website:
https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet1.html
2. Gather evidence for this problem and
complete worksheets.
https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet2.html
3. Identify the causes and effects
alcoholism in Native America communities:
https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet3.html.
4. Create three of
your own public policies that will address the social problem alcoholism in the
Native America communities. Use the
worksheets found at:
https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet4.html
and https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/solutions.html
5.
Finally, evaluate the
effectiveness of your public policy solutions and select the best solution to
solve the problem of alcoholism in the Native America communities by using the
worksheet found at the website:
https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet6.html
IV. RESOURCES:
What is Alcoholism?:
Click on the link below and then on “watch the
animation”
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.facetheissue.com/alcoholism/slide2.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.facetheissue.com/alcoholism.html&h=163&w=214&sz=6&tbnid=mjEBBtU47XkJ:&tbnh=76&tbnw=99&start=72&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522alcoholism%2522%26start%3D60%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/booklet.htm
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome:
http://www.well.com/user/woa/fsfas.htm
Recovering from Alcoholism:
http://www.healthrecovery.com/alcoholism_drug_addiction.html
Student Editorial on the Problem of
Alcoholism:
Stereotyping of Native Americans:
http://64.4.22.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=54dd42fc6edf8b11d18a11a4fa02649f&lat=1098737939&hmaction=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2efindarticles%2ecom%2fp%2farticles%2fmi_m1374%2fis_5_60%2fai_65133040
“The Goshoot Indians are savages who, when
asked if they have
the common Indian belief in
a Great Spirit show a
something which almost
amounts to emotion,
thinking whisky is referred
to....”
--Mark Twain, Roughing It,
1872
Causes of Alcoholism:
http://64.4.22.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=08297272e0a703c86faa4a6da4de9e4b&lat=1098737939&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2eeurekalert%2eorg%2fpub_releases%2f2003%2d09%2fcfta%2dcar091703%2ephp
Genes & Environment:
http://64.4.22.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=59db313be05b6aa86014237fb98e3fc0&lat=1098737939&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2eindiana%2eedu%2f%7ercapub%2fv17n3%2fp18%2ehtml
V. EVALUATION:
|
|
Needs
Improvement
Excellent |
|
Research Do
your responses to the research questions reflect thorough, careful research? |
1 2 3 4 5 |
|
Analysis Process Does
your Public Policy Analysis reflect careful thought of the problem and analysis
of the two economic systems as solutions? |
1 2 3 4 5 |
|
Power Point Presentation Does
your Power Point presentation creatively present the required information,
follow the appropriate procedure, and compel the audience? |
1 2 3 4 5 |
|
Choosing an Economic System Have
you made a convincing argument that one of the economic systems more
effectively and efficiently distributes food? |
1 2 3 4 5 |
|
Group Work & Class Presentation Have
you conducted yourselves professionally during class time while doing your
research and while presenting your findings to the class? |
1 2 3 4 5 |
VI. STANDARDS:
English Language Arts (ELA) Standards:
1. Students
will read and write for information and understanding.
2. Students
will read and write for literary response and expression.
3. Students will
read and write for critical analysis and evaluation.
4. Student will
speak and listen for social interaction.
VII. CONCLUSION:
By doing this project, you have acquired important
research, analysis, organization, and cooperative skills. You have also learned six steps of being a
Public Policy Analyst. In addition, you
have written and presented your find to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the
form of a PowerPoint presentation.