WebQuest: Japanese Internment

"Part 2"

Back to part 1

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Some people have said that the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII bares a striking resemblance to the concentration camps in Germany during the same war. While both cases certainly have similarities, there are irrefutable differences also. What were these differences? What were the similarities? Only a careful examination of both situations will help uncover these similarities and differences.

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-The Task


1. Uncover the reasons concentration camps were established in Germany during WWII.
2. Discover who was forced into these concentration camps.
3. Compare and contrast the internment of Japanese Americans versus the camps that were prevalent in Germany during WWII. Be sure to note things such as living conditions, treatment of the residents, and the reasoning behind both situations.
4. Present your discoveries to the rest of the class.

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-The Process



1. The reasoning

• Using the resources provided, determine the reasoning behind the concentration camps in Germany.
• Form your own opinions concerning the reasoning behind the use of use of these camps in Germany, pay specific attention to racial issues involved.



2. A day in the life

• This portion of the assignment will be very similar to your main goal in the first assignment. Again, put yourself in the shoes of one of the inhabitants of the concentration camps in Germany.
• With the resources provided, write a one page journal concerning your day in one of these camps. I want to know what you felt, and experienced living in this camp.



3. Compare/Contrast

• Using the resources on this page, explore the similarities and differences concerning these camps.
• With the research you have done, write a 2-3 page paper on your findings regarding similarities and differences, provide a background of each type of camp in your paper, then move on to compare and contrast your findings



4. Presentation

• With the completion of your journals and paper, meet in your group to compare notes.
• Your group will be presenting your findings to the class. This presentation should be take about 10 minutes. Your presentation will consist of four main components:



1. An overview of Japanese Internment Camps.
2. An overview of German Concentration Camps.
3. A comparison of the two types of Camps.
4. A visual aid of some type, this can be anything from maps, to photos, or a collage of various items.

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-Resources



1. Web Resources

• A great place to launch your search for information
• A brief look at conditions in a concentration camp
• Examination of what were known as "Death Camps."
• The story of a man held in a concentration camp.



2. Non-Web Resources

• Your text book
• In the Camps; Erich Hartmann
• The Survivor : An Anatomy of Life in the Death Camps; Terrence. Des Pres

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-Evaluation


1. You will be graded on your journal entry, which will be worth 30% of your total score.
2. Your group presentation will also be worth 30% of your overall grade.
3. Finally, your paper will be the majority of your grade, 40%.

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-Conclusion


• German concentration camps are certainly something most people look back at in horror. Many people died in these camps, and others executed simply for being of a certain race. The purpose of this assignment was to help you draw parallels between German concentration camps, and Japanese Internment camps in the United States. Hopefully, by means of this webquest, you have learned something about the effects of racism, and that the idea of racism is a global one.

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Written by Erik Cierniak
Last updated March 4th, 1998
Background image courtesy of Over the Rainbow