1.

Racial profiling is a form of discrimination used by law enforcement officers based on ones
race, ethnicity, or background. People will be suspected to have committed crimes, not from their
actions, but from the color of their skin. Law enforcement and government officials use racial
profiling and anticipate illegal behaviors from specific people. For example, those in charge of
airport security may take extra precaution when coming across people they identify as Muslim
and thoroughly examine luggage or even strip search those individuals. This is due to the 9/11
attack which changed the way Americans view threats and terrorism. The contact hypothesis says
that when interracial people of equal status interact with one another, they become less racially
discriminant. This can be a remedy of racial profiling by influencing people to focus less on
racial differences.
2. Ethnocentric practices are influenced by the belief that ones ethnic culture is better than that
of others. An example of these practices is slavery of Africans in colonial America. During that
time, people of white decent believed their culture was superior and formed negative attitudes of
people of color. They took advantage of blacks and forced them into slavery. Up until the Civil
Rights Act was passed in 1964, African Americans were racially segregated from the whites in
many aspects of American society. They were seen as the inferior race and were put into less
desirable situations in order to satisfy the more superior whites.
3. The social construction of race is societys interpretation of race and ethnicity that influences

our understanding and viewpoint. A symbolic interactionist perspective of social construction of

race is that we give meanings and symbols to people of specific ethnicities. For example, a white
man may be assumed to have authority while a black man may be assumed to lack power. Due to
the multiple racial backgrounds of Americans, society tends to create different stigmas associated
to specific races which are not always true.

4. Mode minority are racial groups that are assumed to be more likely to succeed economically
than other groups. This term is targeted towards Asian Americans and whites since they have
been seen to have high success rates and achieve higher in the economic ladder. The advantages
that come with being a part of a model minority group is that others will think highly of
individuals and believe they have the potential to succeed. The disadvantages are the pressure
that come with being in a model minority group and the disappointment that comes when success
cannot be achieved.