Stereotypes: What Are They and What Do They Mean To Us?

This booklet helps students to understand stereotypes and how they develop. After a short introduction, race and national identity are discussed in terms of the students own and how they consider others, where these perceptions lay or originate and whether they are biological or social.

Next, we investigate where we learn our stereotypes from and whether other aspects aside from race and national identity can be stereotyped. Whether or not these are always negative is questioned. Why we stereotype and is there ever an acceptable time to stereotype is explored.

Media influence, historical influence and recall and cognitive dissonance theory provide a platform for studying the effect authors, proximity of the reader, use of language and type and magnitude of event have on stereotyping.

The booklet concludes in the students writing and producing their own investigation into the closeness of the English and American cultures from introduction, aim and hypothesis, through to discussion, critical reflection, and conclusion.