Theme Words / Vocabulary - 1st Semester

1. Prejudice (noun)- an opinion, preconceived judgment or attitude, formed without sufficient knowledge about a group or its members.

Ex. Many Japanese-Americans were treated prejudice after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

2. Discrimination (noun)- unequal treatment of people based on their membership in a group

Ex. People of Middle Eastern descent experienced discrimination after the tragedy of September 11.

3. Stereotype/Stereotyping (noun/verb)- An exaggerated belief, image, or distorted truth about a person or group or generalization that allows for little or no individual differences or social variation.

Ex. People often stereotype elderly people as being bad drivers, but that is a false statement.

4. Submissive (adjective)- easily yielding/ giving way to authority

Ex. Military cadets are instructed to be submissive to their commanding officer.

5. Resilient (adjective)- able to recover from misfortune; able to withstand adversity (hardship)

Ex. With help and aid, the victims of Hurricane Katrina will be resilient despite the losses they experienced.

6. Accurate (adjective) -correct in all details; exact

7. Beneficial(adjective) -favorable or advantageous; resulting in good

8. Cause (noun) – a person or thing that gives rise to an action, condition or phenomenon

9. Define (verb) – state or describe exactly the nature, scope or meaning of

10. Elaborate (verb) - develop or present (a claim, a theory, an idea) in detail

11. Factor (noun) – a circumstance, fact or influence that contributes to a result or outcome

12. Identify (verb) – establish or indicate who, or what (someone, something) is; to regard (someone) as having strong links with

13. Justify (verb) – show or prove to be right or reasonable

14. Logical (adjective) – characterized by or capable of clear, sound reasoning

15. Objective (adjective) – not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts; (noun) – a thing aimed at or sought; a goal

Vocabulary – Semester 1, Week 2

  1. Perspective (noun) - a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view
  1. Relevant (noun) – relating to a subject in an appropriate way
  1. Significance (noun) – the meaning to be found in words or events; the quality of being worthy of attention; importance
  1. Unique (adjective) – being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else
  1. Vary (verb) – introduce modifications or changes into something so as to make it different or less uniform
  1. Analysis (noun) - detailed examination of the elements or structure of something, typically as a basis for discussion or interpretation
  1. Analyze (verb) - discover or reveal (something) through detailed examination
  1. Cause (verb) - make (something, typically something bad) happen
  1. Bias (noun / verb) – noun: prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair; verb: cause to feel or show inclination or prejudice for or against someone or something

25.Biased (adjective) - unfairly prejudiced for or against someone or something

Vocabulary – Semester 1, Week 3

  1. Claim (noun/verb) – verb: state or assert that something is the case, typically without providing evidence or proof; noun: an assertion of the truth of something, typically one that is disputed or in doubt
  1. Diverse/Diversity (adjective/noun) – adj: showing a great deal of variety; very different; noun: the state of being diverse; variety
  1. Generalization (noun) - a general statement or concept obtained by inference from specific cases
  1. Infer (verb) - deduce or conclude (information) from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements
  1. Integrate (verb) - combine (one thing) with another so that they become a whole; bring (people or groups with particular characteristics or needs) into equal participation in or membership of a social group or institution

Vocabulary – Semester 1, Week 4

  1. Succumb (verb) – to submit or yield to something overwhelming
  1. Abate (verb) – to reduce; to lessen
  1. Adversity (noun) – a state of condition of misfortune; a hardship
  1. Abdicate (verb) – to give up a position, usually one of leadership; to be submissive
  1. Absolution (noun) – freedom from blame, guilt or sin

Vocabulary – Semester 1, Week 5

  1. Opinion (noun) - a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge
  1. Evidence (noun) - the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid

38.Ambiguous (adjective) – doubtful; uncertain; open to more than one interpretation

39.Vacuous (adjective) – lacking content and ideas; unintelligent; stupid

40.Wrath (noun) –extreme anger

Vocabulary – Semester 1, Week 6

  1. Summarize (verb) - give a brief statement of the main points of (something)
  1. Symbol/Symbolize (noun/verb) - a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract ; to be a symbol of something
  1. Transition (verb) - the process or a period of changing from one subject, state or condition to another
  1. Clarify (verb) - make (a statement or situation) less confused and more clearly comprehensible
  1. Complex (noun) - consisting of many different and connected parts

Vocabulary – Semester 1, Week 7

  1. Perception (noun) - a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a mental impression
  1. Opposition (noun) - a group of adversaries or competitors, especially a rival political party or athletic team
  1. Vex (verb) - make (someone) feel distressed, annoyed, frustrated, or worried, especially with trivial matters
  1. Demean ( verb) - cause a severe loss in the dignity of and respect for (someone or something)

50.Discernment (noun) - the ability to judge well