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RACIAL EQUITY RESOURCE DIRECTORY
Below is a listing of racial equity programs and training providers serving faith communities, civic organizations, educational institutions, and anyone working to combat racism and increase cultural competence.

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SPONSORED BY

The Facing Race Initiative of
The Minnesota Community Foundation and
The Saint Paul Foundation.

Please note: Listings in this directory are provided as a service to encourage individual and community engagement in working towards racial equity. However, a listing is not an endorsement or recommendation by The Saint Paul Foundation or Minnesota Compass.



ACHIEVING CULTURAL COMPETENCY CONSULTING SERVICES
Achieving Cultural Competence strives to put change in motion. Cultural competence, inclusion learnings, and inclusive tools and methods assist organizations and communities to live and work effectively in a multicultural society. Services include consultation, social research, civic engagement, facilitation, training, and dialogue convening models. Languages include Spanish, Somali and Hmong.
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AFRICAN AMERICAN REGISTRY
Teacher's Forum
African American Registry addresses white privilege, anti-racism and cultural competency in community agencies, businesses, schools and colleges through conferences, K-12 curricula, and more. Affordable workshops offer groups an unmatched journey of truth and reconciliation with narrative assistance and a 'Circle Group' process (web, phone, and in-person formats).
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ALLIANCE FOR METROPOLITAN STABILITY
Alliance for Metropolitan Stability works for racial, economic, and environmental justice in the ways growth and development occur throughout the Twin Cities region by offering peer learning opportunities with and about racial justice analysis and supporting coalitions engaged in campaigns that tackle structural racism.
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AMAZE
Families All Matter Program
AMAZE's Families All Matter (FAM) program offers anti-bias programming for elementary and early childhood children, teaching respect across differences and advocacy skills for self and others. AMAZE helps prevent bullying, teasing, and exclusion. Tools include children's literature and companion guide, after-school arts programming, trainings, and workshops.
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AMERICAN INDIAN RESOURCE CENTER
The AIRC is a tribal, community and student services building with classes in Indian Studies, Ojibwe language and Ojibwe art. AIRC has classrooms, a computer lab, special event facilities and office space for Native American staff and faculty. AIRC also provides retention counseling and community and professional programs and trainings.
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ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE (ADL)
The Miller Early Childhood Initiative
Anti-Defamation League's A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute: Miller Early Childhood Initiative provides anti-bias training and resources. Interactive workshops and curriculum help families, teachers and caregivers create sustained bias-free classrooms and homes encouraging children to appreciate diversity at an age when seeds of hate may take root.
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ANTIRACISM STUDY DIALOGUE CIRCLES (ASDIC) PARTNERSHIP
Antiracism Study Dialogue Circles are intensive, in-depth study and dialogue focused on systemic, institutional, and cultural racism, and provide a guided series of readings to deepen participants' understanding of racism, capacity to identify white norms, privileges, and power structures; and foster community and antiracist consciousness and action.
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CENTER FOR CROSS-CULTURAL HEALTH
Center for Cross-Cultural Health offers training and consultation around social determinants of health; community organizing and community engagement expertise; and convening around health equity issues.
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CLAYTON JACKSON MCGHIE MEMORIAL, INC.
CJMM, Inc. Scholarship and Speaker's Bureau
Clayton, Jackson, McGhie Memorial, Inc. (CJMM) offers community education events, public policy advocacy, a speakers bureau, and educational materials to discuss the events around the Duluth lynching and/or address current racism. DVDs titled "Bringing the Truth to Light: A Community Forum on Racism Today" and "Bringing the Truth to Light: Racial Equity in Education" are available for purchase. CJMM hosts an annual dinner to recognize the contributions of community members who are committed to racial justice, and which also serves as a strong community-building event.
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COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS (CAIR)
Diversity, Countering Islamophobia, Know Your Rights, Voter Registration, and more
Minnesota’s only Muslim civil rights advocacy organization, CAIR-MN trainings include Islam and Muslim community, Somali community/culture, diversity and inclusion, media, and civil rights. "Positive Interactions," an annual day-long seminar for employers and law enforcement, has trained almost all major Minnesota corporations on Islamophobia and religious accommodation.
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CREATE COMMUNITY
Learning Circles
Create CommUNITY Learning Circles project offers varying levels of anti-racism and intentional social interaction activities to address systemic change using an anti-racism analysis in Central Minnesota.
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CROSSROADS ANTIRACISM ORGANIZING & TRAINING
Minnesota Collaborative AntiRacism Initiative (MCARI)
MCARI assists organizations to develop the capacity to address racism as a systemic issue by equipping internal leadership with tools that facilitate individual & institutional transformation. MCARI offers introductory & comprehensive workshops on the systemic institutionalized dynamics of racism (including the manifestations that limit full institutional potential) and dismantling strategies. Uses Crossroads process: www.crossroadsantiracism.org
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CULTURAL DIVERSITY RESOURCES
Cultural Diversity Resources provides customized cultural competency & diversity training, cultural presentations and an annual diversity conference. Service area is Fargo Moorhead communities in Cass County, ND and Clay County in MN.
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CULTUREBROKERS LLC
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DAKOTA COUNTY TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Multicultural Leadership Diploma
Multicultural Leadership Diploma (MLD) program aims to improve enrollment and graduation rates of student populations historically underserved and underrepresented in higher education. The proposed project embraces the challenge to enhance the professional advancement of minorities in Minnesota. DCTC has embraced diversity as one of most important priorities
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DISCUSSIONS THAT ENCOUNTER
The goal of "Discussions that Encounter" forums, held on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month, is to bring together people from all walks of life to engage in in-depth conversation about the injustices of the concept of race and racism, offering the opportunity to build new relationships.
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DIVERSITY COUNCIL
Spark! workshops
Spark! "Connecting People, Igniting Change" is a comprehensive series of age-appropriate, anti-bias workshops that focus on respecting human differences. Workshops are presented in collaboration with area public and private schools.
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EAST SIDE ARTS COUNCIL
Belonging Circles
Belonging Circles is an afterschool curriuculm booklet that uses the arts to help students build tolerance and life skills. A guide for replicating the curriculum is available free of charge. It includes lesson plans for easy projects that promote discussions about belonging in a community and also lists characteristics of successful afterschool programs. The curriculum is intended for students in K-grade 4.
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EDCHANGE
EdChange creates and facilitates workshops on anti-racism, cultural competence, and white privilege around the world. They work to push the conversation about "diversity" beyond "heroes and holidays" and toward a genuine examination of how racism permeates our lives and society. EdChange is an internationally recognized and national award-winning collaboration of facilitators, activists, and educators. The EdChange office is now located in the DC area, but two of their consultants are still based in the Twin Cities.
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FIRST UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF ROCHESTER
Racial Justice Task Group
The Racial Justice Task Group, formed in 2007, is comprised of members of the Unitarian Universalist Church's congregation as well as other members of the Rochester community who are concerned with issues of racial justice. The Task Group has presented the program, "Race: The Power of an Illusion", and is developing a follow-up program to answer the question, "So, now what do I do?"
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HARMONYWORKS TRAINING INSTITUTE
SKILLS in Cultural Collaborations
Skills for Multi-Cultural Collaboration Building is an experiential, 40-hour course to engage community leaders and grassroots organizers in a skill-building approach that results in dispelling mis-information and building authentic collaborations based on trust, communications, and relationships. The course offers experiential exercises that explore 'individual' cultural conditioning, 'community' norms and influences, and 'institutional' practices. In the past few years they have mainly worked along with African immigrant and refugee organizations in building capacities, in social & economic development and as advocates.
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HIGHER EDUCATION ANTI-RACISM TEAM (HEART)
HEART is a regional collaborative for exploring strategies, sharing best practices and addressing challenges. HEART is built on a community organizing model, focusing on systemic institutional change toward being anti-racist and multicultural. Members include St. Cloud State University, Minnesota State University Moorhead, North Dakota State University, and Bethel University.
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HISPANIC HEALTH NETWORK
A consulting service. The Hispanic Health Network is an alliance of organizations.
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HMONG CULTURAL CENTER, INC.
Hmong Cultural Center provides a Hmong 101 presentation that presents information related to the Hmong community to diverse communities that want to know more about the Hmong community and history. Hmong Cultural Center provides Adult Basic English to refugees and immigrant communities, youth after school programs, and also has the resource center community or students to teach Hmong.
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INCLUSION NETWORK
Inclusion Network Training Team
The Inclusion Network is an affiliation of organizations and individuals that provides access to learning opportunities, dialogues, and experiences that support actions towards equality and justice to strengthen our communities. Inclusion Network offers training and consulting topics in Diversity and Inclusion, Antiracism, Unconscious Bias, Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), and more.
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INTERCULTURALIST, LLC
Interculturalist, LLC is a social enterprise offering comprehensive, flexible development programs for intercultural leadership. The program is based on the innovative Interculturalist Helix Model™. We strive to partner with you through committed training, coaching, consultation, and assessment so that you gain the capacity to maximize your personal and professional potential.
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ISAIAH
ISAIAH is a vehicle for congregations, clergy, and people of faith to act collectively and powerfully towards racial and economic equity in the state of Minnesota.
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JEWISH COMMUNITY ACTION
Racial Justice
Community Education: JCA offers workshops, training, classes, and programs to the Jewish community to increase understanding and to take action on racial justice, white privilege, dual identity, and anti-racism.
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JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL
Tolerance Minnesota
Tolerance Minnesota strives to create a more tolerant and just society by promoting understanding of all cultures and reducing prejudiced and hurtful behavior. Programs include The Color Project, Art residencies, and a Hip Hop workshop about Race in America. They offer Council of Advisor partnerships, Close the Gap trainings, race trainings, Holocaust education through new documentaries and teacher resources, and have a speakers bureau. Offers teacher trainings and curriculum resources around Holocaust education and topics around diversity. Tolerance Minnesota has partnering school districts throughout Greater Minnesota to bring some of the trainings to these areas, and lead a SEED program in Willmar.
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JONES! CONSULTING
Jones! Consulting provides theater and training programs that focus on diversity, inclusion and workforce integration. They create specialized and tailored programs for organizations that teach stakeholders the importance of engineering social change that is linked to mission, vision and values.
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MARNITA'S TABLE, INC.
Marnita's Table seeks to make Intentional Social Interaction the new pattern for society, where people of color, the disenfranchised, the poor, the unheard and the fragile -- the "other" -- are automatically included and valued at the policy-making and resource-sharing table. How many times have you heard someone say, "If we could just get everyone to the table, we could solve this problem"? For the past seven years, Marnita's Table has taken that question seriously. We've now brought together thousands of people for hundreds of focused conversations around a host of issues that matter to our everyday lives. Always at a table. Always intentionally. Always over fabulous food. Always with those hard to reach stakeholders across age, ethnicity, gender identification, knowledge base -- however you might define culture. We are experts at bringing policy makers, business and civic leaders together with those who are impacted by the policies being made.
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MIXED BLOOD THEATRE COMPANY
EnterTRaining
Mixed Blood's EnterTRaining program uses customized theatrical productions to address differences in the workplace. Tailor-made shows are created for each client and its inclusion initiatives. The theater programs are written for each organization and produced by Mixed Blood Theater company. But they go beyond theater. They create follow up training programs that focus on behavioral change in individuals.
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NATIVE VOTE ALLIANCE OF MINNESOTA
The Native Vote Alliance of Minnesota
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ONE UMMAH CONSULTING
One Ummah is a team of consultants, trainers and consultants who have come together from a broad range of fields to assist organizations in building their multicultural competence. With over 50 years of combined experience, they offer innovative solutions, comprehensive strategies, and a wide range of services to help organizations move from awareness to action in creating more inclusive and productive work and learning environments.
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ORGANIZING APPRENTICESHIP PROJECT
OAP advances racial, cultural, social and economic justice in Minnesota by providing training, working with organizations, and through research and policy analysis. OAP creates the Annual Legislative Report Card of Racial Equity and helps create organizing spaces that are purposefully multiracial to help share and build strategies of racial equity. OAP focuses on institutional and structural racism, and creates research and tools to strengthen racial equity policies.
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PACIFIC EDUCATIONAL GROUP (PEG)
Beyond Diversity: Introduction to Courageous Conversations About Race & A Framework for Deinstitutionalizing Racism and Eliminating Racial Educational Disparities
Since 1992 (in Minneapolis since 2007), Pacific Educational Group has been dedicated to helping school districts address and eliminate racial educational disparities - intentionally, explicitly, and comprehensively. PEG partners with districts to heighten understanding of institutional racism and develop effective systemic strategies for ending racial disparities through professional development and coaching.
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PANGEA WORLD THEATER
Diverse Stages Educational Program Breaking the Silence Program
Diverse Stages Educational Program works with diverse high school youth to create original performances based on race and equity. The Breaking The Silence program is targeted toward government institutions to illuminate the barriers battered immigrant women face in the system. Pangea conducts custom designed workshops, often for immigrant groups, around issues of racism, gender inequity, cultural competence, human rights and social justice.
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PEOPLE'S INSTITUTE NORTH
"Undoing Racism/Community Organizing," a two and-a-half day workshop, offers individualized training on white privilege, internalized racial oppression, white organizational culture, history of how people became white in the United States. Youth (age 13-19) workshops are also offered. Organizing efforts are based in the communities where trainers/organizers live: Grand Portage, Duluth and Minneapolis and St. Paul.
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PILLSBURY HOUSE THEATRE
Breaking Ice
Breaking Ice is a customized professional theater experience created for organizations and businesses that need help with difficult issues, both interpersonal and institutional. Since 1996, Breaking Ice has been helping organizations to open conversations on racism and equality. In 2008, Breaking Ice traveled to Biloxi to help develop a dialogue on diversity following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Breaking Ice also received the 2008 Nonprofit Mission Award for Anti-Racism Initiatives.
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SAINT PAUL PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Multicultural Resource Center
The Multicultural Resource Center is a lending library that provide professional and student resources (artifacts, books, films, curriculum materials, learning trunks) to support the cultural proficiency journey of staff and students in Saint Paul Public Schools and the East Metro Integration District member districts. We also offer free professional development opportunities around anti-racism and cultural proficiency for staff who work in these districts.
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SCIENCE MUSEUM OF MINNESOTA
RACE: Are We So Different: A National Traveling Exhibition and Program Cluster
The exhibition, "RACE: Are We So Different", premiered at the Science Museum in 2007. A tour of the exhibition will appear at over 30 museums and cultural venues in the United States. Museum staff consult on developing programs around the exhibit and on the science behind race.
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SCIENCE MUSEUM OF MINNESOTA
Wonder Years
The core exhibition Wonder Years bridges the gap between the public and current research on the science of early childhood development. Produced, in partnership with the Center for Early Education and Development (CEED) at the University of Minnesota, the exhibition incorporates recent findings from neurobiology, human development, and learning research to help the public better understand the role that policies can play in providing children with strong developmental foundations for a healthy and productive life. The initiative includes programming designed to engage audiences in substantive, ongoing conversations and public actions with regard to early childhood development.
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SIDE BY SIDE ASSOCIATES, PARTNERS IN COMMUNITY BUILDING
Side by Side Associates works with organizations to develop and implement training and organizational change initiatives aimed at building inclusive and equitable organizations and communities. Our intercultural development approach complements a commitment to recognizing the roles of power, marginalization and privilege. In addition, we convene a community of practice.
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ST. OLAF CATHOLIC CHURCH
Racial Justice Committee
The Racial Justice Committee (formerly the Anti-racism Steering Committee) works in conjunction with the Parish Social Justice Commission to be a visible presence for racial justice in the congregation and to provide events and opportunities intended to raise awareness about racism and to encourage parishioners on the journey of spiritual conversion toward equality for all. Offers videos, book reviews, bulletin articles, retreats and discussions.
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THE ST. PAUL FOUNDATION
Facing Race We're All in this Together
Facing Race is a multi-year initiative that focuses on addressing racism at the individual and institutional levels and provides meaningful recognition for those involved in the work. "New Conversations About Race and Racism" and "New Conversations About White Privilege" dialogues engage community members around this tough issue. The Foundation offers sessions that are open to the general public, facilitation assistance to organizations, and train-the-trainer courses for facilitators. Services are provided for free statewide.
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TRUSIGHT
Domestic and international diversity services are led by Jeffrey Cookson, SPHR, GPHR, MFA, who works as an organizational effectiveness consultant at Employers' Association, and has 20 years of experience spanning arts and intercultural fields, an MFA in Acting and Directing, and certification as both a Senior and Global Professional in HR. Cookson
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UNITED THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY OF THE TWIN CITIES
Leadership Toward Racial Justice
"Leadership Toward Racial Justice" is offered as a concentration in Master of Divinity and Master of Arts degrees as well as a certificate (5 course). This training provides clergy and lay leaders of faith communities the knowledge, understanding, and skills to facilitate anti-racism transformation in congregational or other settings. As ecumenical seminary of the United Church of Christ, United Theological Seminary is a graduate school preparing leaders for church and society.
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YWCA OF MINNEAPOLIS
Racial Justice Programs
The YWCA promotes racial equity by partnering with individuals and businesses through consulting that: • Teaches inclusive leadership skills • Helps groups maximize innovation through valuing a diverse workforce • Build commitments to policies and practices creating long-term, sustainable change • Invites open dialogue; moving from understanding to strategic action
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We would like to welcome:
LEE RESOURCE GROUP, LLC
STEPHANIE LEE
BIOGRAPHY
Stephanie Lee brings a strong legal background to the Lee Resource Group, LLC. She has extensive training and experience in the legal field. She has worked as a paralegal in several capacities, such as; personal injury claims (plaintiff and defense), criminal prosecution, civil litigation, divorce dissolution, and social security applications and appeals. With 12 years of experience in the legal field she is well verse to meet all legal support needs.
As a member of the Hmong community she has been relied on by family and friends to provide advice and interpretation. Through those experiences she realized there was a significant need for legal and interpretation services. By creating Lee Resource Group, LLC, she hopes to provide these quality services.
Stephanie Lee has a passion for improving the community around her and is currently serving on Human Rights & Equal Economic Opportunity Commission for the City of Saint Paul and sits on the Trust Project (a collaborative initiative with NARAL). This passion drives her to accept and seek out partnership to provide cultural competency training and support.
Stephanie Lee has an Associate Degree from Inver Hills Community College in Paralegal Studies and Bachelor’s Degree from Metro State University in Social Science

"Greater understanding can only lead to a greater appreciation for each other and the realization that our gender differences can be so amazingly complementary," the authors write.

We've highlighted four of the most damaging gender blindspots, according to Annis and Gray. It's important to note that these are generalizations, not absolutes:

1. Men and women view work-life balance differently.

Women are usually more empathetic — and responsive — to diverse workforce needs, whereas men are more singular-focused. For example, if an employee is conflicted between work and other aspects of his life, the authors argue that a woman in a senior position will be more likely to notice the needs of her employee. Put simply, women value work-life balance more than men. In researching for their book, they conducted in-depth interviews with 2,400 women who left leadership positions at Fortune 500 companies, and concluded women overwhelmingly left their positions for personal reasons. On the other hand, men are more comfortable with the status quo. For decades, men have made up the majority of the workforce, and they're more comfortable with traditional management and corporate culture principles, since they align with the way men prefer to work.

Annis and Gray sum it up: "Bring men and women together into a team and we begin to see the clash of expectations in the absence of understanding."

2. Women want consensus; men want a quick decision.

Women will often ask questions "intended to stimulate an exchange of ideas, discover what's important, and arrive at a best possible outcome," say Annis and Gray. Women more often prefer to build consensus, show concern for others, offer feedback and ask for support — then offer their opinion. The authors say this is the opposite of what men typically do.

Ashleigh Shelby Rosette, an associate professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, writes in The New York Times that the skills women naturally posses, such as "demonstrating respect and sensitivity" and "taking an interest in employees," elicit trust from employees, creating a more productive work environment.

On the other hand, Alan Goldman, a professor of management at Arizona State University West, says in another Times article that "tough guys win for a reason," arguing that the "veneer of male dominance"—and leadership style associated with it—is what will earn you respect in the end.

3. The "Old Boy's Club" still exists.

As LinkedIn Founder Reid Hoffman points out, building networks is the new resume. Unfortunately, especially in some industries, the "Old Boy's Club" at the top still exists, and it's a challenge for anyone not considered "the norm" to break into—and disrupt—these circles.

This makes it harder for women and minorities to make it to the top. Melissa J. Anderson writes in The Glasshammer that "make no mistake, golf and business go hand in hand. Golf has long been the game of business people. It has social cache, while at the same time, it’s not too physically demanding. It’s good for building the rapport, conversation, and friendly competition at the core of strong business relationships ... [yet], the majority of women avoid the game."

4. Women and men communicate differently.

Men are more competitive and are likely to interrupt one another during meetings to get their point across, whereas women usually prefer to build consensus and weigh in after others have expressed their opinions. In Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg's book Lean In, she devotes an entire chapter to discussing how women don't raise their hands or "sit at the table." This is in part because females underestimate their potential, but also because women adhere to typical gender stereotypes.

Both styles of communication have value. Keith Merron, a senior associate Barbara Annis & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in gender diversity, tells Drew Gannon at The Fiscal Times that typically “women more often see a problem holistically and are able to come up with an understanding of that situation without needing to know what all the parts are," while "men are linear in thought process and more narrow in their focus, so they are able to break down problems into their component parts and solve it.”

Ultimately, it's always risky to generalize gender norms, but there are real differences between the way men and women operate in the workplace. Rather than ignore these differences and carry on with the status quo, it's important for companies to recognize them—and take action to make teams and systems operate more effectively. This will ultimately create a more collaborate, productive future workplace.

SEE MORE ON OPEN FORUM:

Ways to motivate detached employees >

Work temperaments: Leverage these 4 types to become a better leader >

4 signs it's time to fire an employee >

STUDENT HANDOUT:
STARPOWER: Key Points of the Game

Illustrates general features of stratified societies
Unequal distribution of and access to key resources and labor
If groups begin with different resources, it is almost impossible for them to compete equally even if the rules are fair and equally applied
Unequal resources produce inequalities in potential for authority/power, in the strategies one uses, in one’s attitudes about the “system”, in one’s attitudes towards members of one’s group, and in one’s attitudes towards other groups.
Status Differentiation. From inferior to superior marked by distinct“cultural” symbols or markers of one’s status
Rights, duties, opportunities, and interactions are dependent on one’s status
Ascribed vs. Achieved Status. Is one’s position “ascribed” (based on birth, what one is ‘born into”)? Or is it “achieved” (based on one’s own actions rather than one’s birth). Does it differ at the beginning of the game? Later on in the game?
Formal Political Organization
Illustrates the emergence of the “state”: the squares supported by the “police” or “military”
Unequal access to and participation in decision-making by lower status groups
Ideology: variety of belief systems exist which justify (legitimize) stratification.
Meritocracy: focuses on achievement and hence implies it is a “just” system. One gets rewarded in accordance with one’s capacities and hard work (e.g. Horatio Alger)
Some Mobility—those who “move up” demonstrate the system is “fair”, based on “merit”.
Political Democracy emphasized—“equal rights” for all. Equal Opportunity laws.
Luck. An alternative ideology: It’s just a matter of luck [hiding that the system is “set up”]. Words like “unfortunate” imply it’s “fortune” rather than the system.
Blame the Victim—it’s your fault. Get victims to also blame themselves.
Secrecy and ignorance. “Hide chips from each other”…Cultivate individualism.
Illustrates People’s Reactions and Strategies Reflect Their Class Status and Position.
Lower Class Strategies:
Individualistic: break the rules, apathy, resentment, cheating, anger, depression, withdrawal, develop alternative things to do in class
Collective: protest, non-cooperation; strike, social ostracism of upper groups
Middle Class Strategy: inaction, don’t take sides, try to preserve one’s chips
Strategy of Upper Class. Alternative strategies depending on values and goals. All emphasize group unity, however.
Preserve power through paternalism, authoritarian rules, emphasizing “law and order”, manipulate and alter rules when threatened. Each strategy produces different reactions in other groups. Uphold & reiterate legitimizing ideologies: emphasize “fairness” and “merit” and “equal opportunity” rules. Deny system is unjust.
Prioritize social harmony—create a more just system and give up (some, all) power and privilege
Prioritize justice [experience guilt]—create a more equal and just system and give up (some, most, all) power and privilege
Police Strategy: uphold rules but especially for lower status groups; bend rules for upper classes; identify with authority; maintain distance from lower status groups
Attitudes towards the “game” or “system”: who enjoys the “game”? Who would like it to continue? Who feels alienated? Who wants it to end—quickly!! How about those who “moved up”? Did that alter their view of the game? How did they feel about those “left behind”? What expectations did those “left behind” have about those who “moved up”? Were they disappointed? Did they feel betrayed? How did oldtimers feel about “newcomers”? What does this illustrate?
Alternative Group Strategies for Bonus Chips: share, give to low, give to high; long-term vs. short-term strategies.
How Systems of Inequality are Maintained. Use of informal and formal mechanisms of social control.
Paternalism is more effective than authoritarian regimes. Squares don’t want to alienate lower groups. They want to maintain social solidarity and a feeling that “leaders” care about those under them. Cultivate “good intentions” and concern for “common good”, as if the “mother” or “father” of the people.
Divine sanction also legitimizes authority (e.g. The Instructor becomes “God” who ordains the squares)
Social Separation of Classes. Reduces social pressure from lower groups on upper classes; diminishes envy by lower classes, prevents empathy or guilt by upper groups
Constantly reinforce the idea of a ”just” ideology: that the system is just, fair, natural-biologically rooted, or supernaturally sanctioned.
Why Do Lower Classes continue “to play”? hope, lethargy, a culture of obedience, waiting for someone else, self-blame (so try-harder)
Alternative Outcomes and Their Significance.
Trading off social good will and social solidarity against amassing wealth and political power. What are the plusses and minuses of each system? Why do some choose different alternatives? Does having wealth (for several generations-rounds of the game) make one more likely to share?
Complexities of trying to “restructure” the system: will simply making the trading rules “fair” help? Is “affirmative action” enough? Does the solution require equalizing wealth? At every round? Will some inequality still emerge?
FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION:

Discuss with students the complexities of trying to “restructure” the system.
Ask, will simply making the trading rules “fair” help?
Is “affirmative action” the solution? Will that be sufficient?
Does the solution require equalizing wealth? At every round?
Will some inequality still emerge?
How does this relate to school achievement (see Part 3, chapter 3.3)

More Detailed Description and Procedures

The description that follows is my “bare-boned” version. Over the years, I have modified the original game, changing chip values, sometimes altering trading rules to allow more or less mobility, sometimes going with the “flow” of the particular class, sometimes manipulating the class in a certain direction. Regardless, participants’ reaction cannot always be predicted, especially after the “squares” are given the power to make rules. So….there is no “template” for this game. Each session is excitingly different!

Materials Needed
Trading chips [or pieces of paper] of different colors representing 5 different point values (10, 5, 4, 2, 1). Gold, green, blue, pink, and white are often used for these values.
Bonus Trading Chips: worth 5 points each. At the end of each trading round, each group receives 3 of these chips to distribute to 1-3 members of their group. The group unanimously decides who receives the chip. If they can’t decide, they forfeit the chips.
Envelopes containing the 5 chips each participant receives at the beginning of each trading session. I make enough envelopes for at least 3 rounds. Contents of envelopes depend on one’s social “group. I discreetly mark envelopes but also keep each group’s envelopes in a separate pile.
Square envelopes: 1 gold, 1 green, 3 other chips
Circle envelopes: 0 gold, 1 green, 4 other chips
Triangle envelopes: 0 gold, 0 green, 5 chips of other colors
Several “mobility” envelopes. These contain at least 1 gold and 1 green chip. At least 1 triangle receives one each round. In early rounds, this allows them to move “up” to a square. Occasionally, I give a “square” a low value envelope. The impact varies depending on how far it is into the game. After several rounds, it has no mobility impact!
Symbols (squares, circles, triangles) for members of each group to wear (around their neck, pinned to their shirts, etc.)
A badge for the police officer (optional)
In addition to these materials, you can either create posters for game rules or simply write them on the board.

Scoring Chart listing values for each chip color and showing the number of additional points participants receive for having several chips of the same color: 5 of a kind =5 points, 4 of a kind=4 points, 3 of a kind =3 points.
List of Trading Rules:
You must touch while you are trading.
You can only talk while trading. (note: this exclude talking to the director or police)
Once you initiate a trade, you must trade before going on to another trader
Players with arms folded do NOT have to trade.
All chips must be hidden at all times (except when exchanging chips)
One for one trades only
All rules will be enforced and penalties (deducing points) levied.
List of Bonus Session Rules:
Each group receives 3 chips and each chip is worth 10 points
Chips can be given to 1, 2, or 3 group members
Chips must be distributed by unanimous vote
Undistributed chips (after 4 minutes) are forfeited.
Scoring Card for Each Group or Create 3 Separate Sections on the Board for Each Group.
Procedures and Basic Stages in the Game.

Divide students into three groups. Have them sit in pre-arranged chairs, and distribute symbols for them to put on [squares, triangles, circles]. I sometimes say they are distinct ethnic, religious, or geographical communities.
Introduce Purpose of Activity. I tell students it is designed to illustrate how “exchange” works in small-scale societies. They will engage in several trading sessions. Each session they will receive a packet of 5 chips of different values, randomly selected. Their goal is to devise a clever trading strategy that will allow them to amass as many points as possible. They will accumulate points from each session. After several trading rounds, we will total the scores. Those with the highest number of points will “win” the game. You may want to tell them to draw upon their knowledge from the course. I sometimes attach a point value to the activity, saying it is a “test” of previous course material. I say “grades” on the activity will be based on individual point totals at the end of the game. This makes it more “serious”—but can also create too much tension among students.
Explain Trading Sessions and Trading Rules (see above).
Begin Trading Session. Distribute envelopes to each group (reminding them to hide their chips). Give them a few minutes to create a strategy. Then tell them they can now stand up and move around the room, looking for a trading partner. After about ten minutes, tell them the trading session is now closed and they should return to their seats.
Calculate and Record Scores on Board or Chart. Students individually calculate their scores and write their score in the appropriate space for their group (using their initials). Alternatively, appoint a recorder in the group to collect and write scores on the board.
Distribute 3 bonus chips to each group. Groups decide who will receive (3-5 minutes). Add the points to the scores of these people. If they can’t make a decision, take back the chips.
Rearrange Groups. With the whole group watching, tell them group membership will now be based on “scores” and the top scorers will be squares, the bottom scorers are the triangles, and the remainder circles. This is an opportunity to reiterate the meritocracy rhetoric. You will have to decide the cut-off scores. Shift individuals between groups as appropriate, physically and in the group membership list on the tally board. Have switchers trade old symbols for new, appropriate ones.
Begin Trading Session 2. Use same procedures as above, including a few “mobility” envelopes. At the end of the trading session, add round 2 scores to round 1 scores for each students. Rearrange groups again—although there will be less movement. Unless time is limited, do a third trading session before proceeding to the next stage.
Give Power to Squares. At the end of trading session 2 or 3, use meritocracy rhetoric to justify giving rule-making powers to the squares. I often state their scores show they’ve mastered the course material on trading and exchange and they deserve to make the rules for the rest of the game. This is where you begin playing it by ear!!!
Squares Make New Rules. Have squares discuss what rules they want to make. Members of other groups can sit in on the process and you can allow them to make comments. However, the squares alone get to make the decisions. The content of these discussions is always significant and relevant for the post-game processing. I sometimes jot down snippets for future reference. This is the most fascinating, volatile, and unpredictable part of the game……and one that you should monitor to make sure it doesn’t get out of hand. If you are playing the game in two sessions, you may want to wait until the second session to have the squares change the rules to minimize the out-of-class tension students sometimes experience.
New trading sessions, using the new rules. Squares now are in charge of the police officer. The police officer need not administer the rules fairly. Nor are points always added up “accurately” by the scorekeeper, who may be the police office, the instructor, or someone from the squares.
Play it By Ear….always monitoring the students and the situation so that it remains a positive learning experience. What happens next, especially the response of triangles and circles, depends on what kinds of rules the squares make as well as the class itself. Most often, squares initially try to preserve power, some more paternalistically than others. Some honestly think they “deserve’ to be squares…others are suspicious. Non-squares usually try to influence the squares. If the new rules are harsh, tensions increase and both squares and lower groups respond in a variety of predictable ways. If rules remain "fair”, it takes more rounds for tension to build---and apathy can occur. Some students never realize the game is “stacked”! Sometimes squares with a commitment to social justice dominate and try to figure out how to redistribute chips (a fascinating process). It is impossible to describe the range and complexity of what occurs and the extent to which students replicate what we as social scientists know about human behavior and responses in situations of stratification. You’ll have to experience it yourself!
Stop the Game. Begin the Discussion. At whatever point you stop the game, it is important to allow students to process how they are feeling before beginning the more abstract discussion. You may want to have students write down their reactions and reflections, immediately or after class. Regardless, it is important to move beyond this. One way is by asking students to describe the strategies they employed in the game, then placing these different strategies into the larger context of stratification and how one’s class position affects one’s strategies. I usually let the discussion take its own course but always try to make links between their experiences and the more abstract ideas and processes involved.
Summarize What Has Been Learned. At the end of the discussion, or the next time the class meets, I provide students with a more formal handout summarizing some key features of stratified societies (See appendix). I try to connect them, once again, with the Starpower simulation. The amount of time I spend discussing this handout varies with the class and the semester.
References Cited

Shirts, R. Garry. 1969. Starpower. La Jolla, CA: Behavioral Sciences Institute.



STUDENT HANDOUT:
STARPOWER: Key Points of the Game

Illustrates general features of stratified societies
Unequal distribution of and access to key resources and labor
If groups begin with different resources, it is almost impossible for them to compete equally even if the rules are fair and equally applied
Unequal resources produce inequalities in potential for authority/power, in the strategies one uses, in one’s attitudes about the “system”, in one’s attitudes towards members of one’s group, and in one’s attitudes towards other groups.

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STARPOWER:
EXPERIENCING A STRATIFIED SOCIETY

Copyright 2004. Carol C. Mukhopadhyay, San Jose State University

Years ago, Dr. Richard Stone (now deceased) asked me to attend his cultural anthropology class and participate in a simulation game. He told me nothing except that it would be interesting—and that he needed one more person for the game to work properly. I went and was introduced to “Starpower”, a totally engaging activity that I subsequently incorporated into my own classes.

First developed in the 1960s (Shirts 1969), Starpower creates a limited-mobility, three-tiered society based on differential wealth. Participants engage in “chip trading sessions” to increase their individual wealth and societal status. Variations in wealth are ostensibly based on “merit” [success at trading chips] but most members of each “strata” [squares, triangles, circles] unknowingly receive different resources [trading chips] at the beginning of the game and at each subsequent “trading session”. Thus most participants remain in their original group. To preserve the mobility premise, an occasional lower status person receives enough trading chips to allow them to change groups. After several trading rounds, the wealthy group (squares) “earns” the right to make rules for the rest of the game. Trading continues under the new rules. Shirts’ version assumes power inevitably corrupts and that the “wealthy group” will make unfair rules that generate frustration and even revolt by other groups. My experience shows students respond in a variety of ways, sometimes opting to create an egalitarian society through rules that redistribute “wealth”. Perhaps their enrollment in a cultural anthropology class makes a difference! In any case, at some point the instructor ends the game and then facilitates a discussion of the experience.

Students’ emotional responses and behavior are generally linked to their social position in the simulated society. The “triangles” [lower class] become despondent, angry, self-blaming, self-critical, resentful, often giving up on playing the game…or sometimes simply cheat. Other groups also react in ways characteristic of the middle and upper classes. The game illustrates the complex processes of economic, social, and political stratification, linkages between wealth and political power, the ways in which stratification is maintained and justified, and how stratification is experienced on a personal level, by members of different “strata” and by different individuals within the same strata. Starpower is effective because it allows students to understand how stratified systems “work” structurally and to experience how they “feel”.

I find Starpower particularly useful for demonstrating the subtleties of “meritocratic” political democracies, like the United States, in which the rules seem “fair”. Yet the unequal distribution of wealth assures that most “squares” will end up “squares” and most “triangles” will remain “triangles” regardless of their individual merit and a set of equally applied rules for achieving “success” in society.

Starpower can also illustrate how race, ethnicity or other visible markers of social identity function in stratified societies. Participants in each group sit separately and wear a visual symbol of their group membership as squares, triangles, or circles. This offers an opportunity to discuss the role of visual markers in stratified societies, as both internal and external symbols of one’s identity that facilitate differential treatment. Such visual markers can become potent symbols of group membership, substituting for and masking the class basis of the hierarchical system.

Time and Player, Room and Material Requirements:

This is a complex game to set up and carry out—but well worth the effort. It’s useful for any class that addresses stratification and systems of inequality. It can be tailored to particular types of inequality, such as race or gender. The game requires at least two hours—about 45min-1 hour for the “trading sessions” and at least that for the discussion and analysis. It can be used effectively in either one long class or in 2 separate class sessions in the same week. The game works best with from 25-35 participants although it can handle 18-45 students. If one reduces the “strata” to two groups, one can play with as few as 12 students.

Since each group must meet and confer between trading sessions, it is best to have a room with movable chairs unless there is sufficient empty floor space for the group to stand together or sit on the floor. During trading sessions, students move around the room seeking a trading partner and stand while they are making a trade.

More Detailed Description and Procedures

The description that follows is my “bare-boned” version. Over the years, I have modified the original game, changing chip values, sometimes altering trading rules to allow more or less mobility, sometimes going with the “flow” of the particular class, sometimes manipulating the class in a certain direction. Regardless, participants’ reaction cannot always be predicted, especially after the “squares” are given the power to make rules. So….there is no “template” for this game. Each session is excitingly different!

Materials Needed
Trading chips [or pieces of paper] of different colors representing 5 different point values (10, 5, 4, 2, 1). Gold, green, blue, pink, and white are often used for these values.
Bonus Trading Chips: worth 5 points each. At the end of each trading round, each group receives 3 of these chips to distribute to 1-3 members of their group. The group unanimously decides who receives the chip. If they can’t decide, they forfeit the chips.
Envelopes containing the 5 chips each participant receives at the beginning of each trading session. I make enough envelopes for at least 3 rounds. Contents of envelopes depend on one’s social “group. I discreetly mark envelopes but also keep each group’s envelopes in a separate pile.
Square envelopes: 1 gold, 1 green, 3 other chips
Circle envelopes: 0 gold, 1 green, 4 other chips
Triangle envelopes: 0 gold, 0 green, 5 chips of other colors
Several “mobility” envelopes. These contain at least 1 gold and 1 green chip. At least 1 triangle receives one each round. In early rounds, this allows them to move “up” to a square. Occasionally, I give a “square” a low value envelope. The impact varies depending on how far it is into the game. After several rounds, it has no mobility impact!
Symbols (squares, circles, triangles) for members of each group to wear (around their neck, pinned to their shirts, etc.)
A badge for the police officer (optional)
In addition to these materials, you can either create posters for game rules or simply write them on the board.

Scoring Chart listing values for each chip color and showing the number of additional points participants receive for having several chips of the same color: 5 of a kind =5 points, 4 of a kind=4 points, 3 of a kind =3 points.
List of Trading Rules:
You must touch while you are trading.
You can only talk while trading. (note: this exclude talking to the director or police)
Once you initiate a trade, you must trade before going on to another trader
Players with arms folded do NOT have to trade.
All chips must be hidden at all times (except when exchanging chips)
One for one trades only
All rules will be enforced and penalties (deducing points) levied.
List of Bonus Session Rules:
Each group receives 3 chips and each chip is worth 10 points
Chips can be given to 1, 2, or 3 group members
Chips must be distributed by unanimous vote
Undistributed chips (after 4 minutes) are forfeited.
Scoring Card for Each Group or Create 3 Separate Sections on the Board for Each Group.
Procedures and Basic Stages in the Game.

Divide students into three groups. Have them sit in pre-arranged chairs, and distribute symbols for them to put on [squares, triangles, circles]. I sometimes say they are distinct ethnic, religious, or geographical communities.
Introduce Purpose of Activity. I tell students it is designed to illustrate how “exchange” works in small-scale societies. They will engage in several trading sessions. Each session they will receive a packet of 5 chips of different values, randomly selected. Their goal is to devise a clever trading strategy that will allow them to amass as many points as possible. They will accumulate points from each session. After several trading rounds, we will total the scores. Those with the highest number of points will “win” the game. You may want to tell them to draw upon their knowledge from the course. I sometimes attach a point value to the activity, saying it is a “test” of previous course material. I say “grades” on the activity will be based on individual point totals at the end of the game. This makes it more “serious”—but can also create too much tension among students.
Explain Trading Sessions and Trading Rules (see above).
Begin Trading Session. Distribute envelopes to each group (reminding them to hide their chips). Give them a few minutes to create a strategy. Then tell them they can now stand up and move around the room, looking for a trading partner. After about ten minutes, tell them the trading session is now closed and they should return to their seats.
Calculate and Record Scores on Board or Chart. Students individually calculate their scores and write their score in the appropriate space for their group (using their initials). Alternatively, appoint a recorder in the group to collect and write scores on the board.
Distribute 3 bonus chips to each group. Groups decide who will receive (3-5 minutes). Add the points to the scores of these people. If they can’t make a decision, take back the chips.
Rearrange Groups. With the whole group watching, tell them group membership will now be based on “scores” and the top scorers will be squares, the bottom scorers are the triangles, and the remainder circles. This is an opportunity to reiterate the meritocracy rhetoric. You will have to decide the cut-off scores. Shift individuals between groups as appropriate, physically and in the group membership list on the tally board. Have switchers trade old symbols for new, appropriate ones.
Begin Trading Session 2. Use same procedures as above, including a few “mobility” envelopes. At the end of the trading session, add round 2 scores to round 1 scores for each students. Rearrange groups again—although there will be less movement. Unless time is limited, do a third trading session before proceeding to the next stage.
Give Power to Squares. At the end of trading session 2 or 3, use meritocracy rhetoric to justify giving rule-making powers to the squares. I often state their scores show they’ve mastered the course material on trading and exchange and they deserve to make the rules for the rest of the game. This is where you begin playing it by ear!!!
Squares Make New Rules. Have squares discuss what rules they want to make. Members of other groups can sit in on the process and you can allow them to make comments. However, the squares alone get to make the decisions. The content of these discussions is always significant and relevant for the post-game processing. I sometimes jot down snippets for future reference. This is the most fascinating, volatile, and unpredictable part of the game……and one that you should monitor to make sure it doesn’t get out of hand. If you are playing the game in two sessions, you may want to wait until the second session to have the squares change the rules to minimize the out-of-class tension students sometimes experience.
New trading sessions, using the new rules. Squares now are in charge of the police officer. The police officer need not administer the rules fairly. Nor are points always added up “accurately” by the scorekeeper, who may be the police office, the instructor, or someone from the squares.
Play it By Ear….always monitoring the students and the situation so that it remains a positive learning experience. What happens next, especially the response of triangles and circles, depends on what kinds of rules the squares make as well as the class itself. Most often, squares initially try to preserve power, some more paternalistically than others. Some honestly think they “deserve’ to be squares…others are suspicious. Non-squares usually try to influence the squares. If the new rules are harsh, tensions increase and both squares and lower groups respond in a variety of predictable ways. If rules remain "fair”, it takes more rounds for tension to build---and apathy can occur. Some students never realize the game is “stacked”! Sometimes squares with a commitment to social justice dominate and try to figure out how to redistribute chips (a fascinating process). It is impossible to describe the range and complexity of what occurs and the extent to which students replicate what we as social scientists know about human behavior and responses in situations of stratification. You’ll have to experience it yourself!
Stop the Game. Begin the Discussion. At whatever point you stop the game, it is important to allow students to process how they are feeling before beginning the more abstract discussion. You may want to have students write down their reactions and reflections, immediately or after class. Regardless, it is important to move beyond this. One way is by asking students to describe the strategies they employed in the game, then placing these different strategies into the larger context of stratification and how one’s class position affects one’s strategies. I usually let the discussion take its own course but always try to make links between their experiences and the more abstract ideas and processes involved.
Summarize What Has Been Learned. At the end of the discussion, or the next time the class meets, I provide students with a more formal handout summarizing some key features of stratified societies (See appendix). I try to connect them, once again, with the Starpower simulation. The amount of time I spend discussing this handout varies with the class and the semester.
References Cited

Shirts, R. Garry. 1969. Starpower. La Jolla, CA: Behavioral Sciences Institute.



STUDENT HANDOUT:
STARPOWER: Key Points of the Game

Illustrates general features of stratified societies
Unequal distribution of and access to key resources and labor
If groups begin with different resources, it is almost impossible for them to compete equally even if the rules are fair and equally applied
Unequal resources produce inequalities in potential for authority/power, in the strategies one uses, in one’s attitudes about the “system”, in one’s attitudes towards members of one’s group, and in one’s attitudes towards other groups.
Status Differentiation. From inferior to superior marked by distinct“cultural” symbols or markers of one’s status
Rights, duties, opportunities, and interactions are dependent on one’s status
Ascribed vs. Achieved Status. Is one’s position “ascribed” (based on birth, what one is ‘born into”)? Or is it “achieved” (based on one’s own actions rather than one’s birth). Does it differ at the beginning of the game? Later on in the game?
Formal Political Organization
Illustrates the emergence of the “state”: the squares supported by the “police” or “military”
Unequal access to and participation in decision-making by lower status groups
Ideology: variety of belief systems exist which justify (legitimize) stratification.
Meritocracy: focuses on achievement and hence implies it is a “just” system. One gets rewarded in accordance with one’s capacities and hard work (e.g. Horatio Alger)
Some Mobility—those who “move up” demonstrate the system is “fair”, based on “merit”.
Political Democracy emphasized—“equal rights” for all. Equal Opportunity laws.
Luck. An alternative ideology: It’s just a matter of luck [hiding that the system is “set up”]. Words like “unfortunate” imply it’s “fortune” rather than the system.
Blame the Victim—it’s your fault. Get victims to also blame themselves.
Secrecy and ignorance. “Hide chips from each other”…Cultivate individualism.
Illustrates People’s Reactions and Strategies Reflect Their Class Status and Position.
Lower Class Strategies:
Individualistic: break the rules, apathy, resentment, cheating, anger, depression, withdrawal, develop alternative things to do in class
Collective: protest, non-cooperation; strike, social ostracism of upper groups
Middle Class Strategy: inaction, don’t take sides, try to preserve one’s chips
Strategy of Upper Class. Alternative strategies depending on values and goals. All emphasize group unity, however.
Preserve power through paternalism, authoritarian rules, emphasizing “law and order”, manipulate and alter rules when threatened. Each strategy produces different reactions in other groups. Uphold & reiterate legitimizing ideologies: emphasize “fairness” and “merit” and “equal opportunity” rules. Deny system is unjust.
Prioritize social harmony—create a more just system and give up (some, all) power and privilege
Prioritize justice [experience guilt]—create a more equal and just system and give up (some, most, all) power and privilege
Police Strategy: uphold rules but especially for lower status groups; bend rules for upper classes; identify with authority; maintain distance from lower status groups
Attitudes towards the “game” or “system”: who enjoys the “game”? Who would like it to continue? Who feels alienated? Who wants it to end—quickly!! How about those who “moved up”? Did that alter their view of the game? How did they feel about those “left behind”? What expectations did those “left behind” have about those who “moved up”? Were they disappointed? Did they feel betrayed? How did oldtimers feel about “newcomers”? What does this illustrate?
Alternative Group Strategies for Bonus Chips: share, give to low, give to high; long-term vs. short-term strategies.
How Systems of Inequality are Maintained. Use of informal and formal mechanisms of social control.
Paternalism is more effective than authoritarian regimes. Squares don’t want to alienate lower groups. They want to maintain social solidarity and a feeling that “leaders” care about those under them. Cultivate “good intentions” and concern for “common good”, as if the “mother” or “father” of the people.
Divine sanction also legitimizes authority (e.g. The Instructor becomes “God” who ordains the squares)
Social Separation of Classes. Reduces social pressure from lower groups on upper classes; diminishes envy by lower classes, prevents empathy or guilt by upper groups
Constantly reinforce the idea of a ”just” ideology: that the system is just, fair, natural-biologically rooted, or supernaturally sanctioned.
Why Do Lower Classes continue “to play”? hope, lethargy, a culture of obedience, waiting for someone else, self-blame (so try-harder)
Alternative Outcomes and Their Significance.
Trading off social good will and social solidarity against amassing wealth and political power. What are the plusses and minuses of each system? Why do some choose different alternatives? Does having wealth (for several generations-rounds of the game) make one more likely to share?
Complexities of trying to “restructure” the system: will simply making the trading rules “fair” help? Is “affirmative action” enough? Does the solution require equalizing wealth? At every round? Will some inequality still emerge?
FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION:

Discuss with students the complexities of trying to “restructure” the system.
Ask, will simply making the trading rules “fair” help?
Is “affirmative action” the solution? Will that be sufficient?
Does the solution require equalizing wealth? At every round?
Will some inequality still emerge?
How does this relate to school achievement (see Part 3, chapter 3.3)
ENDNOTES:

I have submitted a similar version of this for inclusion in the 2007 volume of Strategies for Teaching Anthropology. I do not expect a decision on this for some time.
The current distributor of Starpower, Simulation Training Systems, markets the game as solely about power—its uses and abuse. The target audience is management training, cultural diversity, and classrooms.
More detailed instructions for the original version can be found in Shirts (1969). Starpower originally came in a “kit” with trading chips, plastic symbols, etc. Many university curriculum libraries often purchased it and yours may still own it. Currently it is available for purchase ($225) through Stimulation Training Systems at www.stsintl.com/schools-charities/star_power.html,. I do not know if the recent version has been modified. However, one does not need the kit to play the game. I found it just as easy and effective to construct my own set, using pieces of colored paper for chips and string & tinfoil or stiff paper for group symbols.


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