Skin Color Variation Investigation Black, white, yellow, red or various shades of brown? Only the camera knows for sure! Below: Ethiopian, Cambodian, Sioux, Italian, Finnish, Chinese, Irish

Human Variation in Skin Color and Race as a Social Construct This lesson is part of evolution unit which follows heredity and genetics The lesson is interdisciplinary in nature in that I discuss the concept of race as a social construct and the idea that there are “black, white, red, yellow” skinned people is something that people developed. It is not based on biology. Race groupings are human-made groups. Students first learn about mixing light and how to determine black and white from an ADI analysis. They learn that red and green = yellow, etc. They then photograph each other’s forearms and analyze the images using ADI. We then discuss skin color as an adaptive advantage. I reinforce the idea that people’s skin color (before there was sunscreen, folic acid, and Vitamin D supplements) was an adaptation which enabled people to survive. I point out to the students that they come from a long line of WINNERS (otherwise they wouldn’t be here! )

What observations can we make from the graphs of RGB values from photos taken of students from various backgrounds/ethnicities? The next series of slides shows RGB values and color graphs for 5 of my students. I have included their photos and their self-described racial/ethnic group. Can you match the graph with the photo? What is the same with all of the graphs? What is different?

Graph 1

Graph 2

Graph 3

Graph 4

GRAPH 5

African –American #1

Cambodian #2

Irish, English, German #3

Ecuadorian, German #4

Hungarian, Czechoslovakian #5

Answers Photo #1 = graph 4 Photo #2 = graph 5 Photo #3 = graph 1 Photo #4 = graph 2 Photo #5 = graph 3