Few events in American history are so universally deplored as the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. The United States government has acknowledged the error and the injustice that resulted with an official Presidential apology and a Congressional disbursement of reparations to the victims of the incarceration policy. The decision, its implementation, and its consequences for various individuals have been the topics for a variety of historical accounts, museum exhibits, documentary films, short stories, novels, plays and movies. Though justified at the time as militarily necessary and done for the protection of the Japanese Americans, in 1983 the Report of the Congressional Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians determined that racial prejudice, wartime hysteria and failure of political leadership had led to this oppression and incarceration of Japanese Americans. The contrast between wartime opinion and this 1983 report provides a fertile area for examination in an educational setting. The curriculum described in this paper is designed to provide opportunity for critical thinking on Japanese American incarceration utilizing a variety of classroom techniques, including collaborative and cooperative research projects, simulations, large and small group discussion, and writing assignments. Four very different teaching ideas are proposed for addressing various aspects of this topic: (1) newspaper research assignment; (2) writing assignment and discussion questions on internment for World History and American History courses; (3) simulated United States Supreme Court oral argument of the "Korematsu" case; and (4) contemporary debate on the governmental response to the terrorist attacks of September 11. Each should stimulate engaging classroom discussions, facilitate a variety of active learning, and provide the basis for challenging student assignments. The purpose of these learning activities is to enable students to understand how institutional racism and racial prejudice, wartime hysteria and failure of political leadership led to the oppression of Japanese Americans. Ultimately, the primary goal of the curriculum is for students and instructors to understand the social and historical forces that led to the policy, so that such policies will not be repeated. To provide additional historical context, the authors suggest students first read and discuss the history and consequences of anti-Asian racism in the United States. (Contains 39 notes.)