SOC 221 RETHINKING RACE: INEQUALITY, COLORBLINDNESS, AND THE "POST-RACIAL" ERA
In American society today, race is both nowhere and everywhere. It is nowhere: the civil rights movement's victories of the 1960s eliminated legal race-based hierarchies, many people say they do not see race, interracial marriage is no longer unusual, and an African American man recently occupied the White House. Yet it is everywhere: large racial gaps in life expectancy and health and wealth remain, cities are still segregated, and concerns about immigration, cultural identity, and race in American memory have surged into prominence. In this intensive, discussion-based course, we will consider how this seeming contradiction is possible. Topics examined include institutional versus individual racism, how race has shaped our own lives, the feasibility and desirability of colorblindness, recent political events, unconscious and semi-conscious bias, and how growing Latino and Asian populations interface with the historic white/black binary. We will address these topics using a dialogue-based approach that recognizes the importance both of objective evidence and of understanding other people’s points of view as methods of learning about challenging topics and helping us navigate a diverse, changing society.
Offered
Offered Fall.
Notes
2 credits. Each section runs for half the semester.
Course Outcomes