Race, ethnicity, and american politics

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

There are no prerequisites for this course.

This is an undergraduate class on the role of race and ethnicity in American politics.There are no official prerequisites, but a basic understanding of American political institutions (as would be gained from 17.20 Introduction to American Politics) will be helpful, as will a willingness to engage with complex reading material. The focus will be on political science theories and research about race and politics, though we will also draw on work from sociology, history, and economics.

We will ask big social science questions about race in America: What is "race"? How could we possibly measure it, and does it really matter? What does it mean to say that a policy is discriminatory, and how have social scientists and courts tried to measure racial discrimination? What do Americans think about race in the 21st century, and how do these opinions shape their voting and protest behavior?

After taking this course, students will be able to discuss different ways of imagining race and ethnicity, and their historical underpinnings. They will be able to describe and critique the ways in which racial attitudes are theorized and measured, and think about how these different attitudes are expected to shape political behavior. And they will be familiar with key debates about race in politics, and will be able to talk about the pros and cons of various social science approaches to studying race and its effects.

My general expectation is that you will come to class prepared to fully participate. This means being on time and keeping electronic distractions to a minimum. It also means treating your classmates with respect, and listening to and engaging meaningfully with them when they speak.

Students are expected to complete all assigned readings and pre-class activities and come to class meetings. In addition, there will be two short papers (5–10 pages) assigned during the semester, and a final exam during exam period.

There will also be occasional reading quizzes, in which students will be asked to answer a few multiple choice questions about the readings before class begins. These will probably not be part of the final course grade, but are intended to help both students and teaching staff keep tabs on the students' comprehension of the material. However, if I get the sense that no one is doing the reading, I reserve the right to include the reading quizzes in the final exam grade. I hope not to.

Unless an assignment is explicitly labelled as collaborative, I expect that each person will present only their own work. Any work completed for another class must be disclosed (don't turn in the same paper or assignment for two different courses without prior approval). No assignments will be accepted late unless a prior extension was granted, or where required by institute policy. Makeup exams will only be provided as required by institute policy.

For more information on the course assignments, see the Assignments section.

Carceral State 1: Film Screening

13th. Directed by Ava Duvernay. Color, 100 min. 2016.

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