Taught by

Despite claims that the U.S. is "post-racial," why does "race," nevertheless continue to retain significance in our contemporary era? And more specifically, just what is "race?"

To address these question and others, this program explores the origins and manifestations of the contested concept of race, including the role of the U.S. judicial system and law enforcement. We will further investigate the ways in which one's racial identification can result in differential social, economic, and political treatment and how social movements emerged to challenge racial inequality. To understand these phenomena, we will analyze the racialized history of the United States in relation to dominant discourses of popular culture, science, psychology, health care, law, citizenship, education, and personal/public identity.

Central to this program is a study of historical connections between European colonialism prior to U.S. independence as a nation and the expansion of U.S. political and military dominance globally since independence and into the 21st century. Students will examine related contemporary concepts such as racism, prejudice, discrimination, gender, class, affirmative action, white privilege, and color blindness. Students will consider current research and racialized commentaries that surround debates on genetics vs. culture (i.e., nature vs. nurture).

Students will learn to recognize contemporary expressions of race by what we hear, see, and read, as well as absences and silences that we find through readings, dialogue in seminars, films, and academic writing. We will work together to make sense of these expressions and link them to their historical origins. Students will also have an opportunity to examine the social formation of their own racial identities through their own personal narratives. Current approaches from social psychology will be foundational in this aspect of the program. Related to this is consideration as to what it can mean to be an anti-racist in a 21st-century racialized society.

Quarters

Fall Open

Location and Schedule

Campus Location

Olympia

Time Offered

Day