IDST37 Introduction to Ethnic Studies

Course Information

"Let this radicalize you rather than lead you to despair."--Mariame Kaba

This course provides an introduction to concepts, theories, definitions, methodologies, and social policy related to the history, culture, concerns, and conditions of the field of Ethnic Studies through the lenses of critical race theory, intersectionality, and Indigenous methodologies. The course includes:

• articulation of cultural, political, and economic practices and institutions that support or challenge racism, racial and ethnic inequalities, and patterns of interaction between various racial and ethnic groups

• discussions on fundamental theoretical frameworks such as the meanings of culture in the personal, political and social sense; power relations over processes of social construction of identities; the emergence and persistence of racial stratification; intersections and transformations of social categories; and the various forms of resistance to structures of inequality

• analysis of specific contemporary topics--such as immigration, access to education, popular culture and its alternatives, language debates, employment and the politics of culture in a moment of an economic crisis, and more-- through the prisms of group experiences and the theoretical frameworks introduced in the class

Through a survey of historical, social, political, economic, and cultural processes that have been experienced by ethnic groups in the U.S. this course offers multiple perspectives of:

1. how 'race' and ethnicity have defined the experiences of all people in the U.S. and

2. how this has ultimately served to develop a social hierarchy that shapes all categories of social status and relationships (class, gender, sexuality, religion/spirituality, dis/ability, family structure, education, age/generation, citizenship/immigration status, and other relationships).

3. we will also examine intergroup (e.g. African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino/a, Native American, European American, Arab American) and intra-group challenges within today's ethnic communities.

You will have a chance to apply what you learn in several ways throughout the course. Weekly open-book quizzes will give you an opportunity to measure your learning and apply some of the ideas you've learned in questions. We will use a set of discussion questions for you to apply Ethnic Studies strategies you learn. Finally, you will explore cultures you are unfamiliar with to examine history within the context of western colonization. I think you will find the Ethnic Studies perspective of society exciting, challenging, and fascinating!

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Analyze race as a social construct and the changing definitions of race.

2. Examine the impact and histories of immigration, colonization, and diaspora in the shaping of ethnic and racial formations in the United States, including Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinx Americans.

3. Assess historical roots and contemporary consequences of prejudice, discrimination, and institutional racism.

4. Describe and evaluate major theories of race and ethnicity, and how the intersections of social class, gender, sexuality, and ability pervade racial and ethnic identity formations in the United States.

5. Analyze representations in the popular press and other media that influence relations in ethnic and racial groups in American society.

6. Identify and evaluate social movements and/or policy debates for racial justice and equity.

7. Appraise and create artistic and cultural representations that speak to race and ethnicity in the United States.