Fall 2005

ANT 389K • Race/Ethnicity in American Society

Course Description

This course seeks to develop a student's theoretical and historical understanding of race and ethnicity in the United States. We will begin by examining the different historical processes of ethnic group incorporation in the United States. After examining the American ethnic and racial structure we will review a broad spectrum of topics dealing with American culture and identity. Comparative case studies examining Latin America will also be reviewed, as a means of exploring the global conditions that stimulate migration. Topics receiving particular attention in this course include: ethnic identity, transnationalism, white ethnics, racist discourses, democracy, American culture, segregation/civil rights, and the politics of ethnographic representation.

Texts

Tentative textbooks: Takaki, Iron Cages                     Basch, Glick Schiller, and Szanton Blanc, Nations Unbound: Transnational Projects, Postcolonial Predicaments, and Deterritorialized Nation States Omi and Winant, Racial Formation in the United States                     Rose, Patterns of American Culture                     Menchaca, Mexican Outsiders: A History of Marginalization Sheriff, Dreaming Equality ***Class reader                    

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