SOC 382/AFS 352

WINTER 2009

DAILY ASSIGNMENT LIST

 

 

DUE MONDAY, JANUARY 19

 

Read: Feagin (Racist America), Chapter 6

            (Library Reserve) “Good Neighborhoods, Good Schools”

Write:

1.      Write a general reaction to the readings.

2.      What steps do you believe can (and should) be taken to combat racism and promote racial justice in the United States?

Reminder: Personal Experience Essay is due on Tuesday, January 20.

 

 

DUE FRIDAY, JANUARY 16

 

Read: Feagin (Racist America), Chapters 4 and 5

 

Write:

1.      Write a general reaction to the video, “Fighting Back” that was shown in class on January 15.   If you were not able to view this video in class, it may be viewed in the library after Friday; the call number is VCF 106.

2.      Write a general reaction to the readings.

3.      Write down one question for class discussion.

 

DUE THURSDAY, JANUARY 15

 

Read: (Library Reserve) "The Civil Rights Movement" (Morris and Herring). 

 

No written assignment, but think about the Civil Rights Movement (drawing from the reading, the videos, and your understanding of history).  What forces gave rise to the movement?  What changed in American society as a result of the Civil Rights Movement?  What didn't?

 

 

DUE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14

 

READ (Library Reserve): Yetman, “Historical Perspectives” Part I and Part II.

Write:  Discuss the historical readings (the two "Historical Perspectives" selections).  What issues strike you as the most important/interesting in understanding race and ethnic relations?  What common themes emerge (with respect to the history of race and ethnic relations in the United States)?

 

 

DUE TUESDAY, JANUARY 13

 

Read:  Feagin (Racist America), Chapters 1 and 2.

 

Write:

 

Write a general reaction to the reading.  What are the main issues raised by the author?  Is there anything that you strongly agree/disagree with?

 

[Extra Credit]  Write a general reaction to the video shown in class today (Race: The Power of an Illusion.  Episode Two: The Story We Tell) and the subsequent class discussion.   NOTE: if you did not see the video in class, it may be viewed at the University Library—ask for video VJA 2564, pt. 2.

 

 

DUE MONDAY, JANUARY 12

 

Read:

 

    1. Feagin (Racist America), Chapter 3 (“Racist Ideology as a Social Force”).  NOTE: this chapter is also available via the electronic reserves for the course!
    2. (Library Reserve) “Color-Blind Racism”

 

Write:

 

1    What are the key issues raised by each author?

2    What is the social purpose of racist ideologies?

    1. How have racial ideologies evolved?
    2. What is your understanding of “color blind racism?”  How does it reinforce racism?

 

Extra Credit:

 

Discuss the video “Race: The Power of an Illusion.  Episode I: The Difference between Us” that was shown in class on Friday, January 9.  Which images or issues did you find most interesting?  How did the contents of the video relate to what you previously learned or believed about race?  What questions were raised by the video?  What do the contents of the video suggest about the role of race in human social interaction?   NOTE: if you did not see the video in class, it may be viewed at the University Library—ask for video VJA 2564, pt. 1.

 

 

 

DUE FRIDAY, JANUARY 9

 

Read:

Doane   "White Identity and Race Relations in the 1990s"   [Note: this article is available via the course web site—IT IS NOT ON LIBRARY RESERVE, click here to go to the article].

Write:

 

 

Write a reaction to the issues raised in the Doane reading.  What does it mean to be white in the United States at the beginning of the 21st century?  How does whiteness affect race and ethnic relations in the U.S.?  How do the issues raised by the author compare with your own observations regarding whiteness?

 

 

DUE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7

 

READ: Library Reserve—also available electronically via the University Library web page)

Waters "Optional Ethnicities: For Whites Only?"
Espiritu "Asian American Panethnicity"

No written assignment, but be prepared to discuss the significance of optional ethnicity, panethnicity, and what they tell us about race and ethnic relations in the U.S.

 

DUE TUESDAY, JANUARY 6

 

WRITE:

 

Discuss the video “At the River I Stand” that was shown in class on January 2.
 

What is your personal reaction to the film?  What events did you find most interesting or significant?  How do you see Dr. King portrayed in the film?

Respond to the class discussion of the video and the reading “King’s Final Years Seldom Talked About” (distributed in class).  Why does society focus upon an incomplete image of Dr. King’s life?

READ:  (Class Handouts) Rodriguez  (“Searching for Roots in a Changing World”) and Charukamnoetkanok (“Triple Identity: My Experience as an Immigrant in America”).

WRITE:

Discuss the following issues:

Ø      What is your personal reaction to the experiences of the two authors?  What did you find interesting, upsetting, etc.?

Ø      What can we learn from these experiences about the nature (social role) of race and ethnicity?

 

What issues relating to race and ethnic relations would you be most interested in discussing in class during this course?