Race and Ethnicity in American Politics

Catalog description

This course introduces students to major themes in racial and ethnic politics in the United States. It begins by reviewing theories and definitions of the concepts of race and ethnicity, and presenting statistical and historical trends in the development of the main ethnoracial groups in the U.S. It then focuses on the influence of racial and ethnic identities on political attitudes, political participation in such areas as elections and social movements, and political representation in legislative and party politics. Finally, the course reviews major areas of public policy that are particularly pertinent to ethnoracial minority groups, including desegregation, integration, discrimination (e.g., affirmative action, reparations), immigration, naturalization, and language. (Students will receive credit for POL 3309, BLS 3309, or LTS 3309. These courses may substitute for each other with the F-replacement option.)