Tropes of Race, Class, and Gender in U.S. Politics

Catalog description

“The white worker” and the “black welfare queen”; the “Southern strategy” and the “woman vote”; victims of "economic anxiety" and soldiers of "identity politics". Such tropes have played a central role in framing U.S. political discourse and strategy. They have also stoked intellectual questions and popular debates about the underlying dynamics between race, class, and gender in electoral politics. Is “identity politics” a distraction from economic issues? Why do certain segments of the population vote “against” their economic interests? Is there such a thing as a “woman vote”? Organized as a critical examination of political tropes, this course will operate on the assumption that the answers to these questions are not eternal or natural but are instead constructed through language and narrative that is itself political. Using history, literature, film, and journalism, we will explore the roots, evolution, and legacy of tropes that have dominated the discourse about race, class, and gender in U.S. politics since the era of Reconstruction. Each trope will be unpacked through a reading of a “major” scholarly or creative work, as well as shorter pieces of recent commentary and analysis from journalists and pundits. Authors may include W.E.B. DuBois, Ira Katznelson, Dana Frank, Michael Lassiter, and Keeanga Yamahtta-Taylor. In addition to gaining critical insight into framings of race, class, and gender in U.S. politics, we will grapple with the challenge of contributing to the ongoing political debate through our own writing. Students will write an op-ed, a review essay, and a critical essay, all geared toward a public audience.