Sociology of Race and Ethnicity

Catalog description

This course will provide a foundation on the sociological perspectives of race and ethnicity in the United States. It begins by developing a working definition of race and ethnicity and examining racial categorization in the U.S. The first part of the course examines major themes including racial and ethnic identity, assimilation of immigrants, immigrants’ legal status, forms of racism and bias, white privilege, and intersectionality. The second part of the class focuses on race and social stratification, examining discrimination, wealth inequality, residential segregation, educational stratification, mass incarceration, and health. We will also discuss why COVID-19 has disproportionately affected minority communities, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the future of racial stratification. Students will examine policies that have perpetuated racial and ethnic inequality as well as those that attempt to ameliorate it.