Critical Race Theory in the Humanities and Social Sciences

Catalog description

This course closely examines the place and power of race in America. By tracing the history of how race works in particular American institutions, such as public education, criminal justice, and federal housing, students will gain a deep sense of how social categories and understandings shape material conditions and human welfare. Through the study of policies, court cases, memoirs, documentary films, and freedom struggles, this course will interrogate the many Americas that race has created and their implications for democracy and justice. Not only will this course focus on making race visible, but also the many ways that race intersects with class, gender, and sexuality and how these concepts empower and marginalize at the same time. All the while, students will use Critical Race Theory methods to reach empathy and strengthen social (GS) and historical (GH) literacies. Discussion, writing, critical reading, and primary source analysis will be integral to this class. Class sessions will include whole- and small-group discussion where active listening and thoughtful participation will be taught and required. Students will be encouraged to explore their own conceptions of race and how those ideas shape knowledge and experience. Ultimately, this is a course that will weave data, theory, and story as we encourage students to move toward empathy through comprehensive understandings of race. This course therefore examines race as both deeply personal and structural.