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San José State University
Sociology Department
Sociology 162 Section 01: Race and Ethnic Relations, Fall 2014
Instructor:
Faustina DuCros, Ph.D.
Office Location:
DMH 212
Telephone:
(408) 924-5325
Email:
[email protected]
Office Hours:
Wednesday and Thursday: 2-3 and by appointment
Class Days/Time:
Monday/Wednesday 12-1:15 pm
Classroom:
DMH 227
Prerequisites:
Passage of WST, Upper Division standing, and completion of
CORE GE
GE/SJSU Studies Category:
Area S: Self, Society & Equality in the U.S.
Course Description and Goals
The catalog description of Sociology 162 is as follows: Analysis of racial and ethnic groups in
American society; contacts and conflicts; prejudice and discrimination; dominant and
subordinate group status; social structure of racial and ethnic inequality within society.
Comparison of global race and ethnic relations.
Goals: This course will examine key theories, debates, and empirical examples of social patterns
related to race and ethnicity. We will analyze definitions of race and ethnicity, both inside and
outside of the United States; forms of prejudice and discrimination; various sites of racial and
ethnic inequality and privilege (such as economic, educational, immigration status, and labor);
and the various ways that race and ethnicity are constructed and influence intergroup dynamics.
The course will examine the racial and ethnic experiences of a range of individuals and
communities. The themes described here are only a sampling of those relevant to this broad field,
but they will be a starting point for your exploration of the subject. Throughout the course we
will develop and exercise the skills necessary for critical examination of the field of race and
ethnicity. In addition, your participation in the course will help you develop your skills in
effective research, writing, and public communication.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Describe how identities (e.g., religious, gender, ethnic, racial, class, sexual orientation,
disability, and/or age) are shaped by cultural and societal influences within contexts of
equality and inequality
2. Describe historical, social, political, and economic processes producing diversity,
DuCros, Race and Ethnicity, Fall 2014, Page 1 of 10
equality, and structured inequalities in the U.S.;
3. Describe social actions which have led to greater equality and social justice in the U.S.;
4. Recognize and appreciate constructive interactions between people from different
cultural, racial, and ethnic groups within the U.S.
The learning outcomes will be attained through readings, documentary analysis, active class
discussion participation, reading journals, in-depth interview research paper and presentation,
peer reviews, and exams.
Students are strongly encouraged to take courses to satisfy GE Areas R, S, and V from
departments other than their major department.
Course Format, Requirements, and Assignments
The format of the class will be a combination of discussion-oriented sessions, some lecture
material, and documentary film analysis. I reserve the right to adjust the syllabus as needed, but I
will always give you fair notice via Canvas.
SJSU classes are designed such that in order to be successful, it is expected that students will
spend a minimum of forty-five hours for each unit of credit (normally three hours per unit per
week), including preparing for class, participating in course activities, completing assignments,
and so on. More details about student workload can be found in University Policy S12-3 at
http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-3.pdf.
Your success in the class will be based on the following elements:
Participation
10% In-class Participation, Reading Journals
All of the readings on the syllabus are required (unless otherwise noted) and you are expected to
complete them before the class meeting for which they are assigned.
You will be expected to engage in active participation in weekly class discussions about the
readings and issues pertaining to your own research project, in-class writing assignments, and
reading journals.
You will submit reading journals to help you think analytically about the readings and/or other
course materials. The journals will also contribute to your ability to frame your research project.
The due dates for journals will be noted on Canvas (usually the day the readings are due, unless
an alternative due date is noted on the schedule). These are turned in during class only. No late
reading journals will be accepted. They will be graded on a credit/no credit basis.
5%
Discussion leadership for selected class readings
You are expected to play an active role in the class by sharing with your peers and the instructor
the responsibility for directing the weekly discussions one time during the quarter.
DuCros, Race and Ethnicity, Fall 2014, Page 2 of 10
10% Research Presentation
You will report on your research at the end of the semester by creating an in-class multimedia
presentation (such as PowerPoint or Prezi).
The University expects students to attend all meetings of their classes (University policy F69-24
at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/F69-24.pdf). If you have many unexcused absences
(including extreme tardiness or leaving early) you will have fewer opportunities to participate
and your participation grade will suffer. You must contact me before class if you have a
legitimate reason for being absent (e.g., documented illness, family emergency, etc.). If you
simply choose not to participate, it will negatively affect your overall grade.
With that said, if you are concerned about participating in class—please do not worry! Come see
me and we can work on strategies to improve your participation.
Research Paper
5%
Preparation of a Research Prospectus
5%
Interview Transcripts or Annotated Bibliography
5%
Peer Review (must have at least a 6-page draft)
20% Completion of 6 to 8-page research paper
This semester you will complete a research paper on an issue related to race and ethnicity
building on some of the themes covered in this class as well as exploring new ones. You will
have a choice of conducting a qualitative interview study or content analysis research paper. You
will need to develop a prospectus outlining your proposed project. You will turn in transcriptions
(for interview study) or an annotated bibliography of your sources (content analysis paper). The
final paper will be due on our final exam date.
We will have a peer review session with a rough draft of your paper during Week 14. (More
detailed instructions for the paper will be provided.)
Exams
20% In-class midterm exam, short answer and/or essay
20% In-class final exam, short answer and essay
Grading:
Excellent:
Above Average:
Average:
Below Average:
Unsatisfactory:
97-100
87-89
77-79
67-69
0-59
A+
B+
C+
D+
F
93-96
83-86
73-76
63-66
A
B
C
D
90-92
80-82
70-72
60-62
ABCD-
Please keep all graded work until final grades have been issued. Any disagreements with the
grade of any assignment must be submitted to me within 3 days in writing specifying how an
error was made in the assignment of points. Grade re-evaluations are not done over e-mail or in
the classroom, and take into account previous unnoticed strengths and weaknesses.
DuCros, Race and Ethnicity, Fall 2014, Page 3 of 10
Late Work
Late work will have an impact on the grade you receive. Each day the assignment is late will
result in a full letter grade reduction. I will only accept late assignments up to 3 calendar days
past the due date (Reading Journals are not eligible).
Classroom Protocol
Respectful participation is expected of all students. This includes being on time and staying for
the whole class period, preparing the readings, and bringing materials needed to actively
participate. Most importantly, this means showing fellow members of our learning community a
level of professional courtesy that facilitates an open environment where the potentially difficult
and sensitive ideas that are a part of this course can be explored fully. This does not mean that
members of the class community cannot disagree with one another. But you must be thoughtful
and respectful about the way you challenge someone’s argument without attempting to invalidate
the individual’s experiences, statuses, or memberships.
This also means that students will be attentive to everyone in the class when they have the floor.
This includes staying awake (!) and not using computers, phones, and other devices in ways that
are disruptive—the only accepted uses for electronics are for taking notes, or for having course
readings available in class.
University Policies
Academic Integrity
Your commitment, as a student, to learning is evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State
University. The University Academic Integrity Policy S07-2 at
http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S07-2.pdf requires you to be honest in all your academic course
work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and
Ethical Development. The Student Conduct and Ethical Development website is available at
http://www.sjsu.edu/studentconduct/.
Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to
make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment
with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 at
http://www.sjsu.edu/president/docs/directives/PD_1997-03.pdf requires that students with
disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the Accessible Education Center
(AEC) at http://www.sjsu.edu/aec to establish a record of their disability.
Accommodation to Students' Religious Holidays
San José State University shall provide accommodation on any graded class work or activities
for students wishing to observe religious holidays when such observances require students to be
absent from class. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor, in writing, about
such holidays before the add deadline at the start of each semester. If such holidays occur before
the add deadline, the student must notify the instructor, in writing, at least three days before the
date that he/she will be absent. It is the responsibility of the instructor to make every reasonable
effort to honor the student request without penalty, and of the student to make up the work
missed. See University Policy S14-7 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S14-7.pdf.
DuCros, Race and Ethnicity, Fall 2014, Page 4 of 10
Dropping and Adding
Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drop, grade
forgiveness, etc. Refer to the current semester’s Catalog Policies section at
http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/policies.html. Add/drop deadlines can be found on the current
academic year calendars document on the Academic Calendars webpage at
http://www.sjsu.edu/provost/services/academic_calendars/. The Late Drop Policy is available at
http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/policies/latedrops/policy/. Students should be aware of the current
deadlines and penalties for dropping classes.
Information about the latest changes and news is available at the Advising Hub at
http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/.
Consent for Recording of Class and Public Sharing of Instructor Material
University Policy S12-7, http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-7.pdf, requires students to obtain
instructor’s permission to record the course and the following items to be included in the
syllabus:
•
•
“Common courtesy and professional behavior dictate that you notify someone when you
are recording him/her. You must obtain the instructor’s, your fellow students’, and any
guests’ permission to make audio or video recordings in this class. Such permission
allows the recordings to be used for your private, study purposes only. The recordings are
the intellectual property of the instructor; you have not been given any rights to reproduce
or distribute the material.”
“Course material developed by the instructor is the intellectual property of the instructor
and cannot be shared publicly without his/her approval. You may not publicly share or
upload instructor generated material for this course such as exam questions, lecture notes,
or homework solutions without instructor consent.”
Faculty Web Page and MySJSU Messaging
Course materials such as syllabus, handouts, notes, assignment instructions, etc., can be found on
the Canvas learning management system course website. You are responsible for regularly
checking with the messaging system through Canvas via MySJSU and your email to learn of any
updates.
Required Texts/Readings
Books
Available at SJSU Bookstore (used, rental, new, eBook), Library Course Reserves, other stores
of your choosing:
Cornell, Stephen E. and Douglas Hartmann. 2007. Ethnicity and Race: Making Identities in a
Changing World. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
Other Readings
Available online through Canvas or the Library.
Library Liaison
Kathryn Blackmer Reyes, [email protected], 408-808-2097
DuCros, Race and Ethnicity, Fall 2014, Page 5 of 10
Week
1
1
Date
8/25
8/27
2
2
9/1
9/3
3
9/8
3
9/10
4
9/15
COURSE SCHEDULE
Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines
Introductions
Race and Ethnicity: History, Basic Concepts, Theories, and
Definitions
ASA Statement on Race
(http://www2.asanet.org/media/asa_race_statement.pdf)
Labor Day Holiday—NO CLASS
Cornell, Stephen E. and Douglas Hartmann. 2007. Ethnicity and Race:
Making Identities in a Changing World. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge
Press.
Chapter 1, “The Puzzles of Ethnicity and Race,” pp. 1-14.
Cornell and Hartmann, Chapter 2, “Mapping the Terrain: Definitions,”
pp. 15-38.
Cornell and Hartmann, Chapter 3, “Fixed or Fluid? Alternative Views of
Ethnicity and Race,” pp. 41-74.
Cornell and Hartmann, Chapter 4, “A Constructionist Approach,” pp.
75-106.
Film: PBS, “Race: The Power of an Illusion. The Difference Between
Us.”
White Privilege and Color Blindness
McIntosh, Peggy. 2004. “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible
Knapsack.” Pp. 188-192 in Race, Class, and Gender in the United
States: An Integrated Study, edited by Paula S. Rothenberg. New York:
Worth Publishers.
Gallagher, Charles A. 2006. “Color Blindness: An Obstacle to Racial
Justice?” Pp. 103-116 in Mixed Messages: Multiracial Identities in the
“Color-Blind” Era, edited by David L. Brunsma. Boulder, CO: Lynne
Rienner.
Supplemental: Lipsitz, George. 1995. “The Possessive Investment in
Whiteness: Racialized Social Democracy and the ‘White’ Problem in
American Studies.” American Quarterly 47(3):369-387.
4
9/17
5
9/22
-Research Prospectus Due
Sites of Inequality
Cornell and Hartmann, Chapter 6, “Construction Sites: Contextual
Factors in the Making of Identities,” pp. 169—209.
Prejudice and Discrimination
Embrick, David G. and Kasey Henricks. 2013. “Discursive Colorlines at
Work: How Epithets and Stereotypes Are Racially Unequal.” Symbolic
Interaction 36(2):197-215.
DuCros, Race and Ethnicity, Fall 2014, Page 6 of 10
Week
Date
5
9/24
6
9/29
6
10/1
Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines
Bayoumi, Moustafa. 2012. “How Does it Feel to Be a Problem? Being
Young and Arab in America.” Pp. 134-138 in Rethinking the Color Line:
Readings in Race and Ethnicity, edited by Charles Gallagher. New York,
NY: McGraw Hill.
Immigration
Portes, Alejandro and Min Zhou. 1993. “The New Second Generation:
Segmented Assimilation and Its Variants.” Annals of the American
Academy of Political and Social Sciences 530:74–96.
Menjívar, Cecilia and Leisy J. Abrego. 2012. “Legal Violence:
Immigration Law and the Lives of Central American Immigrants.”
American Journal of Sociology 117(5):1380-1421.
Race and Economic Inequality
Shapiro, Thomas. 2004. “The Cost of Being Black and the Advantage of
Being White.” Pp. 42-59 in The Hidden Cost of Being African American:
How Wealth Perpetuates Inequality. New York: Oxford University
Press.
Interview with Melvin Oliver
(http://www.pbs.org/race/000_About/002_04-background-03-05.htm)
7
10/6
7
10/8
Film: Race: The Power of an Illusion, Part 3
Environmental Inequality
Bullard, Robert D. 2000. Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class, and
Environmental Quality. Boulder: Westview Press.
Read Chapter 2 “Race, Class, and the Politics of Place,” pp. 21-36
Race, Ethnicity, Labor and Power Dynamics
Holmes, Seth. 2007. “‘Oaxacans Like to Work Bent Over’: The
Naturalization of Social Suffering among Berry Farm Workers.”
International Migration 45(3):39-68.
Supplemental: Brown, Irene and Joya Misra. 2003. “The Intersection of
Gender and Race in the Labor Market.” Annual Review of Sociology
29:487-513.
Film: “Maid in America”
DuCros, Race and Ethnicity, Fall 2014, Page 7 of 10
Week
8
Date
10/13
Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines
Comparative Race and Ethnicity: Experiencing Race and Ethnicity,
Constructing Identities, and Group Relations
Cornell and Hartmann, Chapter 5, “Case Studies in Identity
Construction—Case 1,” pp. 107-114.
Black Identities
Smith, Sandra S. and Mignon R. Moore. 2000. “Intraracial Diversity and
Relations among African-Americans: Closeness among Black Students
at a Predominantly White University.” American Journal of Sociology
106(1):1-39.
8
10/15
9
10/20
9
10/22
Supplemental: Lacy, Karyn R. 2004. “Black Spaces, Black Places:
Strategic Assimilation and Identity Construction in Middle-Class
Suburbia.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 27(6):908-930.
Habecker, Shelly. 2012. “Not Black, but Habasha: Ethiopian and
Eritrean Immigrants in American Society.” Ethnic and Racial Studies
35(7):1200-1219.
-In-class midterm
Native Americans and Identity
Cornell and Hartmann, Chapter 5, “Case Studies in Identity
Construction—Case 1,” pp. 114-119.
Lamphere, Louise. 2007. “Migration, Assimilation and the Cultural
Construction of Identity: Navajo Perspectives.” Ethnic and Racial
Studies 30(6):1132-1151.
10
10/27
Supplemental: Nagel, Joane. 1995. “American Indian Ethnic Revival:
Politics and the Resurgence of Identity.” American Sociological Review
60(6):947-965.
Asian Americans
Cornell and Hartmann, Chapter 5, “Case Studies in Identity
Construction—Case 2,” pp. 119-126.
Ocampo, Anthony Christian. 2013. “Are Second-Generation Filipinos
Becoming Asian American or Latino? Historical Colonialism, Culture
and Panethnicity.” Ethnic and Racial Studies DOI:
10.1080/01419870.2013.765022. Pp. 1-21.
Supplemental: Kibria, Nazli. 2000. “Race, Ethnic Options, and Ethnic
Binds: Identity Negotiations of Second Generation Chinese and Korean
Americans.” Sociological Perspectives 43:77-95.
DuCros, Race and Ethnicity, Fall 2014, Page 8 of 10
Week
10
Date
10/29
Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines
Yuen, Nancy Wang. 2004. “Performing Race, Negotiating Identity:
Asian American Professional Actors in Hollywood.” Pp. 251-267 in
Asian American Youth Culture, Identity, and Ethnicity, edited by
Jennifer Lee and Min Zhou. New York: Routledge.
Film: “Slaying the Dragon: Reloaded. Asian Women in Hollywood and
Beyond.”
11
11/3
11
11/5
12
11/10
12
11/12
13
11/17
13
11/19
-Interview Transcription or Annotated Bibliography Due
Symbolic Ethnicity
Cornell and Hartmann, Chapter 5, “Case Studies in Identity
Construction—Case 3,” pp. 126-134.
Gans, Herbert. 1979. “Symbolic Ethnicity: The Future of Ethnic Groups
and Cultures in America.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 2(1):1-20.
Session on Writing Papers
Symbolic Ethnicity and Multiracial Identities
Khanna, Nikki. 2011. “Ethnicity and Race as ‘Symbolic’: The Use of
Ethnic and Racial Symbols in Asserting a Biracial Identity.” Ethnic and
Racial Studies 34(6):1049-1067.
Jimenez, Tomas R. 2004. “Negotiating Ethnic Boundaries: Multiethnic
Mexican Americans and Ethnic Identity in the United States.”
Ethnicities 4(1):74-97.
Latino Identities
Jimenez, Tomas R. 2008. “Mexican Immigrant Replenishment and the
Continuing Significance of Ethnicity and Race.” American Journal of
Sociology 113(6):1527-1567.
Supplemental: Vallejo, Jody Agius and Jennifer Lee. 2009. “Brown
Picket Fences: The Immigrant Narrative and ‘Giving Back’ among the
Mexican-Origin Middle Class.” Ethnicities 9:5-31.
Roth, Wendy D. 2012. “Performing Race Strategically.” Pp. 151-175 in
Race Migrations: Latinos and the Cultural Transformation of Race.
Stanford: Stanford University Press.
14
11/24
Supplemental: Sue, Christina. 2009. “An Assessment of the Latin
Americanization Thesis.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 32(6):1058-1070.
-Peer Review Draft Due through Canvas on Friday, 11/21/14 by 9am
-Completed Peer Reviews on Canvas by Sunday, 11/23/14 by 9pm
Peer Review Session. Bring rough draft of paper with peer comments
14
11/26
Research/Writing Day, no meeting
DuCros, Race and Ethnicity, Fall 2014, Page 9 of 10
Week
15
Date
12/1
Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines
Intergroup Dynamics
Ochoa, Gilda. 2013. Academic Profiling: Latinos, Asian Americans, and
the Achievement Gap
Chapter 3, “I’m Watching Your Group”: Regulating Students
Unequally.”
Chapter 5, “They Just Judge Us by Our Cover”: Students’
Everyday Experiences with Race.”
15
12/3
Film: “The Confucius School in Hacienda Heights”
-In-class Research Presentations
16
12/8
-In-class Research Presentations
16
Final
Exam
12/10
12/17
-In-class Research Presentations
Wednesday, CL 243 @ 9:45AM -12PM.
-In-class Final
-Final Papers due at the beginning of class
DuCros, Race and Ethnicity, Fall 2014, Page 10 of 10