POLS 326 Politics of Race and Ethnicity in the US (Last revised May 20)
Summer Session 1 2004 (May  17-June 25)
Professor Brunell
Class Meetings: T/Th 9-12  AD 242
Ofc.: AD 418  Ofc. phone:  323-6585 Ofc. hrs: M 1-2 and by appointment
email:  brunell@gonzaga.edu    voicemail:  323-6679
Professor Brunell's Website:  http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/faculty/brunell/
Course Website:  http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/faculty/brunell/rehomepage.html
 
Course Purpose: To explore America’s multi-racial and multi-ethnic past, present and future and to consider how notions of race and ethnicity and racial and ethnic identities evolve over time.  To examine the historical and contemporary influence of race and ethnicity on American political development, contemporary American politics and political behavior.  To develop an understanding of various viewpoints on policies such as reparations for slavery, Affirmative Action, racial categorizations and racial profiling, immigration, and the treatment of immigrants.

The course highlights the contributions and struggles of five minority groups:  Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and American Muslims.

The course is designed to meet Gonzaga University’s Core Curriculum Diversity (D) requirement by giving explicit attention to how America’s racial and ethnic diversity shapes American politics and society. It is also designed to meet Gonzaga University’s Core Curriculum Social Justice (SJ) requirement by considering how power and privilege in the U.S. have varied and continue to vary by race and ethnicity.  It will also explore some of the public policies that have sought to address these variations.   Finally, it will consider how class distinctions often serve to diminish the impact of identity politics.

While much of the class will consider arguments for and against particular issues, our goal is not to reify these seeming polarizations but to thoroughly understand the complexity of each “side” and, where possible, to underscore the arguments that most strongly resonate with American political culture and it evolution. 

Course participation:  Vigorous participation in classroom discussion is expected from every student.  Quality participation depends on every student doing the assigned reading for every class.  All absences (excused or unexcused) count against your participation grade.

Each student will choose two of the following issues as the subject of Power Point presentations to the class.  Each presentation group will turn in a brief description of the material covered in the presentation on the day of its presentation.   Click here to see groups and explanation. The issues to choose from are:

1) reparations for slavery;
2) a California proposition that would prohibit the government from making racial categorizations;
3) Affirmative Action for university admissions;
4) racial profiling in law and border enforcement;
5) multicultural education;
6) the Bush amnesty plan for illegal immigrants.

Texts:
Hasan, Asma Gull.  2000.  American Muslims:  The New Generation.  London and New York:  Continuum.

McClain, Paula D. and Joseph Stewart, Jr.  1995.  Can We All Get Along?  Racial and Ethnic Minorities in American Politics. Boulder, CO:  Westview Press.

Williams, Mary E., Ed.  2001.  Interracial America.  Opposing Viewpoints Series.  San Diego:  Greenhaven Press.

Wu, Frank H.  Yellow:  Race in American Beyond Black and White.  New York:  Basic Books.

*Readings on reserve at Foley Library marked with an asterisk below - filed under title of article or chapter.

Grade Breakdown:
Class participation: 10%
Presentation and Report 1:  20%
Presentation and Report 2: 20%
Midterm:  25%
Final exam:  25% 

Class Schedule:
Week One:  America’s Dilemma
Tuesday, May 18
Introduction to the Course

Important Concepts and Terms
Questions:  Is America a Melting Pot?  Do race and ethnicity continue to exert strong influences on American politics and society?  Why?  Is America “post-race?”
Reading in class:  McClain and Stewart, pp. 3-14.

Thursday, May 20
*Debate topic selections – bring to class a list of your top two choices for topics in rank order
What is the foundation of American national identity?  Identifying the values of the American Creed.
Reading:  Interracial America, Introduction, Chpt. 1, Chpt. 1, Essays 1 and 2 (“Racial and Ethnic Differences Endanger American Culture” by Patrick Buchanan and Don Elder and “Racial and Ethnic Differences Are Not Dangerous by Amitai Etzioni)

Race and Representation in U.S. Politics
Reading:  McClain and Stewart, Chpt. 2, pp. 87-108

Tuesday, May 25
Racial/Ethnic Identities:  Are they real?  Should they be?  Should we be proud of our racial or ethnic heritage and the accomplishments of others who share our heritage?
*In class, we’ll view Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing
Reading: Interracial America, Chapter 1,  Viewpoints 5 and 6 (“Racial Pride is Counterproductive,” by Randall Kennedy, and “Racial Pride is Beneficial,” by Paul King.) 

Thursday, May 27
Native Americans:  Historical Treatment in US Politics
Reading:  McClain and Stewart, pp. 15-16 (Indian Citizenship), 22-23 (Suffrage), 38 (Geographic Distribution),

Native Americans:  In Contemporary Politics
Reading: 48-49 (AIM), 72-74 (Political Behavior), *On reserve, excerpts by Winona LaDuke.  2002.  "Who Owns America?  Minority Land and Community Security," "Honor the Earth:  Our Native American Legacy," "Winona LaDuke's Acceptance Speech for the Green Party's Nomination for Vice President of the United States of America," "A Seventh Generation Amendment," "Buying the Presidential Debates."  The Winona LaDuke Reader: A Collection of Essential Writings.  Stillwater, MN:  Voyageur Press.

Tuesday, June 1
African Americans:  Contributions, Slavery, Citizenship, Suffrage
Reading:  McClain and Stewart, pp.11-14 (Citizenship); 19-22 (Suffrage).

Lecture on the Two Approaches to Black-White Relations:  Integrationism and Separatism
In class,  viewing of excerpt from X.
Reading:   *On reserve, Malcolm X, “The Ballot or the Bullet,” In Manning Marable and Leith Mullings, eds. 2003.  Let Noboby Turn Us Around, Lanham, MD, Rowman & Littlefield.

African Americans, Islam, Black Nationalism, Nation of Islam
Reading:  Hasan, American Muslims, Chpt. 1, especially, Close-up “Islam and Slavery in Early American History”
Reading: Let Noboby Turn Us Around, Lanham, MD, Rowman & Littlefield.  Hasan, Chpt. 4 “Farakhan’s Choice:  Militancy or Moderation.”

Thursday, June 3
Remedies for Racism:  Reparations for Slavery Presentation
*On reserve, “Thoughts about Restitution” an excerpt from Randall Robinson’s The Debt: What America Owes Blacks  and “Blood Money” by John McWorter.

Remedies for Racism: California Proposition Racial Categorization Presentation
Reading:  Interracial America, Chpt. 1, Essays 3 and 4 (“Racial Classifications Should Be Abandoned,” by Deroy Murdock and Paul Craig Roberts, and “Racial Classifications Should Not Be Abandoned,” by Alan Jenkins.)

African American and Latinos:   Political Agency and Socioeconomic Status
Reading:  Data on African Americans and Latinos, in McClain and Stewart chapters on Resources and the Status of of America’s Racial Minorities and Racial Minorities in the Contemporary Political System; on Latinos, pp. 16-17 (Citizenship); 29-37 (Socioeconomic Status and Geographical Distribution); pp. 46-47 (Chicano Movement).

Tuesday, June 8
Review for Midterm and Midterm

Thursday, June 10
 America in the 21st Century:  Still a Melting Pot?
The Bush Amnesty Plan Presentation
Reading:  Interracial America, Chpt. 2, Viewpoints 1 and 2, "Immigrations Threatens America's Unity," by William Booth, and "Immigration Benefits America," by Bill Clinton.  Interracial America, Chapter 2, Viewpoints 3 and 4 (“Immigration from Mexico Encourages Ethnic Conflict,” by Maria Hsia Chang; and “Nativism among Whites Encourages Ethnic Conflict” by Mike Davis and Alessandra Moctezuma).

America in the 21st Century:  Immigrants and Work
Discussion of Samuel Huntington.  2004.  "The Hispanic Challenge."  Foreign Policy.  March/April 2004.
Do you agree with Huntington's thesis, that America originally defined as a WASP nation, that race and ethnicity virtually disappeared after the assimilation of white ethnics and the civil rights movement, and that American identity is now defined in terms of culture and creed? 

Do agree that Hispanic immigratns threaten this culture and creed?  What evidence does Huntington present that this is the case?  What evidence have we been presented in the course that would support or refute this claim?

Tuesday, June 15
American Muslims: Generalizations and Stereotypes, Islam in the American Context
Reading:  Hasan, Chpt. 5, “Generalizations and Stereotypes:  Muslims and the American Media,” and Chpt. 6, “American Muslim Women:  Between Two Worlds.”   Hasan, Chpt. 3, “Jesus and Jihad” and Chpt. 7 “Growing Up in America:  Creating New World Islam.” 

America in the 21st Century:  Racial Profiling in Law and Border Enforcement Presentation

Thursday, June 17
Remedies for Racism:   Affirmative Action in University Admissions Presentation
Reading:  Interracial America,  Chpt. 3, Viewpoints 3 and 4, (“Affirmative Action in Admissions Benefits College Students,” by Martin Michaelson, and “Affirmative Action in Admissions Harms College Students,” by Carl Cohen) and 5 and 6 (“Affirmative Action:  Everybody Hates in Theory but Likes in Practice,” Brookings Review, and “Most Americans Want to Revise Affirmative Action,” by Alan Wolfe).

America in the 21st Century:  The Pacific Century
Asian Americans:  Contributions, Citizenship, Political Behavior
Reading:  McClain and Stewart, pp. 17-19 (Citizenship); 39 (Geographic Distribution); 47-48 (Movement Politics); 70-73 (Political Behavior).


Tuesday, June 22America in the 21st Century:  The Model Minority Myth, Cultural Relativism, Diversity,
Reading:  McClain and Stewart, pp.117-118; Wu, Yellow, Chpt. 1 “East is East, West is West:  Asians as Americans” and Chpt. 2 “The Model Minority: Asian American.”  Reading:  Wu, Chpt. 3 “The Perpetual Foreigner,”  pp. 79-86 and Chpt. 6, “The Best Chink Food in Town:  Dog-Eating and the Dilemma of Diversity.”

Multicultural Curricula Presentation
Reading:  *On Reserve, Dinesh D'Souza. 1992. "Travels with Rigoberta:  Multiculturalism at Stanford." Illiberal Education. New York:  Vintage Books.

Thursday, June 24
America in the 21st Century:  The Changing Face of America
Review for Final and Final Exam
Reading:  Wu, Chpt. 7, “The Changing Face of America:  Intermarriage and The Mixed Race Movement” and Interracial America, Chpt. 4, Viewpoints 1 and 2, (“Interracial Marriages Should be Encouraged,” by Randall Kennedy, and “Interracial Marriages Will Not Eliminate Racism,” by Eric Liu).