Below are the family questions I accepted, with some editing, from the ones submitted. Remember, these questions will be on the final exam.
GREEN FAMILY (Michaela, Jennifer, Ross, Jamar, Nathan) earn 9 points.
1. In Chapter 2, The Lockdown, of "The New Jim Crow," what does Alexander say happens to a person once they are labeled a felon? (2)
ANSWER: He or she is ushered into a parallel universe in which discrimination, stigma, and exclusion are perfectly legal, and privileges of citizenship are off limits.
2. Explain the meaning and significance of the phenomenon of the "stereotype threat," as Dr. Tatum discusses social psychologist, Claude Steele's, study of standardized testing in Chapter 2: Connecting the Dots. (2)
ANSWER: The stereotype threat is the fear of being subject to a negative stereotype, or doing something that will confirm that negative stereotype about oneself. In educational settings, students internalize these negative stereotypes, and the stereotype threat can affect their performance on tests.
3. Give ONE reason why Frank Wu argues the "model minority" myth should be rejected. (1)
ANSWER: Any ONE of the following: (1) it is a gross simplification of the whole population of Asian Americans; (2) it implies a negative statement against African Americans who are seen as the opposite of the "model minority;" (3) it denies that Asians encounter discrimination and turns them into a racial threat.
RED FAMILY (Sheatiel, Tim, Mike, Lisa) earn 9 points
1. In Chapter 1, The Rebirth of Caste, in "The New Jim Crow," Michelle Alexander introduces the notion of a "racial bribe," which basically involves what? (2)
ANSWER: The "racial bribe" was used to keep lower class whites from uniting and rebelling with lower class blacks. Poor whites were extended certain privileges and were encouraged to perceive themselves as superior to blacks.
2. Before Michelle Alexander discusses the role of the war on drugs in the mass incarceration of African Americans, in the opening of Chapter 2, The Lockdown, she identifies two myths about the drug war that need to be exposed. Identify any ONE of these two myths and state how she challenges it. (2)
ANSWER: ONE of the following: (1) The first myth is that this war is aimed at ridding the nation of drug "kingpins" or big-time dealers, but the fact is that the majority of those arrested are NOT charged with serious offenses. Most people in state prisons for a drug offense have no history of violence or significant selling activity. (2) The second myth is that the drug war is principally concerned with dangerous drugs, but, to the contrary, arrests for marijuana possession -- a drug less harmful than tobacco or alcohol -- accounted for nearly 80% of the growth in drug arrests during the 1990s.
3. What does Michelle Alexander imply by using the term "racial caste" in connection with the current system of mass incarceration? (2)
ANSWER: Because it entails a stigmatized racial group being locked into an inferior position by law and custom, as was true of slavery and Jim Crow.
___________________________
That's it. See you 9AM, Wednesday morning.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Final Family Activity: Making Up Questions for the Final Exam
In preparation for our final exam, scheduled for Wednesday morning (12/15) of final exam week, I want the two families to make up FIVE short-answer questions on anything we have covered in class since the midterm exam (see outline of material covered since the midterm below). A representative of each family should submit these questions and answers to me in writing (or via email, but NOT on this blog) NO LATER THAN FRIDAY 12/10 BY NOON. I WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY QUESTIONS SUBMITTED AFTER THIS DEADLINE. I will, then, consider your submissions and select at least THREE questions from each family, and possibly more if they are good ones. For each additional question I select, that family will earn a bonus point and have the benefit of knowing more questions on the final exam. I will post the questions and answers I selected no later than SUNDAY, DEC. 12TH on this blog, so that you will have time to study them for the final exam. This activity is worth 9 points, and you have to participate in order to earn those points.
MATERIAL COVERED SINCE THE MIDTERM:
(1) Lecture/commentary on book, "Can We Talk About Race," (Chap. 2 - end).
(2) Lecture/commentary on book, "The New Jim Crow," including "Final Comments" posted on the blog, 11/22.
(3) Handout on Asian Americans, "Gangsters, Gooks, Geishas, and Geeks," etc.
(4) Notes on video presentation, "My America, or honk if you love Buddha," (posted on the blog, 11/28).
(5) However far we get in last book, "Yellow."
MATERIAL COVERED SINCE THE MIDTERM:
(1) Lecture/commentary on book, "Can We Talk About Race," (Chap. 2 - end).
(2) Lecture/commentary on book, "The New Jim Crow," including "Final Comments" posted on the blog, 11/22.
(3) Handout on Asian Americans, "Gangsters, Gooks, Geishas, and Geeks," etc.
(4) Notes on video presentation, "My America, or honk if you love Buddha," (posted on the blog, 11/28).
(5) However far we get in last book, "Yellow."
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Comments: "My America, or honk if you love Buddha"
Before I post some comments on the video I showed just before the break, let me remind you of a couple things coming up.
First, your interview papers are due on Thursday, Dec. 2nd. I expect to get the papers on that date, and I will be calling on each of you to give a brief overview of your interview (no more than 10 minutes). Hopefully, we can accomplish all that on that day.
Second, you should have begun reading our next book, "Yellow," which I will begin to talk about on Tuesday. I am going to try to cover at least the first four chapters. Beyond that, I cannot say how much more we will try to cover. I will also be handing back your essays on "The New Jim Crow."
Third, I will be posting a description of the final family activity soon -- making up questions for the final exam (which is scheduled for Wed. 12/15 morning of exam week).
_____________________________
"MY AMERICA, OR HONK IF YOUR LOVE BUDDHA"
Narrator/filmmaker is Renee Tajima-Pena, who is Japanese (the Pena gets tacked on at the end of the film, which we did not see, when she marries a Mexican-American).
The documentary is really a search for identity -- are Asian-Americans still an "alien nation", don't really belong? (or "perpetual foreigners," as Frank Wu suggests).
Her comment about confusing Victor Wong with the actor in "Chen is Missing" -- "maybe we all do look alike?" which is a stereotypical belief of many Americans.
Victor Wong -- why he liked the beatniks -- they were open, nonjudgmental, accepted him as "just one of the boys." His rebellion as a young man is very American. Lots of Asian-American families go through this.
Mr. Choi (NYC Chinatown) an Asian Horatio Alger (self-made man). Seems to fit the stereotype of Asians as work-a-holics.
Immigrant dilemma: come to America for freedom and equality, or "take the money and run."
Filipino enclave, New Orleans. Came in 1765. Considered themselves white. Asian formula for race-mixing is complicated, but generally looked down on mixing with blacks.
Bill and Yuri Kochiyama -- great people; active in the civil rights struggle. Yuri was interned in Arkansas, while Bill fought against the Nazis in WWII. Yuri was a friend of Malcolm X. Raised their family in Harlem.
She mentions briefly how ASian Americans benefitted from the civil rights movement. (A point Frank Wu will also make in "Yellow.")
Tom Vu, sleezy Vietnamese-American who came here as a refugee and made a killing in real estate: his success motto: "Don't Give Up."
In her own family, she notes how "all-American" her family strived to be, yet was still not accepted. Says she was raised to try to blend in. Japanese proverb: "the nail that sticks up must be pounded down." But she, like Victor Wong and others, resisted this. Says she began to feel comfortable in her own skin as she participated in protests.
Hmong (Laos) family in Duluth, MN. -- struggles at low-end work, especially difficult for the father who was a farmer and 15 year old soldier back in Laos.
Victor Wong frames his face and notes how a lot of Americans think of the Asian face as the FACE OF THE ENEMY because of the various wars in the 20th century.
Seoul Brothers (Seattle) -- "in your face" Korean Americans; not submissive by any means.
Finally, Asian debutante balls in Orange Co., CA -- in part a reaction to being locked out of white debutante balls.
__________________________________________
That's it. If you didn't see the video, you can check it out of the library. It is in VHS format.
First, your interview papers are due on Thursday, Dec. 2nd. I expect to get the papers on that date, and I will be calling on each of you to give a brief overview of your interview (no more than 10 minutes). Hopefully, we can accomplish all that on that day.
Second, you should have begun reading our next book, "Yellow," which I will begin to talk about on Tuesday. I am going to try to cover at least the first four chapters. Beyond that, I cannot say how much more we will try to cover. I will also be handing back your essays on "The New Jim Crow."
Third, I will be posting a description of the final family activity soon -- making up questions for the final exam (which is scheduled for Wed. 12/15 morning of exam week).
_____________________________
"MY AMERICA, OR HONK IF YOUR LOVE BUDDHA"
Narrator/filmmaker is Renee Tajima-Pena, who is Japanese (the Pena gets tacked on at the end of the film, which we did not see, when she marries a Mexican-American).
The documentary is really a search for identity -- are Asian-Americans still an "alien nation", don't really belong? (or "perpetual foreigners," as Frank Wu suggests).
Her comment about confusing Victor Wong with the actor in "Chen is Missing" -- "maybe we all do look alike?" which is a stereotypical belief of many Americans.
Victor Wong -- why he liked the beatniks -- they were open, nonjudgmental, accepted him as "just one of the boys." His rebellion as a young man is very American. Lots of Asian-American families go through this.
Mr. Choi (NYC Chinatown) an Asian Horatio Alger (self-made man). Seems to fit the stereotype of Asians as work-a-holics.
Immigrant dilemma: come to America for freedom and equality, or "take the money and run."
Filipino enclave, New Orleans. Came in 1765. Considered themselves white. Asian formula for race-mixing is complicated, but generally looked down on mixing with blacks.
Bill and Yuri Kochiyama -- great people; active in the civil rights struggle. Yuri was interned in Arkansas, while Bill fought against the Nazis in WWII. Yuri was a friend of Malcolm X. Raised their family in Harlem.
She mentions briefly how ASian Americans benefitted from the civil rights movement. (A point Frank Wu will also make in "Yellow.")
Tom Vu, sleezy Vietnamese-American who came here as a refugee and made a killing in real estate: his success motto: "Don't Give Up."
In her own family, she notes how "all-American" her family strived to be, yet was still not accepted. Says she was raised to try to blend in. Japanese proverb: "the nail that sticks up must be pounded down." But she, like Victor Wong and others, resisted this. Says she began to feel comfortable in her own skin as she participated in protests.
Hmong (Laos) family in Duluth, MN. -- struggles at low-end work, especially difficult for the father who was a farmer and 15 year old soldier back in Laos.
Victor Wong frames his face and notes how a lot of Americans think of the Asian face as the FACE OF THE ENEMY because of the various wars in the 20th century.
Seoul Brothers (Seattle) -- "in your face" Korean Americans; not submissive by any means.
Finally, Asian debutante balls in Orange Co., CA -- in part a reaction to being locked out of white debutante balls.
__________________________________________
That's it. If you didn't see the video, you can check it out of the library. It is in VHS format.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Final Comments on "The New Jim Crow"
During our last class meeting, I hurriedly covered the last three chapters in "The New Jim Crow," focusing especially on the last chapter. In doing so, there were some really important passages and points I skipped over. So, in this blog post I want to backtrack and cover just some of these important passages and points.
CHAPTER 3: THE COLOR OF JUSTICE
Ms. Alexander had a nice passage which clearly described the circular logic of those who defend racial profiling. Referring to studies in New Jersey and Maryland, she says, "What most surprised many analysts was that, in both studies, whites were actually MORE LIKELY than people of color to be carrying illegal drugs or contraband in their vehicles. In fact, in New Jersey, whites were almost twice as likely to be found with illegal drugs or contraband as African Americans, and five times as likely to be found with contraband as Latinos. Although whites were more likely to be guilty of carrying drugs, they were far less likely to be viewed as suspicious, resulting in relatively few stops, searches, and arrests of whites. The former New Jersey attorney general dubbed this the "circular logic of racial profiling." Law enforcement officials he explained, often point to the racial composition of our prisons and jails as a justification for targeting racial minorites, but the empirical evidence actually suggested the opposite conclusion was warranted. The disproportionate imprisonment of people of color was, in part, a product of racial profiling -- not a justification for it." (p. 131)
CHAPTER 4: THE CRUEL HAND
In noting the widespread employment discrimination against ex-convicts, Ms. Alexander makes a very appropriate comment about the importance of work, which cannot be overemphasized. She says, "Even beyond the need to comply with the conditions of parole, employment satisfies a more basic human need -- the fundatmental need to be self-sufficient, to contribute, to support one's family, and to add value to society at large. Finding a job allows a person to establish a positive role in the community, develop a healthy self-image, and keep a distnace from negative influences and opportunities for illegal behavior. Work is deemed so fundamental to human existence in many countries around the world that it is regarded as a basic human right. Deprivation of work, particularly among men, is strongly associated with depression and violence." (p. 145)
She also brings out the phenomenon of a "spatial mismatch," which works against black ex-cons because most of the jobs these days are in the suburbs (if not overseas). As she goes on, "Manufacturing jobs,...have all but disappeared from the urban core during the past thirty years. Not long ago, young, unskilled men could find decent, well-paying jobs at large factories in most Northern cities. Today, due to globalization and deindustrialization, that is no longer the case. Jobs can be found in the suburbs -- mostly service sector jobs -- but employment for unskilled men with criminal convictions, while difficult to find anywhere, is especially hard to find close to home."
"An ex-offender whose driver's license has been suspended or who does not have access to a car, often faces nearly insurmountable barriers to finding employment." (p. 147)
CHAPTER 5: THE NEW JIM CROW
Ms. Alexander makes a very important point regarding what she believes is a profound misunderstanding of how racial oppression actually works -- that it is not just about individual attitudes but the basic structure of our social system. SEE ALL OF PP. 178-179.
Criminality today carries a clear RACIAL STIGMA: "Every racial caste system in the United States has produced racial stigma. Mass incarceration is no exception. Racial stigma is produced by defining negatively what it means to be black. The stigma of race was once the shame of the slave; then (in the context of Jim Crow) it was the shame of the second-class citizen; today the stigma of race is the shame of the criminal...." (p. 192) and note what she goes on to day on p. 192 and 193.
See most of pp. 206-207, where Ms. Alexander notes that we could have responded more constructively to the collapse of inner city communities in the 1970s nad 80s:
"The economic collapse of inner-city black communities could have inspired a national outpouring of compassion and support. A new War on Poverty could have been launched. Economic stimulus packages could have sailed through Congress to bail out those trapped in jobless ghettos through no fault of their own. Education, job training, public transportation, and relocation assistance could have been provided, so that youth of color would have been able to survive the rough transition to a new global economy and secure jobs in the suburbs. Constructive interventions would have been good not only for African Americans trapped in ghettos, but also for blue collar workers of all colors, many of whom were suffering too, if less severely. A wave of compassion and concern could have flooded poor and working-class communities, in honor of the late Martin Luther King, Jr. All of this could have happened, but it didn't. Instead we declared War on Drugs."
"The collapse of inner-city economies coincided with the conservative backlash against the Civil Rights Movement, resulting in the perfect storm. Almost overnight, black men found themselves unnecessary to the American economy and demonized by mainstream society...." (pp. 206-207)
CHAPTER 6: THE FIRE THIS TIME
Ms. Alexander poses an important rhetorical question: "Have we unwittingly exaggerated the importance of individuals succeeding within pre-existing structures of power, and thereby undermined King's call for a "complete restructuring" of our society?" (p. 241) and note what she goes on to point out about being blinded by our belief in individualism (just as we are blinded by colorblindness).
Finally, I appreciate what she observes about Dr. King near the end, that today we are stuck in an approach to civil rights advocacy which Dr. King had abandoned during his final years. We have not appreciated King's radicalism.
______________________________
That's it. Please incorporate the above along with your other notes on "The New Jim Crow." We will make a transition to Asian Americans tommorrow (Tues. 11/23). Start reading "Yellow." We will see a video on the various Asian-American communites in America tomorrow as well. Finally, DON'T FORGET THAT ESSAY III IS DUE TOMORROW AS WELL.
CHAPTER 3: THE COLOR OF JUSTICE
Ms. Alexander had a nice passage which clearly described the circular logic of those who defend racial profiling. Referring to studies in New Jersey and Maryland, she says, "What most surprised many analysts was that, in both studies, whites were actually MORE LIKELY than people of color to be carrying illegal drugs or contraband in their vehicles. In fact, in New Jersey, whites were almost twice as likely to be found with illegal drugs or contraband as African Americans, and five times as likely to be found with contraband as Latinos. Although whites were more likely to be guilty of carrying drugs, they were far less likely to be viewed as suspicious, resulting in relatively few stops, searches, and arrests of whites. The former New Jersey attorney general dubbed this the "circular logic of racial profiling." Law enforcement officials he explained, often point to the racial composition of our prisons and jails as a justification for targeting racial minorites, but the empirical evidence actually suggested the opposite conclusion was warranted. The disproportionate imprisonment of people of color was, in part, a product of racial profiling -- not a justification for it." (p. 131)
CHAPTER 4: THE CRUEL HAND
In noting the widespread employment discrimination against ex-convicts, Ms. Alexander makes a very appropriate comment about the importance of work, which cannot be overemphasized. She says, "Even beyond the need to comply with the conditions of parole, employment satisfies a more basic human need -- the fundatmental need to be self-sufficient, to contribute, to support one's family, and to add value to society at large. Finding a job allows a person to establish a positive role in the community, develop a healthy self-image, and keep a distnace from negative influences and opportunities for illegal behavior. Work is deemed so fundamental to human existence in many countries around the world that it is regarded as a basic human right. Deprivation of work, particularly among men, is strongly associated with depression and violence." (p. 145)
She also brings out the phenomenon of a "spatial mismatch," which works against black ex-cons because most of the jobs these days are in the suburbs (if not overseas). As she goes on, "Manufacturing jobs,...have all but disappeared from the urban core during the past thirty years. Not long ago, young, unskilled men could find decent, well-paying jobs at large factories in most Northern cities. Today, due to globalization and deindustrialization, that is no longer the case. Jobs can be found in the suburbs -- mostly service sector jobs -- but employment for unskilled men with criminal convictions, while difficult to find anywhere, is especially hard to find close to home."
"An ex-offender whose driver's license has been suspended or who does not have access to a car, often faces nearly insurmountable barriers to finding employment." (p. 147)
CHAPTER 5: THE NEW JIM CROW
Ms. Alexander makes a very important point regarding what she believes is a profound misunderstanding of how racial oppression actually works -- that it is not just about individual attitudes but the basic structure of our social system. SEE ALL OF PP. 178-179.
Criminality today carries a clear RACIAL STIGMA: "Every racial caste system in the United States has produced racial stigma. Mass incarceration is no exception. Racial stigma is produced by defining negatively what it means to be black. The stigma of race was once the shame of the slave; then (in the context of Jim Crow) it was the shame of the second-class citizen; today the stigma of race is the shame of the criminal...." (p. 192) and note what she goes on to day on p. 192 and 193.
See most of pp. 206-207, where Ms. Alexander notes that we could have responded more constructively to the collapse of inner city communities in the 1970s nad 80s:
"The economic collapse of inner-city black communities could have inspired a national outpouring of compassion and support. A new War on Poverty could have been launched. Economic stimulus packages could have sailed through Congress to bail out those trapped in jobless ghettos through no fault of their own. Education, job training, public transportation, and relocation assistance could have been provided, so that youth of color would have been able to survive the rough transition to a new global economy and secure jobs in the suburbs. Constructive interventions would have been good not only for African Americans trapped in ghettos, but also for blue collar workers of all colors, many of whom were suffering too, if less severely. A wave of compassion and concern could have flooded poor and working-class communities, in honor of the late Martin Luther King, Jr. All of this could have happened, but it didn't. Instead we declared War on Drugs."
"The collapse of inner-city economies coincided with the conservative backlash against the Civil Rights Movement, resulting in the perfect storm. Almost overnight, black men found themselves unnecessary to the American economy and demonized by mainstream society...." (pp. 206-207)
CHAPTER 6: THE FIRE THIS TIME
Ms. Alexander poses an important rhetorical question: "Have we unwittingly exaggerated the importance of individuals succeeding within pre-existing structures of power, and thereby undermined King's call for a "complete restructuring" of our society?" (p. 241) and note what she goes on to point out about being blinded by our belief in individualism (just as we are blinded by colorblindness).
Finally, I appreciate what she observes about Dr. King near the end, that today we are stuck in an approach to civil rights advocacy which Dr. King had abandoned during his final years. We have not appreciated King's radicalism.
______________________________
That's it. Please incorporate the above along with your other notes on "The New Jim Crow." We will make a transition to Asian Americans tommorrow (Tues. 11/23). Start reading "Yellow." We will see a video on the various Asian-American communites in America tomorrow as well. Finally, DON'T FORGET THAT ESSAY III IS DUE TOMORROW AS WELL.
Monday, November 8, 2010
EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY: GLEN BROWDER TALK AND PANEL DISCUSSION
To earn 3 points extra credit, I'd like you to attend either the 11AM talk in Leonard Aud. or the 7PM panel discussion (also in Leonard, I believe)this Tuesday, Nov. 9th.You are welcome to attend both, but I will only be giving extra credit for one response to either the talk or panel. The topic is racial politics in the South. To earn the three points, what I want you to do is simply comment on your overall reaction to the talk or panel, AND MAKE JUST ONE CONNECTION WITH ANYTHING WE'VE COVERED IN THE CLASS SO FAR.
PLEASE POST YOUR EXTRA CREDIT COMMENT NO LATER THAN THIS FRIDAY, NOV. 12TH.
PLEASE POST YOUR EXTRA CREDIT COMMENT NO LATER THAN THIS FRIDAY, NOV. 12TH.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Family Questions & Answers for Midterm Exam
Below are the family questions I accepted, with some editing. Remember these questions will be on the midterm exam coming up next Tuesday.
RED FAMILY (Lisa, Sheatial, Michael, Tim, Rachel) Earn 5 points + 1 bonus point
1. What is an ethnic group? And what is the most important distinguishing characteristic of different ethnic groups? (2pts)
ANSWER: An ethnic group is one that shares a cultural tradition and has some degree of consciousness of being different from other such groups. The most important distinguishing characteristic is language.
2. An important aim of the eugenics movement was to maintain racial purity. Why was this misguided? (1pt)
ANSWER: because "races" have been mixing forever and they continue to mix. We are all essentially mongrels.
3. What "paradigm shift" did biological anthropologist, Alan Goodman, advocate in the opening of part 1 of the video series? (1pt)
ANSWER: rejecting the notion of race as a valid biological distinction among humans.
4. How did the practice of "blockbusting" by real estate agents encourage residential segregation? (2pts)
ANSWER: Encouraging white flight when blacks began moving into an area by notifying white homeowners when a black family moved in and encouraging them to sell.
GREEN FAMILY ( Michaela, Jennifer, Jamar, Ross, Nathan) earn 5 points + 1 bonus point
1. What is the difference between prejudice and discrimination? (2pts)
ANSWER: While both often grow out of competition between groups of people, prejudice involves attitudes or beliefs while discrimination involves actual actions or practices.
2. Identify any TWO of the four ways that prejudice is learned? (2pts)
ANSWER: Any two of the following: (1) authority figures; (2) media images (especially negative portrayals of minorities); (3) negative experiences with members of a different racial or ethnic group; (4)discrimination.
3. Briefly explain the meaning of "the white man's burden" and its significance in the history of race relations. (2pts)
ANSWER: "The white man's burden" is the idea, which was popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that it is the duty of white Europeans (and Americans) to "civilize" the non-white world. This belief was used to justify taking the land of non-white peoples and imposing European culture and Christianity on them, as in the case of British and French colonies in Africa.
4. In the Bakke case, what did the court see as the principal flaw in the University of California - Davis Medical School's affirmative action program? (1pt)
ANSWER: that it used a QUOTA system, rather than goals or targets.
___________________________________
That's all folks. See you Tuesday.
RED FAMILY (Lisa, Sheatial, Michael, Tim, Rachel) Earn 5 points + 1 bonus point
1. What is an ethnic group? And what is the most important distinguishing characteristic of different ethnic groups? (2pts)
ANSWER: An ethnic group is one that shares a cultural tradition and has some degree of consciousness of being different from other such groups. The most important distinguishing characteristic is language.
2. An important aim of the eugenics movement was to maintain racial purity. Why was this misguided? (1pt)
ANSWER: because "races" have been mixing forever and they continue to mix. We are all essentially mongrels.
3. What "paradigm shift" did biological anthropologist, Alan Goodman, advocate in the opening of part 1 of the video series? (1pt)
ANSWER: rejecting the notion of race as a valid biological distinction among humans.
4. How did the practice of "blockbusting" by real estate agents encourage residential segregation? (2pts)
ANSWER: Encouraging white flight when blacks began moving into an area by notifying white homeowners when a black family moved in and encouraging them to sell.
GREEN FAMILY ( Michaela, Jennifer, Jamar, Ross, Nathan) earn 5 points + 1 bonus point
1. What is the difference between prejudice and discrimination? (2pts)
ANSWER: While both often grow out of competition between groups of people, prejudice involves attitudes or beliefs while discrimination involves actual actions or practices.
2. Identify any TWO of the four ways that prejudice is learned? (2pts)
ANSWER: Any two of the following: (1) authority figures; (2) media images (especially negative portrayals of minorities); (3) negative experiences with members of a different racial or ethnic group; (4)discrimination.
3. Briefly explain the meaning of "the white man's burden" and its significance in the history of race relations. (2pts)
ANSWER: "The white man's burden" is the idea, which was popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that it is the duty of white Europeans (and Americans) to "civilize" the non-white world. This belief was used to justify taking the land of non-white peoples and imposing European culture and Christianity on them, as in the case of British and French colonies in Africa.
4. In the Bakke case, what did the court see as the principal flaw in the University of California - Davis Medical School's affirmative action program? (1pt)
ANSWER: that it used a QUOTA system, rather than goals or targets.
___________________________________
That's all folks. See you Tuesday.
Friday, October 8, 2010
King Passage & Family Activity - Making Up Midterm Exam Questions
Before I post that King passage I read yesterday at the end of class, let me note that next Tuesday I will wrap up the Basic Definitions by commenting on "discrimination." Then, we will get into Dr. Tatum's book. Please read through Chapter 1, which we will cover Tuesday & Thursday.
KING PASSAGE: In connection with my comments on the indirect role of law in overcoming prejudice, I quoted the following passage from Dr. King's first book, "Stride Toward Freedom": "Government action is not the whole answer to the present crisis, but it is an important partial answer. Morals cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. The law cannot make an employer love me, but it can keep him from refusing to hire me because of the color of my skin. We must depend on religion and education to alter the errors of the heart and mind; but meanwhile it is an immoral act to compel a man to accept injustice until another man's heart is set straight. As the experience of several northern states has shown, antidiscrimination laws can provide powerful sanctions against this kind of immorality. Moreover, the law itself is a form of education."
__________________
FAMILY ACTIVITY -- MAKING UP MIDTERM EXAM QUESTIONS:
I want each of the families to make up SIX short-answer midterm exam questions in preparation for our midterm exam on TUESDAY, OCT. 19TH. Remember, by short-answer I do NOT mean true/false or multiple choice questions. These should be questions that can be answered in a few sentences at most, and they can come from anything we've covered in class lecture, including of course my follow-up comments on the video series as well as the family points that were posted on the blog. The exam will also cover through Chapter 1 of Dr. Tatum's book. I will give the families time to concur on Tuesday (12th) and some time on Thursday (14th), if needed. You will need to determine the SIX BEST questions your family members came up with. I WILL NEED THESE QUESTIONS NO LATER THAN 4PM ON THURSDAY OCT. 14TH. You can email them to me or write them out on a sheet of paper and hand them to me. PLEASE REMEMBER TO ALSO INCLUDE THE ANSWERS. I will then select at least THREE questions from each family, and for each additional question I select, that family will get a bonus point, so it is possible to earn up to three bonus points for this activity. I will then post these questions and answers on the blog by Saturday (16th) so that you can have them to study from for the test. This activity is worth 5 points, and all family members must participate to earn those points.
KING PASSAGE: In connection with my comments on the indirect role of law in overcoming prejudice, I quoted the following passage from Dr. King's first book, "Stride Toward Freedom": "Government action is not the whole answer to the present crisis, but it is an important partial answer. Morals cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. The law cannot make an employer love me, but it can keep him from refusing to hire me because of the color of my skin. We must depend on religion and education to alter the errors of the heart and mind; but meanwhile it is an immoral act to compel a man to accept injustice until another man's heart is set straight. As the experience of several northern states has shown, antidiscrimination laws can provide powerful sanctions against this kind of immorality. Moreover, the law itself is a form of education."
__________________
FAMILY ACTIVITY -- MAKING UP MIDTERM EXAM QUESTIONS:
I want each of the families to make up SIX short-answer midterm exam questions in preparation for our midterm exam on TUESDAY, OCT. 19TH. Remember, by short-answer I do NOT mean true/false or multiple choice questions. These should be questions that can be answered in a few sentences at most, and they can come from anything we've covered in class lecture, including of course my follow-up comments on the video series as well as the family points that were posted on the blog. The exam will also cover through Chapter 1 of Dr. Tatum's book. I will give the families time to concur on Tuesday (12th) and some time on Thursday (14th), if needed. You will need to determine the SIX BEST questions your family members came up with. I WILL NEED THESE QUESTIONS NO LATER THAN 4PM ON THURSDAY OCT. 14TH. You can email them to me or write them out on a sheet of paper and hand them to me. PLEASE REMEMBER TO ALSO INCLUDE THE ANSWERS. I will then select at least THREE questions from each family, and for each additional question I select, that family will get a bonus point, so it is possible to earn up to three bonus points for this activity. I will then post these questions and answers on the blog by Saturday (16th) so that you can have them to study from for the test. This activity is worth 5 points, and all family members must participate to earn those points.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Passages on Race & Lecture Notes on Racism
Below are the passages I read in class yesterday regarding the concept of race. First, is the passage from an article entitled, "The Geometer of Race," by Stephen Jay Gould. It concerns Johan Friedrich Blumenbach and the origin of the term "Caucasian."
"...Blumenbach chose physical beauty as his guide to ranking. He simply affirmed that Europeans were most beautiful, with Caucasians as the most comely of all. This explains why Blumenbach,...linked the maximal beauty of the Caucasians to the place of human origin. Blumenbach viewed all subsequent variation as departures from the originally created ideal -- therefore, the most beautiful people must live closest to our primal home."
"Blumenbach's descriptions are pervaded by his subjective sense of relative beauty, presented as though he were discussing an objective quantifiable property, not subject to doubt or disagreement. He describes a Georgian female skull (found close to Mount Caucasus) as 'really the most beautiful form of skull which...always of itself attracts every eye, however little observant.' He then defends his European standard on aesthetic grounds: 'In the first place, that stock displays...the most beautiful form of the skull, from which, as from a mean and primeval type, the others diverge by most easy gradations...Besides, it is white in color, which we may fairly assume to have been the primitive color of mankind since...it is very easy for that to degenerate into brown, but very much more difficult for dark to become white.'"
And then excerpts from the American Anthropological Association's official statement on race (1997):
"Biophysical diversity has no inherent social meaning except what we humans confer upon it. The concept of 'race' is in reality a product of that process. 'Race' is a set of culturally created attitudes toward, and beliefs about, human differences developed following widespread exploration and colonization by Western European powers since the 16th century....'Race' was invented as a social mechanism to justify the retention of slavery. 'Race' ideology magnified differences among these populations, established a rigid hierarchy of socially exclusive categories, underscored and bolstered unequal rank and status differences and provided the rationalization that such differences were natural or God-given. The different physical traits became markers or symbols of status differences."
"As they were constructing this society, white Americans fabricated the cultural/behavioral characteristics associated with each 'race,' linking superior traits to Europeans and negative and inferior ones to blacks and Indians. Thus arbitrary beliefs about the different peoples were institutionalized and deeply embedded in American thought...."
"How people have been accepted and treated within the context of their society and culture has a direct impact on how they perform within that society. The 'racial' worldview was invented to assign some groups to perpetual low status while others were permitted access to privilege, power, and welath. The tragedy is that it succeeded all too well in constructing unequal populations. Given what we know about the capacity of normal humans to achieve and function within any culture, we conclude that present-day inequalities between human groups are not consequences of their biological inheritance; rather, these inequalities are products of historical and contemporary social, economic, educational and political circumstances."
_________________________
LECTURE NOTES ON RACISM
Yesterday I began talking about the basic definition of racism, noting that most people would probably reject the idea that that definition applies to them. Racism today is more subtle than blatant, for the most part. Historian, George Frederickson, made this point, as I noted in class at the very end.
1. Frederickson goes on to talk about what he calls "cultural racism." For example, whites who believe that Latinos and or blacks in ghettoes are incurably infected by cultural pathologies such as lack of initiative, etc. Indeed, Frederickson contends that such cultural racism actually pre-dates the scientific theories of race in the late 18th century (Blumenbach).
B. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva (who appeared in the video series) argues that a new form of racism has emerged, what he calls "color-blind racism." (which clearly seems to be an oxymoron or contradiction in terms). His idea is similar to cultural racism: a racism NOT based on a belief in inherent biological inferiority but based on or explained by nonracial factors such as market forces or cultural factors which explain inequalities.
C. Finally, there is INSTITUTIONAL RACISM (or institutional discrimination) which persists even though it has lost its legal basis (segregation laws of yesteryear). That is, there continue to be racial biases built into the operation and policy of various institutions. (We'll see more examples of this later on in the course.)
_____________________
That's all for now. We'll pick up with the next basic definition, ethnic group, next Tuesday 10/5.
"...Blumenbach chose physical beauty as his guide to ranking. He simply affirmed that Europeans were most beautiful, with Caucasians as the most comely of all. This explains why Blumenbach,...linked the maximal beauty of the Caucasians to the place of human origin. Blumenbach viewed all subsequent variation as departures from the originally created ideal -- therefore, the most beautiful people must live closest to our primal home."
"Blumenbach's descriptions are pervaded by his subjective sense of relative beauty, presented as though he were discussing an objective quantifiable property, not subject to doubt or disagreement. He describes a Georgian female skull (found close to Mount Caucasus) as 'really the most beautiful form of skull which...always of itself attracts every eye, however little observant.' He then defends his European standard on aesthetic grounds: 'In the first place, that stock displays...the most beautiful form of the skull, from which, as from a mean and primeval type, the others diverge by most easy gradations...Besides, it is white in color, which we may fairly assume to have been the primitive color of mankind since...it is very easy for that to degenerate into brown, but very much more difficult for dark to become white.'"
And then excerpts from the American Anthropological Association's official statement on race (1997):
"Biophysical diversity has no inherent social meaning except what we humans confer upon it. The concept of 'race' is in reality a product of that process. 'Race' is a set of culturally created attitudes toward, and beliefs about, human differences developed following widespread exploration and colonization by Western European powers since the 16th century....'Race' was invented as a social mechanism to justify the retention of slavery. 'Race' ideology magnified differences among these populations, established a rigid hierarchy of socially exclusive categories, underscored and bolstered unequal rank and status differences and provided the rationalization that such differences were natural or God-given. The different physical traits became markers or symbols of status differences."
"As they were constructing this society, white Americans fabricated the cultural/behavioral characteristics associated with each 'race,' linking superior traits to Europeans and negative and inferior ones to blacks and Indians. Thus arbitrary beliefs about the different peoples were institutionalized and deeply embedded in American thought...."
"How people have been accepted and treated within the context of their society and culture has a direct impact on how they perform within that society. The 'racial' worldview was invented to assign some groups to perpetual low status while others were permitted access to privilege, power, and welath. The tragedy is that it succeeded all too well in constructing unequal populations. Given what we know about the capacity of normal humans to achieve and function within any culture, we conclude that present-day inequalities between human groups are not consequences of their biological inheritance; rather, these inequalities are products of historical and contemporary social, economic, educational and political circumstances."
_________________________
LECTURE NOTES ON RACISM
Yesterday I began talking about the basic definition of racism, noting that most people would probably reject the idea that that definition applies to them. Racism today is more subtle than blatant, for the most part. Historian, George Frederickson, made this point, as I noted in class at the very end.
1. Frederickson goes on to talk about what he calls "cultural racism." For example, whites who believe that Latinos and or blacks in ghettoes are incurably infected by cultural pathologies such as lack of initiative, etc. Indeed, Frederickson contends that such cultural racism actually pre-dates the scientific theories of race in the late 18th century (Blumenbach).
B. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva (who appeared in the video series) argues that a new form of racism has emerged, what he calls "color-blind racism." (which clearly seems to be an oxymoron or contradiction in terms). His idea is similar to cultural racism: a racism NOT based on a belief in inherent biological inferiority but based on or explained by nonracial factors such as market forces or cultural factors which explain inequalities.
C. Finally, there is INSTITUTIONAL RACISM (or institutional discrimination) which persists even though it has lost its legal basis (segregation laws of yesteryear). That is, there continue to be racial biases built into the operation and policy of various institutions. (We'll see more examples of this later on in the course.)
_____________________
That's all for now. We'll pick up with the next basic definition, ethnic group, next Tuesday 10/5.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Results of First Family Exercise
Below are the results of our first family exercise. Both families did a good job on this and each of you will earn 6 activity points for this exercise. Please note that I did edit your submissions a bit, and in some cases added a few remarks of my own in parentheses. Also, remember that I may use some of these points to make up exam questions for the midterm exam which is still several weeks off.
"RACE: THE POWER OF AN ILLUSION"
Episode I: "the difference between us"
GREEN FAMILY: (1) The whole eugenics idea (and movement) of racial purification was the perfect excuse for the social injustices of the time (early 20th century); it served as a rationale for keeping the "races" segregated. (Not to mention being picked up by Nazi race scientists.)
(2) Jesse Owens, the champion track star, was a definite standout point. Because he was so superior to the competition, people thought he must have some inherent physical advantage. Scientists studied his body extensively but found no difference between him and non-black athletes. His coach explained his superior athletic abilities as being due to the fact that blacks were closer to the primitive.(Clearly a racist explanation.) Even today, blacks are stereotyped to be the best in sports because they are black, rather than recognizing them for other abilities.
RED FAMILY: (1)Race is a social construct which focuses on superficial physical differences such as skin color, and it is used to justify different treatment particularly of black and white people.
(2) Scientific research on genetic differences has shown that human beings are much more similar genetically than penguins which look very similar, yet most people continue to believe that there is substantial genetic differnce between different races. (To which I would add the finding of Dr. Lewintin, that there is more genetic variablity between any two people of a particular race than there is between two people of different races.)
(The above points are fine, although I was looking for something more historical.)
Episode 2: "the story we tell"
RED FAMILY: (1) Thomas Jefferson who said he had "a suspicion only" that blacks were inferior in body and mind called upon science to show this. And indeed scientists did "prove" this in a widely read book published in the middle of the 19th century called "Types of Mankind," and this served as a rationale for enslaving blacks.
(2) The idea that race has been used to achieve political and economic goals, such as in the case of the Cherokees. Despite the Cherokees best efforts to prove they were capable of being civilized on the white man's terms, they were forcibly removed from their homeland and relegated to an inferior racial status.
GREEN FAMILY: (1) (This first one is similar to #1 of the Red Family but much more detailed.) While Jefferson wrote that "all men are created equal," he also wrote in "Notes on the State of Virginia" that African Americans were inferior mentally and physically to people of other races. He left it to science to prove or disprove his theory. In the subsequent century, scientists, biased by their own racial prejudices, used pseudo-scientific methods (measuring skull size, etc.) to "prove" the inferiority of nonwhites. They spread this idea of deep racial differences, even the idea that races are different species, through popular magazines and newspapers which had a wide readership. In this way, Americans were taught that whites were inherently superior to non-whites, and that this was scientific fact and not opinion. They used this to justify slavery, the taking of Native American lands, and other injustices done to non-whites in the 19th century.
(2) Rudyard Kipling's poem, "The White Man's Burden," encouraged the idea that it was the duty of white people to conquer and "civilize" non-white peoples, such as those in the Philippines. The 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis featured a human exhibit in which white Americans were invited to observe people of different cultures and races in their "natural habitat." These people were displayed as curiosities to be pitied by the "civilized" whites, and were ranked in a hierarchy -- some classified as "barbarians," others as "savages," etc. This further encouraged the idea that different cultural groups had inherent, deep racial differences that made them either superior or inferior, and also encouraged American imperialism.
Episode III: "the house we live in"
GREEN FAMILY: (1) The FHA program was created in the 1930s and after WWII it provided loans to average Americans to purchase homes with the easiest credit terms in history. This allowed returning GIs to purchase homes for their families, however, blacks were not allowed to buy homes in the growing suburbs. And the FHA also restricted loans in predominantly black areas which were judged to be unstable areas. So, blacks were largely locked out of the suburban housing boom and were not able to build wealth the way whites were.
(2) In the section, "White by Law," they discussed what classified you as white or black. Different states had different formulas for who was considered black. In Virginia, if you had 1/16th black blood you were considered black, Florida, 1/8th, and Alabama, one drop. So by simply crossing a state line you could go from being black to white and vice versa (which underscores the notion that race is a social construction).
RED FAMILY: (1) Past discrimination in housing is reflected in continuing residential segregation and wealth disparity between blacks and whites. When Negroes moved into white neighborhoods, property values went down (largely due to whites leaving) and that is still the case in many areas in America today, surprisingly. In addition, Negroes were largely locked out of the suburban housing market and were forced into public housing (the projects) in cities. As a result several generations of blacks have grown up in these poor, often crime-ridden areas and they have not been able to build wealth through home ownership that whites were able to.
(2) (Your submitted statement was pretty vague, so I am going to re-word it to reflect what I think you had in mind.) "Whiteness" was identified by the privileged group of Americans as what they considered white. Such reasoning was used by the Supreme Court to deny Ozawa and Thind's efforts to be declared "white" and therefore be eligible to become naturalized citizens.
_________________________
That's it. Please incorporate the above points in your notes, along with my commentary which I will continue with next week.
"RACE: THE POWER OF AN ILLUSION"
Episode I: "the difference between us"
GREEN FAMILY: (1) The whole eugenics idea (and movement) of racial purification was the perfect excuse for the social injustices of the time (early 20th century); it served as a rationale for keeping the "races" segregated. (Not to mention being picked up by Nazi race scientists.)
(2) Jesse Owens, the champion track star, was a definite standout point. Because he was so superior to the competition, people thought he must have some inherent physical advantage. Scientists studied his body extensively but found no difference between him and non-black athletes. His coach explained his superior athletic abilities as being due to the fact that blacks were closer to the primitive.(Clearly a racist explanation.) Even today, blacks are stereotyped to be the best in sports because they are black, rather than recognizing them for other abilities.
RED FAMILY: (1)Race is a social construct which focuses on superficial physical differences such as skin color, and it is used to justify different treatment particularly of black and white people.
(2) Scientific research on genetic differences has shown that human beings are much more similar genetically than penguins which look very similar, yet most people continue to believe that there is substantial genetic differnce between different races. (To which I would add the finding of Dr. Lewintin, that there is more genetic variablity between any two people of a particular race than there is between two people of different races.)
(The above points are fine, although I was looking for something more historical.)
Episode 2: "the story we tell"
RED FAMILY: (1) Thomas Jefferson who said he had "a suspicion only" that blacks were inferior in body and mind called upon science to show this. And indeed scientists did "prove" this in a widely read book published in the middle of the 19th century called "Types of Mankind," and this served as a rationale for enslaving blacks.
(2) The idea that race has been used to achieve political and economic goals, such as in the case of the Cherokees. Despite the Cherokees best efforts to prove they were capable of being civilized on the white man's terms, they were forcibly removed from their homeland and relegated to an inferior racial status.
GREEN FAMILY: (1) (This first one is similar to #1 of the Red Family but much more detailed.) While Jefferson wrote that "all men are created equal," he also wrote in "Notes on the State of Virginia" that African Americans were inferior mentally and physically to people of other races. He left it to science to prove or disprove his theory. In the subsequent century, scientists, biased by their own racial prejudices, used pseudo-scientific methods (measuring skull size, etc.) to "prove" the inferiority of nonwhites. They spread this idea of deep racial differences, even the idea that races are different species, through popular magazines and newspapers which had a wide readership. In this way, Americans were taught that whites were inherently superior to non-whites, and that this was scientific fact and not opinion. They used this to justify slavery, the taking of Native American lands, and other injustices done to non-whites in the 19th century.
(2) Rudyard Kipling's poem, "The White Man's Burden," encouraged the idea that it was the duty of white people to conquer and "civilize" non-white peoples, such as those in the Philippines. The 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis featured a human exhibit in which white Americans were invited to observe people of different cultures and races in their "natural habitat." These people were displayed as curiosities to be pitied by the "civilized" whites, and were ranked in a hierarchy -- some classified as "barbarians," others as "savages," etc. This further encouraged the idea that different cultural groups had inherent, deep racial differences that made them either superior or inferior, and also encouraged American imperialism.
Episode III: "the house we live in"
GREEN FAMILY: (1) The FHA program was created in the 1930s and after WWII it provided loans to average Americans to purchase homes with the easiest credit terms in history. This allowed returning GIs to purchase homes for their families, however, blacks were not allowed to buy homes in the growing suburbs. And the FHA also restricted loans in predominantly black areas which were judged to be unstable areas. So, blacks were largely locked out of the suburban housing boom and were not able to build wealth the way whites were.
(2) In the section, "White by Law," they discussed what classified you as white or black. Different states had different formulas for who was considered black. In Virginia, if you had 1/16th black blood you were considered black, Florida, 1/8th, and Alabama, one drop. So by simply crossing a state line you could go from being black to white and vice versa (which underscores the notion that race is a social construction).
RED FAMILY: (1) Past discrimination in housing is reflected in continuing residential segregation and wealth disparity between blacks and whites. When Negroes moved into white neighborhoods, property values went down (largely due to whites leaving) and that is still the case in many areas in America today, surprisingly. In addition, Negroes were largely locked out of the suburban housing market and were forced into public housing (the projects) in cities. As a result several generations of blacks have grown up in these poor, often crime-ridden areas and they have not been able to build wealth through home ownership that whites were able to.
(2) (Your submitted statement was pretty vague, so I am going to re-word it to reflect what I think you had in mind.) "Whiteness" was identified by the privileged group of Americans as what they considered white. Such reasoning was used by the Supreme Court to deny Ozawa and Thind's efforts to be declared "white" and therefore be eligible to become naturalized citizens.
_________________________
That's it. Please incorporate the above points in your notes, along with my commentary which I will continue with next week.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Follow-up Quote & First Family Exercise
Before I get into an insightful quote which supports my comments in class today, let me remind you to scroll down to the previous blog post for a description of the "Get Your Feet Wet Exercise," which I'd like you to comment on by next Friday (9/17).
FOLLOW-UP QUOTE: Sociologist, Dr. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, in his book, "Racism Without Racists," articulates well the point I was belaboring in class this morning that Whites in particular often do not think about race and ethnic relations as significant. He says,
"Nowadays, except for members of white supremacist organizations, few whites in the United States claim to be "racist." Most whites assert that they 'don't see color, just people;' that although the ugly face of discrimination is still with us, it is no longer the central factor determining minorities' life chances; and, finally, that like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., they aspire to live in a society where 'people are judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.' More poignantly, most whites insist that minorities (especially blacks) are the ones responsible for whatever "race problem" we have in this country. They publicly denounce blacks for "playing the race card," for demanding the maintenance of unnecessary and divisive race-based programs, such as affirmative action, and for crying "racism" whenever they are criticized by whites. Most whites believe that if blacks and other minorities would just stop thinking about the past, work hard, and complain less (particularly about racial discrimination), then Americans of all hues could 'all get along.'" (p.1)
And he went on to say: "But regardless of whites' "sincere fictions," racial considerations shade almost everything in America." (p.1) He then goes on to list the many socio-economic variables on which blacks lag far behind whites.
Finally, as we'll see in a few weeks, Dr. Beverly Tatum emphasizes how white teachers especially need to be aware of the prejudice and stereotypes minority students have to deal with.
PLEASE INCORPORATE THE ABOVE QUOTES IN YOUR NOTES ON THE RELEVANCE OF A COURSE IN RACE AND ETHNIC RELATIONS, WHICH I SPOKE ABOUT TODAY.
FIRST FAMILY EXERCISE:
Over the next two weeks, beginning next Tuesday (9/14), we are going to be seeing a three-part video series entitled, "Race: the power of an illusion." It challenges the whole notion of race and gives an overview of the pernicious effects of race theory and racism in America from our earliest days as a nation. Following the viewing of each part, I want each of the families to discuss what you saw and identify what you believe were the TWO most important historical facts or points and their significance for understanding race relations in our society today. Once you determine those two points, a designated family member should then EMAIL your comments to me and I will then edit them and eventually post them on this blog. Please be fairly succinct in stating these points -- no more than one paragraph each. At the conclusion of the series we'll review these points in class and I will add my own analysis of some of the key points in this video series. I may use some of the points you come up with as a basis for some questions on the midterm exam. This exercise is worth 6 activity points, and you have to be present and participating in order to earn those points.
Hope to see everyone next Tuesday.
FOLLOW-UP QUOTE: Sociologist, Dr. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, in his book, "Racism Without Racists," articulates well the point I was belaboring in class this morning that Whites in particular often do not think about race and ethnic relations as significant. He says,
"Nowadays, except for members of white supremacist organizations, few whites in the United States claim to be "racist." Most whites assert that they 'don't see color, just people;' that although the ugly face of discrimination is still with us, it is no longer the central factor determining minorities' life chances; and, finally, that like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., they aspire to live in a society where 'people are judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.' More poignantly, most whites insist that minorities (especially blacks) are the ones responsible for whatever "race problem" we have in this country. They publicly denounce blacks for "playing the race card," for demanding the maintenance of unnecessary and divisive race-based programs, such as affirmative action, and for crying "racism" whenever they are criticized by whites. Most whites believe that if blacks and other minorities would just stop thinking about the past, work hard, and complain less (particularly about racial discrimination), then Americans of all hues could 'all get along.'" (p.1)
And he went on to say: "But regardless of whites' "sincere fictions," racial considerations shade almost everything in America." (p.1) He then goes on to list the many socio-economic variables on which blacks lag far behind whites.
Finally, as we'll see in a few weeks, Dr. Beverly Tatum emphasizes how white teachers especially need to be aware of the prejudice and stereotypes minority students have to deal with.
PLEASE INCORPORATE THE ABOVE QUOTES IN YOUR NOTES ON THE RELEVANCE OF A COURSE IN RACE AND ETHNIC RELATIONS, WHICH I SPOKE ABOUT TODAY.
FIRST FAMILY EXERCISE:
Over the next two weeks, beginning next Tuesday (9/14), we are going to be seeing a three-part video series entitled, "Race: the power of an illusion." It challenges the whole notion of race and gives an overview of the pernicious effects of race theory and racism in America from our earliest days as a nation. Following the viewing of each part, I want each of the families to discuss what you saw and identify what you believe were the TWO most important historical facts or points and their significance for understanding race relations in our society today. Once you determine those two points, a designated family member should then EMAIL your comments to me and I will then edit them and eventually post them on this blog. Please be fairly succinct in stating these points -- no more than one paragraph each. At the conclusion of the series we'll review these points in class and I will add my own analysis of some of the key points in this video series. I may use some of the points you come up with as a basis for some questions on the midterm exam. This exercise is worth 6 activity points, and you have to be present and participating in order to earn those points.
Hope to see everyone next Tuesday.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Welcome & "Get Your Feet Wet Exercise"
Welcome to this blog that I have set up for Sociology 240: Race and Ethnic Relations. We will be using this blog for a variety of activities and exercises throughout the semester, the first of which I post below. In addition to having you post comments on this blog, I will also use it from time to time to post some lecture notes (if I get behind in class), or to post a significant passage I may quote in class from sources other than the required reading. To save paper, I may use this blog to post descriptions of some of the short essays you'll be asked to write. This blog will be instrumental in your preparation for the midterm and final exams because the questions that you make up for these exams will appear on this blog (along with the answers, of course). I will be sure to mention in class if any new material has been posted, but I would suggest that you get in the habit of checking this blog once or twice a week to see if there is any new material you need to pay attention to.
"GET YOUR FEET WET EXERCISE"
I want everyone to do a little digging on the Internet or other sources (newspapers, magazines, etc.) for information about someone who was much in the news during the latter part of July, Shirley Sherrod. Many of you may already know something about her story, but even if you do I'd like you to try to get a rounded or whole picture of the incident Ms. Sherrod was the focal point of. Then, I'd like you to post a ONE or TWO PARAGRAPH comment identifying a lesson that you believe can be drawn from this incident which has relevance for this class on race and ethnic relations. Note: you do NOT have to cite any sources as you would in a paper and there is NO ONE CORRECT ANSWER that I am looking for; the lesson you draw may touch on different aspects of this incident. The only thing that I ask is that you make an effort to get the whole story and base your observations on that.
This exercise is worth 5 points, and please try to post your comments NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, SEPT. 17TH.
"GET YOUR FEET WET EXERCISE"
I want everyone to do a little digging on the Internet or other sources (newspapers, magazines, etc.) for information about someone who was much in the news during the latter part of July, Shirley Sherrod. Many of you may already know something about her story, but even if you do I'd like you to try to get a rounded or whole picture of the incident Ms. Sherrod was the focal point of. Then, I'd like you to post a ONE or TWO PARAGRAPH comment identifying a lesson that you believe can be drawn from this incident which has relevance for this class on race and ethnic relations. Note: you do NOT have to cite any sources as you would in a paper and there is NO ONE CORRECT ANSWER that I am looking for; the lesson you draw may touch on different aspects of this incident. The only thing that I ask is that you make an effort to get the whole story and base your observations on that.
This exercise is worth 5 points, and please try to post your comments NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, SEPT. 17TH.
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