SOJ130. It is Pass/Fail, fulfills the "diversity" core requirement, and is now posted on Mainestreet.
Course description:
This course is associated with a public event entitled "(De)Constructing Race, Inequality and Systems of Power" to be held at Portland's Space Gallery (20 February). After attending the event, we will meet three times to share ideas about the way race is understood in America. We will also discuss what an anthropological perspective on "race" is, how it relates to identity more generally, and how culture shapes and materializes one's sense of self and Other (most notably in school and through social media such as Hollywood films). In America today, ethnocentric fears voiced about “immigrants” have become a euphemism for “race.” Students in this course will develop an awareness of how and why this is happening and reflect both consciously and explicitly on their own ideas about race, identity, and the Other.
Course requirements:
1) attend the public conversation "(De)Constructing Race, Inequality and Systems of Power" (at Portland's Space Gallery, 6:30pm on 20 February)
2) read 2 short articles on the cultural construction of "race"
3) participate in 3 discussion/conversations (315 Bailey, each 1-3pm, Feb. 21, 28 and March 7)
4) watch and discuss 2 recent mainstream films “
I Am Not Your Negro" and "
13th."
5) To Pass: submit either a brief 2-3 page paper summarizing the issues presented during class discussions and at the public event; or, demonstrate that you have made a meaningful connection with your choice of any activist, political, or legal organization dedicated to issues of race, immigration, and/or social justice.