Race and Ethnicity in the US

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

The Founding Fathers set forth a bold ideal: all men are created equal. They knew it was hypocritical. After all, slavery was an accepted part of life. This course will examine the impact of racial discrimination in the United States, starting with these bold, hypocritical ideals of the political elite in 1776. We'll uncover the impact of immigration, particularly from Latin America. We'll examine theories that attempt to explain the roles of race and ethnicity in politics. As the course transitions to modern times, we'll look at how parties and institutions both helped and hindered racial minorities in the US politics. We will delve into implicit bias, a fundamental component of modern racism. In the process of understanding race in politics, we will explore how charts and graphs can lie, and how they can help us understand reality. The course will end with an examination of our own bold, hypocritical ideals and current issues such as police brutality and racial disparities in our prison system.