24.636
Topics in Social Theory and Practice
An in-depth consideration of a topic in social theory with reflection on its implications for social change. Examples of topics include race and racism; punishment and prison reform; global justice and human rights; gender and global care chains; environmentalism and industrial agriculture; bioethics, disability, and human enhancement; capitalism and commodification; and sexuality and the family. Readings draw from both social science and philosophy with special attention to the normative literature relevant to the issue. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Enrollment may be limited.
Fall 2014 · Topics in Social Theory and Practice: Race and Racism
Topics
- Introduction
- A Tiny Slice of the History of the Concept of Race
- “Our” Concept of Race
- Appiah and the Meaning of ‘Race’
- Race and Medicine
- Race and Ethnicity
- Kinds of Social Construction
- Intersectionality
- Race and the Construction of Social Identity
- Gender and Race Constructions
- Racial Identities
- Latina/o Identity and Race
- Midterm Reflection
- Panethnicity
- Are Arabs a Race?
- Extrinsic, Intrinsic & Cultural Racisms
- Racism in the Heart
- Oppression and Institutional Racism
- Equality and Social Justice
- Equality and Respect
- Inter-culturation, Cultural Appropriation, and Commodity Fetishism
- Screening: Free Angela and All Political Prisoners . Directed by Shola Lynch. Color, 102 min. 2012.
- Racial Profiling
- The Case for Reparations
- Short Student Presentations
Readings
- Boxill, Bernard, ed. Race and Racism . Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN: 9780198752677.
- Mills, Charles W. The Racial Contract . Cornell University Press, 1999. ISBN: 9780801484636.
- Shelby, Tommie. We Who Are Dark: The Philosophical Foundations of Black Solidarity . Belknap Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780674025714.
- Zack, Naomi. Philosophy of Science and Race . Routledge, 2002. ISBN: 9780415941648.
- [BB] = Boxill, Bernard, ed. Race and Racism . Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN: 9780198752677.
- [M] = Mills, Charles W. The Racial Contract . Cornell University Press, 1999. ISBN: 9780801484636.
- [S] = Shelby, Tommie. We Who Are Dark: The Philosophical Foundations of Black Solidarity . Belknap Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780674025714.
- [Z] = Zack, Naomi. Philosophy of Science and Race . Routledge, 2002. ISBN: 9780415941648.
- SES #: 1 · TOPICS: Introduction · READINGS: No readings assigned
- SES #: 3 · TOPICS: “Our” Concept of Race · READINGS: [BL] Chapter 6: “‘Race’: A Brief History, with Moral Implications.”
- Kitcher, Philip. “Race, Ethnicity, Biology, Culture.” Chapter 4 in Racism: Key Concepts in Critical Theory . Edited by Leonard Harris. Humanity Books, 1999. ISBN: 9781573926393.
- Haslanger, Sally. “Gender and Social Construction: Who? What? When? Where? How?” In Theorizing Feminisms: A Reader . Edited by Elizabeth Hackett and Sally Haslanger. Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780195150094.
- Hacking, Ian. “Making Up People.” In Reconstructing Individualism: Autonomy, Individuality, and the Self in Western Thought . Edited by Thomas C. Heller, Morton Sosna, et al. Stanford University Press, 1986. ISBN: 9780804712910.
- Jamal, Amaney. “Conclusion: Arab American Racialization.” Chapter 12 in Race and Arab Americans Before and After 9/11: From Invisible Citizens to Visible Subjects . Edited by Amaney Jamal and Nadine Naber. Syracuse University Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780815631774.
- [BL] Chapter 1: “‘Racism’: It’s Core Meaning.”
- Appiah, Kwame Anthony. “Racisms.” Chapter 1 in Anatomy of Racism . Edited by David Theo Goldberg. University of Minnesota Press, 1990. ISBN: 9780816618040.
- [BB] Modood, Tariq. Chapter 9 in “‘Difference’, Cultural Racism and Anti-Racism.”
- [BB] Garcia, J. L. A. “The Heart of Racism.” Chapter 10.
- MacKinnon, Barbara. “Economic Justice.” Chapter 13 in Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues . 6th ed. Wadsworth Publishing, 2007.
- Nozick, Robert. “Justice does Not Imply Equality.” Chapter 10 in Equality: Selected Readings . Edited by Louis P. Pojman and Robert Westmoreland. Oxford University Press, 1997.
- Lucas, J. R. “Against Equality.” Chapter 11 in Equality: Selected Readings . Edited by Louis P. Pojman and Robert Westmoreland. Oxford University Press, 1997.
- Benn, Stanley I. “Egalitarianism and the Equal Consideration of Interests.” Chapter 12 in Equality: Selected Readings . Edited by Louis P. Pojman and Robert Westmoreland. Oxford University Press, 1997.
- Note: This session was taught by guest lecturer Jerome Hodges
- Alexander, Michelle. “Introduction.” In The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness . The New Press, 2012. ISBN: 9781595586438.
- Davis, Angela Y. Are Prisons Obsolete? Seven Stories Press, 2003. ISBN: 9781583225813.
- Note: The Rosen reading also contained a video of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Jeffrey Goldberg discussing Coates’ article “The Case for Reparations.” The class watched a clip from the video and then had an open discussion based on questions provided in this session’s lecture notes.
- hooks, bell. “gangsta culture: a piece of the action.” Chapter 2 in We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity . Routledge, 2003. ISBN: 9780415969277.
Prerequisites & course information
Subject meets with 24.236 Prereq: One philosophy subject or permission of instructor G (Spring) 3-0-9 units
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Fall 2014
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.