Prejudice

(4 Credits)

"Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible" - Maya Angelou. Every society in the world struggles with intergroup prejudice to some degree. This colloquium explores the antecedents and consequences of (and potential remedies for) intergroup prejudice through the lens of multiple disciplines, including history, social science, literature, and the arts. It considers the perspectives of the perpetrators, targets, and observers of prejudice and discrimination and explores the following topics: the origins of prejudice, the different forms of prejudicial expression and their justifications, the conditions under which prejudice is exacerbated (or reduced), and the differential ways explicit and implicit prejudice manifests in individuals and institutions. We also discuss the burden of living in prejudicial societies, the social and psychological obstacles involved in acknowledging and confronting prejudice, and the costs associated with overcoming these obstacles.