How to Make a Racist: Insights from South Africa

3 credits · Undergraduate

Welcome to "How to make a racist: insights from South Africa," a seminar that blends insights from developmental, cognitive, social, and cultural psychology to explore the roots of racism. Situated within the diverse context of Cape Town, South Africa, this course invites students to critically engage with the psychological factors that contribute to racial stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. The curriculum is designed to foster a deep understanding of how these factors manifest universally and diverge in the U.S. and South African contexts. This course takes a seminar and discussion format, encouraging students to delve into the scientific literature while applying concepts to real-world scenarios. The journey begins by defining key concepts such as race and racism. Then, in each class, we will explore how a key psychological factor contributes to racism (e.g., descriptive-to-prescriptive reasoning, racial essentialism). For each factor, we will explore how the influence of each factor varies between the U.S. and South African contexts.