Racial and Ethnic Politics after 1965

4 units · Undergraduate upper division (100-199)

Lecture, two and one half hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Demographers report that by 2050, the U.S. will have no racial majority. Given shifts in the population, the nation’s politics will surely change along with it. Study evaluates nature of American racial politics by focusing on histories and political dynamics surrounding the three largest racial minority groups in the U.S.: African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos. Examination of different dimensions of the American political system through perspective of each group. Use of these perspectives to understand political challenges the groups face, political interests they develop, and possible group conflicts that may occur. Exploration of how racial classification and group identity inform distinctive political perspectives and ideologies for each group, and review of debates over how minority groups can best acquire greater political power. Consideration of how race and ethnicity are relatively fluid constructs by considering how new developments introduced by features such as immigration can often change the political stakes of a given issue. P/NP or letter grading.