ETHNICITY AND IDENTITY

Spring 2010

 

INSTRUCTOR: William Johnson

 

OFFICE AND HOURS:� hour before class on Tuesdays and Thursdays by appointment or walk in, Room S 203 A, Wharton Campus

 

REQUIRED TEXT:�� Race and Ethnicity in the United States, Schaefer, 5th Edition, Prentice Hall

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:This course is designed to give the student an in depth understanding of race and ethnicity.It introduces the basic sociological concepts relevant to the study of race and ethnic relations in the United States. It provides a framework in order to explore and interpret the history and impact of race and ethnic relations in American life while exploring emotionally charged aspects of both, such as prejudice, affirmative action, discrimination, immigration.Its most basic goals are

1)     to help the student develop and understand minority group life based on race and ethnicity in the United States culture

2)     to help the student assess the positive and negative aspects of race and ethnic relations in America

3)     to help the student in self assessment of his/her knowledge and attitudes about race and ethnic groups within the United States.

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:By the end of this course, the student should be able to:

1)     understand the basic concepts of vocabulary that are utilized in the study of race and ethnicity,

2)     recognize family, social, cultural, and group influences on race and ethnic relations in the United States,

3)     identify the influences of mass media on human functioning, thought, and feelings in relation to race and ethnicity,

4)     identify the major historical perspectives and developments during the last 2 � centuries that have contributed to current race and ethnic relations in America,

5)     demonstrate knowledge of the processes involved in people�s tendency to stereotype members of minority groups

6)     demonstrate knowledge of the cultural, ethnic, and class variation that exists within American society

MEETING TIMES:This course will meet on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at the main campus in Wharton, Texas beginning at 12:15am and ending at 1:30pm.

 

EVALUATION PROCESS:There will be 4 objective examinations during the semester. Each examination will apply to 20% of the student�s grade equally a total of 80% for the final grade. The 4th examination will be comprehensive, applying to the content covered throughout the semester. A course paper on a student selected topic related to the course subject matter will complete the remaining 20% of the grade.The process of completion of this paper and its requirements will be defined for the student during the first part of the course semester.

 

Examinations will be announced at least one week ahead of time. There will be no makeup examinations offered without prior approval from the instructor.The nature of the examinations will be multiple choice, true-false, and fill in the blank questions. There may be some essay questions depending on class participation and attendance. These will be announced ahead of time.

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY:Attendance will be taken during the semester. Four unexcused absences throughout the semester will be allowed before a complete grade reduction will take place.

 

CHEATING:Cheating is a prevalent problem on college campuses nationwide. The operational definition of cheating as applied to this course is as follows:while taking an examination, information is obtained from another student or from material that a student brings to class on his/her person.If cheating occurs and is documented by the instructor, the person or persons involved will receive a �0� on the test involved.

 

HANDOUTS: There will be periodic handouts throughout the semester to supplement the text and its material. These will be important in relation to the content and questions utilized on the examinations.

 

The last day for dropping this course is April 16, 2010.

 

 

 

 

Course Outline:

 

Understanding Race and Ethnicity���������������� Chapter 1

Prejudice������������������������������������������ ��������������Chapter 2

Test #1

 

Discrimination�������������������������������������� ���������Chapter 3

Immigration and the United States���������������� Chapter 4

Test #2

 

Ethnicity and Religion����������������������������������� Chapter 5

The Nation As a Kaleidoscope���������������������� Chapter 6

Test #3

 

Additional readings as assigned

Test #4Cumulative Final over all previous chapters covered and any other material addressed during review week

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This course will attempt to cover these chapters for this semester.It is highly recommended that the chapters be read prior to discussion in class. This recommendation is based on the fact that retention of material in memory is best accomplished the second time the material is rehearsed.If the student has read the material ahead of time, the when the material is covered in class discussion, it will be more readily retained in the memory of the student.

 

I look forward to working with you this semester and hope we can enjoy and learn together about race and ethnicity in the United States.

Last Updated: 12/18/20