Socy 321 Fred L. Pincus
Fall 2000
OFFICE HOURS: 353 ACIV
M,W,F 12-1 AND
BY APPOINTMENT
PHONE: (410)455-2079
E-MAIL pincus@umbc.edu
The goal of this course is to provide students with an understanding of race and ethnic relations in the United States. Although we will discuss general principles of race and ethnic relations, we will focus mainly on black-white relations in the past ten years. Current events will be discussed when relevant. There will be some historical material and some discussion of other groups.
Those who study race and ethnic relations have a variety of perspectives and students will be expected to learn different ways of looking at the same issue. Students must understand the different perspectives but they will not be required to select one perspective over another.
Finally, class participation is a must. All students are expected to attend regularly, to ask questions and to offer their opinions and comments on the issues that are discussed. However, this is not an encounter group and students are not expected to reveal their innermost feelings. Disagreements are encouraged; name-calling and put-downs are discouraged.
REQUIRED TEXT:
Fred. L. Pincus and Howard. J. Ehrlich Race and Ethnic Conflict: Contending Views on Prejudice, Discrimination and Ethnoviolence, Second Edition . Westview, 1999.
COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
(Unless otherwise specified, all reading assignments are in Pincus and Ehrlich.)
Sept. 1,6,8 : INTRODUCTION
P & E "Introduction" (1-7)
P & E "The Study of Race and Ethnic Relations" (11-13)
Ferrante and Brown
"Classifying People by Race" (14-23)
B. Blauner "Talking Past Each Other: Black and White Languages of Race" (30-40)
Sept. 11,13,15,18: PREJUDICE
P & E "Prejudice" (61-64)
J. Jones "The Changing Nature of Prejudice" (65-76)
B.M. Roth "Racism and Traditional American Values" (77-88)
C. Gallagher "White Racial Formation: Into the Twenty-First Century" (24-29)
QUIZ 1 DUE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
Films: "Not in Our Town;" (LIB)
"Nightline: America in Black and White" (LIB)
(Note: Films will be shown in class and will not be covered on quiz.)
Sept. 20, 22: THEORY
J.F. Feagin and C.B. Feagin
"Theoretical Perspectives in Race and Ethnic Relations" (41-59)
M. Gordon "Models of Pluralism" (239-246)
QUIZ 2 DUE WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
SEPTEMBER 25,27,29: DISCRIMINATION AND ECONOMICS (1)
P & E "Discrimination, Economic Restructuring and Underclass Culture" (89-96)
L.E. Harrison "How Cultural Values Shape Economic Success." (97-109)
F.L. Pincus "From Individual to Structural Discrimination" (120-124)
P & E "Statistical Appendix (461-464)
(Note: Appendix not on quiz. Bring book to class.)
QUIZ 3 DUE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
OCTOBER 2,4,6: DISCRIMINATION AND ECONOMICS (2)
W.J. Wilson "Social Changes and Vulnerable Neighborhoods" (110-119)
D.S.Massey "America's Apartheid and the Urban Underclass" (125-139)
H.J. Ehrlich "Reporting Ethnoviolence: Newspaper Treatment of Race and Ethnic Conflict." (319-330)
QUIZ 4 DUE MONDAY, OCTOBER 2
OCTOBER 9,11,13: DISCRIMINATION AND ECONOMICS (3)
M. Bendick, et al.
"Measuring Employment Discrimination Through Controlled Experiments." (140-151)
J. Kirschenman and K. Neckerman
"'We'd Love to Hire Them, But....': The Meaning of Race for Employers." (152-161)
K.J. Hosssfeld
"Hiring Immigrant Women: Silicon Valley's Simple Solution." (162-179)
QUIZ 5 DUE MONDAY, OCTOBER 9
OCTOBER 16,18,20,23: DISCRIMINATION AND ECONOMICS (4)
J. Moore and R. Pinderhughes
"Latinos and Discrimination." (180-194)
P.G. Min "Major Issues Relating to Asian American Experiences." (195-204)
F.L. Pincus "The Case for Affirmative Action." (205-221)
QUIZ 6 DUE MONDAY, OCTOBER 16
Film: "The Assault on Affirmative Action" (LIB)
Hand out take-home essay on October 18.
OCTOBER 25 EXAM 1
OCTOBER 27: Film: "The Good, the Bad, the Illegal" (LIB)
OCTOBER 30, NOVEMBER 1,3: IMMIGRATION
P&E "Immigration" (223-228)
S.Sassen "America's Immigration 'Problem'" (229-238)
P.Brimelow "Alien Nation." (247-256)
D.Cole "Five Myths About Immigration." (257-259)
QUIZ 7 DUE MONDAY, OCTOBER 30
NOVEMBER 6,8,10: POLITICS (1)
P & E "Electoral Politics or Direct Action" (355-357)
S.Thernstrom and A. Thernstrom
"Politics" (359-375)
H. Zinn "Representative Government: The Black Experience" (376-390)
D.Toler "Black Conservatives" (391-400)
QUIZ 8 DUE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6
NOVEMBER 13,15,17: POLITICS (2)
M. Toney "Power Concedes Nothing Without a Demand? Building Multiracial Organizations With Direct Action." (401-409)
E.O'Brien "Privileged Polemics: White Antiracist Activists"(411-425)
A.L. Ferber "The White Supremacist Movement in the United States Today." (346-354)
QUIZ 9 DUE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13
NOVEMBER 20,22: EDUCATION (1)
P&E "Education" (271-276)
H.J. Ehrlich "Campus Ethnoviolence" (277-290)
T. Sowell "'New Racism' and Old Dogmatism." (291-304)
QUIZ 10 DUE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20
NOVEMBER 27,29, DECEMBER 1: EDUCATION (2)
R.Takaki "Multiculturalism: Battleground or Meeting Ground?" (305-315)
M.Long "Ebonics, Language and Power" (331-345)
QUIZ 11 DUE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27
DECEMBER 4,6,8,11,13: CHANGE
P&E "Change" (427-428)
D.D'Souza "Rethinking Racism" (429-435)
A.Salz and J.Trubowitz
"It Was All of Us Working Together: Resolving Racial and Ethnic Tension on College Campuses." (436-445)
C.Jaret "Changing the Whole System" (446-460)
QUIZ 12 DUE MONDAY, DECEMBER 4
Tolerance Project Due December 6.
DECEMBER 18 EXAM 2
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
During the semester there will be two required exams, twelve required take-home quizzes and one optional Tolerance Project. Each of these assignments are described below:
Take-home quizzes (100 Points) The quizzes are intended to motivate students to do the weekly reading assignments and to evaluate how well the students understand the readings. Therefore, the quizzes will be due before the readings are discussed in class. The three questions for the quiz will always be the same:
1. What is one thing that you learned and/or didn't know before? Explain why this is important.
2. What is one thing that you disagree with and explain why?
3. What is one thing that you didn't understand and explain why?
You must answer all three questions. Each question must be answered from a different reading. In Quiz 1, for example, if you answered the first question using the Jones reading, you must answer the other two questions from other readings. The world limit for each quiz is 300 words, about 100 words per question.
Written answers to the questions, not to exceed 300 words, will be due at the start of class on September 11. NO LATE QUIZZES WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR ANY REASON, INCLUDING ILLNESS, APPOINTMENTS, CAR ACCIDENTS, ETC. STUDENTS MAY NOT HAND IN THE QUIZ IF THEY DID NOT ATTEND THE ENTIRE CLASS ON THE DATE THE QUIZ IS DUE. This same process will be followed for the remainder of the semester as indicated on the syllabus.
There will be twelve quizzes during the semester and each will be graded on an pass/unacceptable basis. Acceptable quizzes must 1)discuss at least three of the assigned readings; and 2)provide sufficient detail within the word limit. Students who turn in 10 acceptable quizzes will get an "A+" (100 points) for the quiz section of the course. Nine acceptable quizzes results in a "A" (90 points), eight acceptable quizzes results in a "B" (80 points) and seven acceptable quizzes means a "C" (70 points) and six acceptable quizzes results in a "D" (60 points). Once again, no late quizzes will be accepted for any reason. In addition, students may not hand in the quiz if they do not attend the class that it is due.
Students should plan to hand in Quiz 1 and all subsequent quizzes until the desired grade is reached. Do not wait! For example, if you want an "A+" and begin with Quiz 3, you can theoretically hand in 10 quizzes. However, if you miss class for any reason (illness, car trouble, accidents, work, family emergencies, etc), you will not be able to hand in that week's quiz and you will be eligible to hand in only 9 quizzes rather than the 10 needed for an "A+." Plan ahead! The extra 10 points that you get for handing in 10 quizzes is the closest thing to "extra credit" that exists in the course.
Exams (200 points) Each of the two exams will be worth 100 points. Exam 1, given on October 25, will cover all the material up to and including the material discussed on October 23. Part 1, answered in class, will consist of short-answer questions pertaining to the materials in the lectures, class discussions and films. Part II will consist of an essay question which will be completed at home. The essay will be given out on October 18 and will be due on October 25. The second exam, to be given on Dec. 18, will cover all the material in the second half of the course. It will also consist of short answers and an essay, but all work will be done in class; i.e., there will be no take-home assignment.
Students must take the exams on the day on which they are scheduled unless extraordinary circumstances arise and the instructor is notified in advance. Students must arrange a make-up exam within a week. Students who do not notify the instructor in advance also have a week to make-up the exam but they will be assessed a 10-point penalty. This will probably mean that the student will get a score that is one full grade lower.
Tolerance Project (100 points) Students who want an A or B in the course must turn in this assignment. First, select two people who you believe do not have tolerant views about race and ethnic relations. The people can be members of any race and ethnic group. Students should arrange to have a discussion with each person, separately. The goal is to try to utilize what you have learned in the course to encourage them to become more tolerant. Each discussion should be at least 20 minutes long. Students do not have to succeed in convincing the person to be more tolerant.
After the discussions, students should write up their experiences in a paper that is between 1000 and 1200 words. The paper should include the following:
1. A brief description of the people you talked with including age, sex, race/ethnicity, occupation. Which group(s) were the people intolerant of?
2. A summary of the discussions. What types of issues did the person raise and how did you try to counter these issues?
3. Which course materials did you use or could you have used in trying to promote tolerance? Which course materials helped you to understand these two people better? Be sure to cite specific readings, lectures, films, etc. This section should constitute at least half of your paper. If you found that none of the course material was helpful, explain why.
4. How did you feel during the discussions? Was this an easy or a difficult assignment? Was it a pleasant or unpleasant experience?
In writing the paper, you may write two separate 500-600 word essays, one for each person, or you may write one single 1000-1200 word essay incorporating both discussions. Do not exceed 1200 words. Whichever form you select, be sure to include all of the four points cited above.
The grade on this assignment will depend upon several factors. First, and most important, did the student show how the course material was relevant to their discussions. Your answer to #3 above should constitute at least half of your paper. Be sure to cite specific course materials and explain how they were relevant. Second, was the student thoughtful about the dialogue with the two individuals. This would involve answers to questions 2 and 4 above.
The Tolerance Project is due December 6. Late papers will be accepted until Dec. 13 but a 10-point penalty (one full letter grade) will be assessed. Doing the Tolerance Project will not automatically guarantee an A or B since it will be graded on an A - F basis. Not doing the Tolerance Project means that the student can get no higher than a C in the course.
Attendance Since the class involves a lot of participation, regular attendance is essential. Students are expected to come on time and stay for the entire class. You may not hand in a quiz if you do not attend class. Therefore, an attendance sheet will be passed around each day. Attendance will count for 25 points. This can have a significant impact if students fall on the borderline between two final grades.
Participation Active student participation makes the class more interesting and increases student learning. Students who regularly make several comments in almost every class will receive a "bonus" of 10 points toward the final grade. Students who make single comments in most classes or who make multiple comments in approximately half the classes will receive a "bonus" of 5 points. The bonus points will be added on to the student' total score and could make an important difference if a student is on the borderline between two grades.
Pass-Fail Students taking the course on a "pass-fail" basis must receive the equivalent of a "C" or better to receive a grade of "pass." Students who elect the "pass-fail" option and do not receive enough points to receive a "C" or better will get a "fail" grade.
To review, the value of the various assignments is as follows:
Quizzes ..............................................100 points
2 exams @100 points.........................200 points
1 Tolerance Project ............................100 points
Attendance............................................25 points
Final grades will be based on the total number of points accumulated over the semester. For each assignment, an A will receive approximately 90% of the possible points for that assignment. A B will receive approximately 80% of the possible points, a C will receive approximately 70% and a D approximately 60%. The number of points on each assignment will be totaled to achieve the student's final score. So, an A will be approximately 90% of the total possible points, a B will be approximately 80%, a C will be 70% and a D will be approximately 60%.
Final grades will based on the number of points accumulated for the following assignments:
A Number of acceptable quizzes, 2 exams, the Tolerance Project and attendance;
B Number of acceptable quizzes, 2 exams, the Tolerance Project and attendance;
C Number of acceptable quizzes, 2 exams and attendance; if a Tolerance Project is completed, it will be included. Students taking the course on a "pass/fail basis must complete the "C" requirements.
D Number of acceptable quizzes, 2 exams and attendance/participation; if a Tolerance Project is completed, it will be included.
Bonus points will be added to the student's total score. It is important to remember that simply doing a Tolerance Project will not necessarily raise a student's grade since the Tolerance Project itself will be graded on an A through F basis just like the other assignments.
Films Students who are not in class when films are shown can make arrangements to see them. Films followed by "AV" are available in Audio Visual Services in 204 ACIV. Films followed by "LIB" are available at the Media Desk in the library.