Even a casual observer of U.S. society would note the centrality of race and racism in
our country's politics and culture. This course is for students who want to build a critical
understanding of race, racism, and racial justice, and how these concepts connect to
politics and public policy. In the first part of the course, we will read history and social
theory to answer the most fundamental question of all: what exactly is "race" anyway?
When was the idea of race invented, by whom, how was it spread across the globe,
and, perhaps most importantly, why was "race" invented at all? What role did experts,
including biologists and philosophers, play in producing "race," and to what extent do
reasonable people today believe that race is biologically versus socially constructed?
Next, we will consider where the idea of race lives today. How do states construct racial
categories, and to what ends? How do social scientists and policymakers use race?
And how is race meaningful in our everyday lives, both as an identity (of ourselves) and
as an identification (of others)? In the final part of the course, we will transition away
from empirical studies of race and racism to the thornier normative questions that any
scholar or practitioner will ultimately be confronted with: how central do we want race
and racism to be in our society? What are the benefits and costs of focusing public
policy or social movements on ‘race' or other meaningful social categories? What is the
future of race-thinking in the U.S. and elsewhere? What is "racial justice," and how does
it differ from its parent concept, put simply, "justice"? Throughout the term we will read
across a variety of disciplines, including history, sociology, social theory, political
science, and ethnic studies. This course has been designed to have no easy answers,
and students will be exposed to a range of thought that crosses the political spectrum,
including reactionary, conservative, liberal, critical, and radical perspectives on race,
racism, and racial justice.
