Instructor: Ms. Sheila Huff
Office: Faner Hall 3423 Phone: 453-7623 Email: huffs@siu.edu
Office hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00 – 11:30 and by appointment

Teaching Assistant: Mr. Ahmet Uysal Office: Faner Hall 4421

Required Texts:

Schaefer, Richard T. Racial and Ethnic Groups (8th Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Browne, M. Neil and Stuart M. Keeley. 2003. A Prentice Hall Guide to Evaluating Online Resources, Sociology 2003. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

http://www.researchnavigator.com/index.html “Starting Writing”, “Research Writing in the Disciplines” and “Writing the Research Paper”

Section I: Course Objectives
This course examines the status of racial, ethnic, and cultural minority groups from historical, economic, and political perspectives. It is designed to expand your knowledge of theory, research, and current events in regards to the relations of race, ethnicity, gender and class in the United States. It is the intent of this course to introduce key topics, stimulate individual thought, and enhance the understanding of group interactions in American society.

Students will be able to (1) demonstrate an understanding of such sociological concepts as assimilation, pluralism, ascribed and achieved status, prejudice and discrimination; (2) display basic knowledge of historical, socioeconomic, and political demographics of various racial/ethnic groups in the United States; (3) demonstrate critical thinking and understanding about different theories and perspectives pertaining to race, class, gender, and sexuality, and (4) apply sociological concepts for the analysis of race and ethnicity to personal and/or familial experience.

DETAILED COURSE DESCRIPTION: The United States is an increasingly diverse society as witnessed by the changing demographics of race and ethnic relations. White-ethnics, who have historically been the majority, will be in the minority by 2038. Latinos will surpass African Americans as the most numerous minority group about that same time. It is getting harder to think of American racial issues in terms of "black and white." To be effective citizens, all students will need exposure to the sociology, history and culture of a variety of ethno-racial groups. Further, it is important for citizens in this globalizing world to understand how gender and class may shape people's experiences of race-ethnicity. Along with the academic content, the course will also focus on providing students with skills for effective communicating on these topics. Among the substantive areas covered will be the history of the European colonization of North America, the expansion of the United States and the dynamics of immigration, the processes of identity formation among ethno-racial groups and its contribution to processes of prejudice and discrimination among all groups), and the economic and political contexts of racism.

Section II: Expectations, Course Etiquette and Caveats

1. Students will be on time for class. If you must be late or have to leave early, sit near the door. I do not look favorably upon students who are consistently late, nor do I look favorably upon students who consistently leave class before I release the class.
2. You are strongly encouraged not to miss an exam. Make-up exams will be in the form of an essay exam and will be given on May 1, 2003.
3. ALL assignments must be typed and double-spaced and STAPLED! I will not accept papers that do not meet these minimum requirements
4. All assignments will be turned in at the start of class when I call for them. I will not accept late papers. Do not assume that you can turn in an assignment in my mailbox and receive credit for it, unless previously approved by me.
5. Any electronic communication devices, such as beepers, cell phones, pagers, etc., must be disabled upon entering the lecture hall and for the duration of the class period.
6. Do not bring food into the classroom. Beverages are permissible.
7. I do not tolerate cheating. Any student caught cheating will receive a “zero” for the assignment and may face expulsion from the course.
8. Plagiarism, stealing or using the ideas of another as one’s own, will not be tolerated. Evidence of plagiarism will result in a score of zero/“F” for the assignment.
9. You are responsible for all information in the textbook, additional readings, lectures, and group presentations. We do not have time to discuss in class every issue in the text and readings, but you are still responsible for the information in the readings.
10. It is ultimately your responsibility to read, ask questions, and to attend class regularly. I recommend that you read and outline each chapter and if something is not covered to your satisfaction during lectures, schedule a time to meet with me so that we can discuss your questions or concerns.
11. A word about electronic communication. You should consider email a last resort for communicating with me. If you have concerns or questions, see me before or after class to schedule a time that we can meet, or come to my office during office hours.
12. I make three assumptions about you. First, I assume that you are here to learn. Learning is hard work, and second, I assume that you are willing to do the work required in this course. Finally, I assume that you are adults and will treat you as such. I also expect that you treat each other with respect and dignity, even if you disagree with someone’s opinion or views. You have at least four instructors in this course: your textbook/readings; the instructor; the TA; and one another. Ultimately, you are responsible for your education and learning. How well you use these resources is up to you! I wish you a successful semester!!

Section III: Course Requirements and Grading

Exam 1 100
Exam 2 100
Homework 1 10
Journal analysis/summary 50
Homework 2 10
Research Paper 100
Presentation 30
Total Possible Points 400

Overview of Course Grading:
à Two exams (100 points each). Examinations may be composed of
multiple-choice, true-false, short answer, or essay questions or any combination thereof. Examinations will include materials contained in the text, provided in lecture, contained in outside readings, and from guest speakers and class discussions.
à Journal article analysis/summary (50 points). You will analyze and summarize a journal article. See below for requirements and grading rubric. The articles can be located in Morris Library in the journal stacks or you can access the journal by logging onto http://www.researchnavigator.com/index.html using your access code provided in your textbook A Prentice Hall Guide to Evaluating Online Resources, Sociology 2003.
à Two Homework Assignments: 10 points each. Topics and dates to be announced.
à Research paper (100 points). There is a research component for this course. I will partner students and will assign the dyad a topic. Students will write an 8-10 page research paper. See below for further guidelines and grading rubric.
à Class Presentation (30) Each member of the class will present a 5 minute presentation based on information gathered while writing the research paper. See below for further guidelines and the presentation grading rubric.
à Attendance. Attendance is required. You can miss up 3 classes. After the third absence your final grade will be reduced by 1 percent for each day missed. If you have to be away because of official university business, personal illness or illness/death of an immediate family member (i.e. mother, father, grandparent, sibling, partner, or child), you will not be penalized, if and only if you provide documentation of the absence. An email informing me of your absence does not count as documentation.
à Extra Credit. I will provide extra credit opportunities throughout the semester. You have until the last class day to turn in extra credit. Extra credit assignments must be at least one page, typed, and double-spaced. I will evaluate extra credit work on how well you apply and define concepts from the class and demonstrate their relevance to the topic. Each assignment is worth up to 4 points. You can earn a maximum of 12 extra credit points (3.0% of your total grade) throughout the semester. Please note that extra credit is not a substitute for other course requirements.

SECTION IV: Explanation of assignments

Assignment One: Journal Analysis/Summary

Select one of the following articles to read. You will most likely need a couple of days to read and interpret the article. After reading the article, write a paper that answers the questions at the bottom of this page.
Articles:
Anderson, Alan B. 2001. “The Complexity of Ethnic Identities: A Postmodern Reevaluation.” Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research. 1(3):209-223.

Armstrong, Ketra L. 1999. “Nike’s Communication with Black Audiences: A Sociological Analysis of Advertising Effectiveness via Symbolic Interactionism.” Journal of Sport & Social Issues 23(3):266-286

Kunovich, Robert and Randy Hodson. 1999. “Conflict, Religious Identity, and Ethnic Intolerance in Croatia.” Social Forces 78(2):643-674.

McVeigh, Rory. 1999. “Structural Incentives for Conservative Mobilization: Power Devaluation and the Rise of the Ku Klux Klan, 1915-1925. Social Forces 77(4)1641-1496.

Santoro, Wayne A. 1999. “Conventional Politics Takes Center Stage: The Latino Struggle against English-Only Laws.” Social Forces 77(3):887-909.

Journal Analysis Assignment:

1. Using the APA format provided in your textbook A Prentice Hall Guide to Evaluating Online Resources provide the appropriate citation for the article you read.
2. What is the thesis sentence or statement?
3. What theory does the author employ? Provide evidence from the article to support your claim.
4. Which paradigmatic tradition (functionalism, conflict, symbolic interactionism) does the article promote? Discuss how the theory is an example of a particular paradigm. Provide evidence from the article to support your claim.
5. What key concepts does the author use to advance his/her thesis? Provide at least two properly cited quotes or other evidence from the article to support your answer.
6. Discuss how the author advances the thesis in order to draw a conclusion? (compare/contrast; opinion, empirical evidence; logic; history; combination)
7. Write a summary of the article. Do not exceed one typed page.
8. Compare and contrast the thesis with/to the author’s own conclusion.
9. Select from 9a-9e the corresponding question for your journal article:
9a. How many citations are on page 215, para. 1 of the Anderson journal article?
9b.How many citations are on page 266, para. 1 of the Armstrong journal article?
9c. How many citations are on page 648, para. 2 of the Kunovich/Hodson journal article?
9d. How many citations are on page 1463, para. 3 of the McVeigh journal article?
9e. How many citations are on page 891, para. 3 of the Santoro journal article?
10. Why are these citations used? Do you find it surprising the number of citations used in the paragraph? What does the number of citations represent?
11. Provide the direct quote for the first sentence of the literature review. Be sure to cite the quote properly according to the APA style.
12. How many total sources does the author use in her/his paper?

Assignment Two: Research Paper

Each student must write or participate in the writing of a research paper on a topic assigned by the professor. The goal of this paper is to provide you with practice in applying abstract concepts, researching a topic, and thinking critically about a subject. The students must narrow the assigned topic, use at least 5 academic journal articles, write the paper, and present results from the research. Be sure to consult http://www.researchnavigator.com/index.html “Starting Writing,” “Writing the Research Paper” if you need help in getting started.

Research Paper Grading Criteria

Criteria Possible Awarded
Points
Thesis statement/Controlling idea? 5 _____
Does chapter correspond to thesis statement? 10 _____
Are 5 academic sources used as body of paper?
Or does student rely on non-academic sources? 20 _____
Are sources summarized clearly, concisely and in a
way that demonstrates student has mastered the
topic/concepts/issues? 25 _____
Articles integrated and woven together, indicating
topic is narrow and well-defined/researched. 23 _____
Concepts defined/explained/examples 12 _____
Clear summary of findings/conclusion 5 _____
SUB TOTAL 100 ________

# of grammar errors _______ x 3 = -______
No or incomplete references -25 -_______
# Inconsistent citations _______x 5 = -_______
Plagiarism -100 - ______
Other - ______
TOTAL ______________

Research Paper/Presentation Topics:
1. American Jewish Identity
2. Orthodox Judaism
3. Conservative Judaism
4. Reform Judaism
5. Anti-Semitism
6. Liberal Feminism
7. Suffrage movement (no biographies)
8. Black feminist thought
9. Glass ceiling
10. Women in the American Civil Rights Movement (no biographies)
11. Pay Inequity or Pay equity
12. Colonization and Mexico
13. Status of women in Mexico
14. Mexican Racism
15. Racism in the Chiapas
16. Zapatista Revolution
17. Aboriginals and Canada
18. Quebec and assimilation
19. Blacks in Canada
20. Civil Rights Movement in Ireland
21. The Great Irish Famine of 1847 and immigration to the U.S.
22. British colonization and Ireland
23. Zionism and the Zionist movement
24. Establishment of Israel as a state
25. Intifada
26. History of Apartheid
27. Colonization of S. Africa
28. Social construction of race in S. Africa
29. The role of Nelson Mandela as a social movement leader
30. Healthcare and elderly
31. Elderly and poverty
32. Labeling and the disabled (Goffman and stigma)
33. Social construction of homosexuality
34. Compulsory heterosexuality or heterosexism (hetero normativity)
35. Nationalism and Kosovo
36. Ethnicity and ethnic cleansing in Bosnia

Assignment Three: Class Presentation

Each student will present findings from her/his research. This does not mean read the entire research paper to the class. The goal of this is to provide students with experience in selecting information to present, organizing the information, deciding how it will best be received and then executing the plan. Each student will present not less than 4 minutes and not more than 6 minutes and will use at least one visual aid. Finally, each student will submit at least one multiple choice question with answer to me prior to the presentation. The presentation must provide the audience with the answer. I will use the questions submitted to me as part of the final exam.

Presentation Grading Rubric
Presenter: ______________________ Group: _________________
Possible Points Awarded
End Time _____
Start time _____
Total ______ 3 ______
Introduction/thesis 3 ______
Was presenter prepared? 3 ______
Could presenter be heard? 3 ______
Speaker Pacing 3 ______
Visual aids used 2 ______
Eye contact with audience? 3 ______
Presentation easy to follow? 3 ______
Too much material
Not enough material
Right amount of material 2 ______
Reliance on aids/prompts? 2 ______
Distracting Motions/gestures 1 ______
Conclusion 2 ______
TOTAL 30 ______

Section V: Provisional Course Schedule/Readings

Week 1:
Jan 13: Introduction and course overview.

Jan 15: LECTURE: “Prejudice: Stereotypes”
READING: Schaefer, pp. 50-54

Jan 17: LECTURE: “What is a minority group?”
READING: Schaefer, pp. 3-12

Week 2:
Jan 20: No Class!
READING:
1) Marx and Engels: Selected Works in Two Volumes, Volume II; “The Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx. Sections I, II, and IV or pages 33-51 and 60-61.

Jan 22: LECTURE: “How we study minority groups: Functionalism and Conflict Theories.”
READING: Schaefer, pp. 16- the middle of page 20.

Jan 24: LECTURE: “Conflict Perspective: Marxism and critiques”
READING:
1) W.E.B. DuBois “Marxism and the Negro Problem”

WEEK 3
Jan 27: LECTURE: “The Social Construction of Reality and Race”
READINGS:
1) Schaefer, pp. Bottom of 14-16 and middle of 20-22
2)** On reserve in Morris Library: “The Geometer of Race,” by Stephen Jay Gould. Discover Magazine, November 1994, pp. 65-69.
3) **On Reserve in Morris Library: Race, Class, and Gender in the United States by Paula S. Rothenberg. Article “Racial Formations” by Michael Omi and Howard Winant, pp. 13-22.
4) ** On Reserve in Morris Library: Montagu, Ashley. The Idea of Race. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska. Pp. 1-41.

Jan 29: LECTURE: “Ethnicity in the United States”
READING: Schaefer pp. 133-mid 138 and 141-152

Jan 31: LECTURE: “Creation of subordinate-group status: Blauner, Noel & Social Change”
READING: Schaefer pp. 22-35

WEEK 4
Feb 3: LECTURE: Social-Psychological Perspectives of Prejudice
READINGS:
1) Schaefer, pp. 39-49 (top) and 54-69
2) On Reserve in Morris Library: Race, Class, and Gender in the United States by Paula Rothenberg, pp.519-528, “Blaming the Victim” by William Ryan.

Feb 5: LECTURE: “Sociological Perspectives of Prejudice.”
READINGS:
1) Schaefer, pp. 49-50 (bottom)
2) **On Reserve in Morris Library Bonacich, Edna. 1972. “A Theory of Ethnic Antagonism: The Split Labor Market” 547-559 in American Sociological Review, volume 37(October):547-559.

Feb 7: LECTURE: Lecture: “Understanding Discrimination: from personal to institutional”
READING: Schaefer, pp 74-78
On reserve in Morris Library: In Race, Class, and Gender in the United States by Paula Rothenberg, Pp. 150-154, “Racism: Something about the Subject Makes It Hard to Name.” by Gloria Yamato.

WEEK 5
Feb 10: LECTURE: “Is it race or is it social class? William Julius Wilson’s views”
READINGS:
1) Schaefer, pp. 78-83
2) ** On Reserve in Morris Library: William Julius Wilson, “The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy”, pp. 560-567, from Social Stratification in Sociological Perspective, edited by David B. Grusky. Boulder, CO: Westview. 1994
3) ** On Reserve in Morris Library In Race, Class, and Gender in the United States by Paula Rothenberg, Pp. 67-73 “Deconstructing the Underclass” by Herbert Gans

Feb 12: LECTURE: “Measuring Discrimination and reducing discrimination”
READINGS: Schaefer, pp. 83-101
Http://www.researchnavigator.com/index.html “Starting Writing”, “Research Writing in the Disciplines”

Feb 14: LECTURE: “Immigration: Historical epochs”
READINGS: Schaefer, pp. 105-117
Http://www.researchnavigator.com/index.html “Starting Writing”, “Writing the Research Paper”

WEEK 6
Feb 17: LECTURE: “Contemporary immigration and economic consequences”
READINGS:
1) Schaefer, pp. 117-130
2) **On Reserve in Morris Library In Race, Class, and Gender in the United States by Paula Rothenberg, Pp. 125-128 “Five Myths about Immigration” by David Cole

Feb 19: Lecture: “Native Americans: The contact situation”
READINGS: Schaefer, pp. 169-176

Feb 21: LECTURE: “Native Americans: Ruled by Whites”
READINGS: Schaefer, pp.176-187
Ø JOURNAL ARTICLE ANALYSIS DUE AT START OF CLASS

WEEK 7
Feb 24: Video: “Leonard Peltier”
Feb 26: Video: Continued.
Feb 28: Exam Preparation Day

WEEK 8
Ø Mar 3 EXAM 1

Mar 5: LECTURE: “Social Movements: The Civil Rights Movement”
READINGS: Schaefer, pp. 213-219
1) Schaefer, pp. 205-213
2) A Prentice Hall Guide to Evaluating Online Resources, pp. 25-78

Mar 7: LECTURE: “Social movements and change”
READINGS: Schaefer, pp. 219-233

WEEK 9
Mar 8-16: SPRING BREAK!!

WEEK 10
Mar 17: LECTURE: “African Americans today”
READINGS: Schaefer, pp. 237-267
March 17, 2003 LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW FROM A COURSE!

Mar 19: LECTURE: “Cuban Americans”
READING: Schaefer, pp. 283-288

Mar 21: LECTURE: “Puerto Rican Americans”
READING: Schaefer, pp. 304-314

WEEK 11
Mar 24: LECTURE: “Mexican Americans”
READING: Schaefer, pp. 295-304 and 314-323

Mar 26: LECTURE: “Language and identity”
READINGS:
1) Schaefer, pp. 272-282
2) **On reserve in Morris Library: From: Race, Class, and Gender in the United States by Paula Rothenberg, pp. 397-306, Aria: A Bilingual Childhood by Richard Rodriguez.

Mar 28: LECTURE: “Central and South Americans”
READINGS: Schaefer, pp. 288-291

WEEK 12
Mar 31: LECTURE: “Model Minority Image”
READING: Schaefer, pp. 325-334

Apr 1: LECTURE: “Chinese Americans”
READING: Schaefer, pp. 355-364

Apr 3: LECTURE: “Japanese Americans”
READING: Schaefer, pp. 364-377

WEEK 13
Apr 7: Student Presentation Preparation
READING: Schaefer, pp. 381-388

Apr 9: Student Presentations (4, 10-12 minute presentations)
READING: Schaefer, pp. 388-396

Apr 11: Student Presentations (4, 10-12 minute presentations)
READING: Schaefer, pp. 396-409
Ø RESEARCH PAPERS DUE AT THE START OF CLASS

WEEK 14
Apr 14: Student Presentations (4, 10-12 minute presentations)
READING: Schaefer, pp. 413-421

Apr 16: Student Presentations (4, 10-12 minute presentations)
READING: Schaefer, pp. 421-437

Apr 18: Student Presentations (4, 10-12 minute presentations)
READING: Schaefer, pp. 441-448

WEEK 15
Apr 21: Student Presentations (4, 10-12 minute presentations)
READING: Schaefer, pp. 448-458

Apr 23: Student Presentations (4, 10-12 minute presentations)
READING: Schaefer, pp. 458-469

Apr 25: Student Presentations (4, 10-12 minute presentations)
READING: Schaefer, pp. 473-481

WEEK 16
Apr 28: Student Presentations (4, 10-12 minute presentations)
READING: Schaefer, pp. 481-487

Apr 30: Student Presentations (3, 10-12 minute presentations)
READING: Schaefer, pp. 487-497

May 2: Concluding Remarks and exam preparation

Ø May 6, 2003, Tuesday, 7:50-9:50 EXAM II (Final)