ClassInfo

We will examine conceptual and theoretical approaches to the sociological study of ethnic and racial conflict around the globe, looking at ethnicity and race as distinctive but overlapping social constructions of collective identity that underpin patterns of social conflict and systems of power and privilege. We will also explore the difference between race and ethnicity, the various ways in which racial, ethnic, and national identities are constructed in different countries, individual versus group approaches to the study of prejudice and discrimination, the racialization of ethnic and religious groups, and genocide. In analyzing the sources of ethnic and racial conflicts in different nation-states, we will examine the role played by racism, ethnocentrism, and xenophobia, situating particular cases of conflict in North America, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and Asia in the contexts of colonialism, slavery, globalization, democratization, nation-state formation, and transnational migration. This class will also provide a broad understanding of conflict and illustrate how conflict among racial, ethnic, and national identities manifest themselves in a multitude of arenas. Finally, we will analyze different approaches to reducing ethnic and racial conflicts, including cosmopolitanism, federalism, and global governance.

Weekly Reflections (15 total): 2 points each (15x2=30 points)

In-depth Response Papers (6 total): 10 points each (10x6=60 points)

Final Project Proposal: 10 points

Final Project Sources and Summaries: 30 points

Final Poster Project: 30 points

Final Project Write Up: 30 points

Final Project Office Hours Meeting: 15 points

Final Project Class Notes: 15 points

Participation: 25 points

Total Points for the class: 250