POL 4771 is also offered in Fall 2023
POL 4771 is also offered in Fall 2021
Fall 2019 | POL 4771 Section 001: Race and Politics in America: Making Sense of Racial Attitudes in the United States (32958)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- In Person Term Based
- Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
- Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
Tue,
Thu 02:30PM - 03:45PM
UMTC, West Bank
Blegen Hall 120
- Enrollment Status:
Closed (34 of 35 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- Race continues to be one of the defining fault lines in American politics. Most obviously, the existence of racial inequality has enormous consequences for any given individual's social and economic standing. However, it also has had an enormous impact on the pattern of attitudes and beliefs which have served as the backdrop for many of society's most pressing political debates and conflicts. The purpose of this course is to provide students with an introduction to how political scientists have studied racial attitudes and the larger problem of inter-ethnic conflict in American society. We will begin with a look at the historical circumstances which have given rise to the major research questions in the area. From there, we'll look at the major research perspectives in the area, and see how well they actually explain public opinion on matters of race. In doing so, we'll also get a look at some of the major controversies in this area of study, particularly the issues of whether the "old-fashioned racism" of the pre-civil-rights era has been replaced by new forms of racism; and the degree to which debates over policy matters with no apparent link to race - such as crime and social welfare - may actually have a lot to do with racial attitudes. Finally, we will conclude by taking an informed look at racial attitudes in recent American history, focusing on how racial attitudes and their political consequences of have changed - and not changed - over the course of the Obama presidency and the tumultuous 2016 election.
- Class Notes:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?federico+POL4771+Fall2019
- Class Description:
- Race continues to be one of the defining fault lines in American politics. The purpose of this course is to provide students with an introduction to how political scientists have studied racial attitudes and the larger problem of inter-ethnic conflict in American society. We will begin with a look at the historical circumstances which have given rise to the major research questions in the area. From there, we'll look at the major research perspectives in the area, and see how well they actually explain public opinion on matters of race. In doing so, we’ll also get a look at some of the major controversies in this area of study, particularly whether the
“old-fashioned racism” of the pre-civil-rights era has been replaced by new forms of racism and the degree to which debates over policy matters with no apparent link to race—such as crime and social welfare—may actually have a lot to do with racial attitudes. Finally, we will conclude by taking a look at the question of whether the election of America’s first African-American president has ushered in a “post-racial” era.
- Grading:
- 30% Midterm Exam
35% Final Exam
25% Reports/Papers
10% Class Participation
- Exam Format:
- There will be one midterm and a final exam; the midterm is worth 30%, whereas the final is worth 40%. Both exams consist of short answers and one essay question. In addition, students will complete a 5-10 page paper, worth 30% of their course grade.
- Class Format:
- 75% lecture, 25% class discussion and small-group activities.
- Workload:
- 100-150 pages of reading per week, plus one 5-10 page term paper
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/32958/1199
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 29 April 2015
ClassInfo Links - Fall 2019 Political Science Classes