Contrary to some pundits and popular (mis)perceptions, race remains a salient factor in contemporary American life. We need to look no further than the 2016 U.S. presidential election in which President Trump capitalized on the racial anxieties a significant portion of white America. This course is geared toward developing a historical understanding of the construction of race in the United States from the colonial period to the present. Through course materials, class discussions, and lectures, we explore the making of race and white supremacy, as well as movements and organizations committed to racial justice and equality. Transnational and intersectional in scope, this class focuses special attention to the gendered contours of race, as well as to the Midwest as a geographic site of inquiry for examining race in U.S. life and history. .Individual and group assignments will be used to accomplish the course's major aims: to further develop our ability to think critically, write analytically, and to understand the construction of race in a historically nuanced manner. Graded assignments will consist of individual and group essays.
Monday/Wednesday: 12:00PM-12:50PM
Instructor: Prof. Adrian Burgos
Gen Eds: Humanities - Hist & Phil, US Minority Cultural Studies