*Draft
American Race Relations
Political Science 790:333:01
Spring 2013
Tuesday & Thursday 1:10-2:30
Murray Hall, Room 210
Aiisha M. Harden
Email: aharden@rci.rutgers.edu
Office Hours: Thursdays 3:00pm-4:00pm and by appointment
Office: Woodlawn Carriage House, #101
Course Overview
This course introduces students to the dynamics of the social and historical construction of race
and ethnicity in American political life. The course explores the following core questions: What
is race and ethnicity? What are the best ways to think about the impact of race and ethnicity on
American citizens? What is the history of racial and ethnic formation in American political life?
How do race and ethnicity link up with other identities animating political actions such as gender
and class in political life? What role do American political institutions—the Congress,
presidency, judiciary, political parties, state and local governments, etc. play in constructing and
maintaining these identity categories? Can we use these institutions to overcome the points of
division in American society?
Required Texts
There will be five required texts for this course:
1. Michael Omni and Howard Winant, Racial Formation in the United States (New York:
Routledge, 1994)
2. Mathew Frye Jacobson, Whiteness of a Different Color (Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press, 1998)
3. Tali Mendelberg, The Race Card: Campaign Strategy, Implicit Messages, and the Norm
of Equality (Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 2001).
4. Paul Frymer, Uneasy Alliances: Race and Party Competition in America (Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press, 1999).
5. Ira Katznelson, When Affirmative Action was White: An Untold Story of Racial Inequality
in America (New York: W.W. Norton Press, 2005).
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Required Readings on Sakai
In addition to the required texts, there will be book chapters and articles posted on sakai as part
of the required readings. To access the Sakai course website, (1) sign on to sakai.rutgers.edu, (2)
sign in using your RU screen name, and (3) click on the class tab at the top of the page.
Readings listed as “Recommended readings” are not required but are optional for anyone
interested in further studying and understanding a specific topic. Also, most likely, topics
covered in lecture will be featured in the recommended readings for students to review.
Recommended readings will be posted on sakai.
It is also expected that students keep up to date with current political events by reading a national
newspaper (i.e., the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, etc.) each day.
Course Requirements
Grading Structure
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Occasional response papers and quizzes
Attendance
30%
40%
20%
10%
Exams
Exams will be a mixture of concept identifications, short answers and essay questions and will
cover material from both lecture and the readings.
Make up Exams
Make-up exams will be permitted only under extreme circumstances under the discretion of the
instructor with a note from the Dean of your college.
Attendance
Although this class will predominantly have a lecture format, it is crucial that you attend class
regularly in order to obtain the information necessary to complete your exams. Attendance will
be evaluated in a number of ways throughout the course of the semester. If you are absent, you
are completely responsible for all the material covered. Be certain to connect with a class
member to obtain notes missed should you be absent.
Classroom Etiquette
Students should be considerate of the classroom by refraining from cell phone usage (texting,
etc.) entering and exiting in the middle of lectures, sleeping, denigration of other students, or any
other activity that will distract the instructor or other students. If necessary, disruptiveness will
lead to reductions in your final grade.
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Statement on Academic Integrity
Students must abide by the Rutgers Academic Integrity Policy at all times. The Academic Code
of Conduct can be found at http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/integrity.shtml.
*This syllabus is subject to changes if necessary.
Tentative Reading Schedule
I. Foundations: Race, Ethnicity and Democratic Theory in America
Tuesday, January 21: Introduction and Course Overview
Thursday, January 23: Core Concepts and Problems
Michael Omni and Howard Winant, Racial Formation in the United States (New York:
Routlege, 1994), pp. 1-47.
Tuesday, January 28: Introduction to Racial Formation Perspective
Michael Omni and Howard Winant, Racial Formation in the United States (New York:
Routlege, 1994), pp. 48-76.
**“First Impressions,” excerpt from Winthrop Jordan, White Over Black: American Attitudes
toward the Negro 1550-1812 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1968), pp. 3-43.
II. Group Responses to the Racial State: Political Histories of Group Formation
Thursday, January 30: Racial Formation and the Rise of the Racial State
**Reginald Horsman, “Providential Nation” and “The Other Americans excerpt from Race and
Manifest Destiny: The Origins of American Anglo-Saxonism, (University Press, 1981) pp.81-115.
**“Citizenship Law of 1790 (1 Statutes-at-Large 103)” excerpt from Michael LeMay and Elliot
Robert Barkan, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Laws and Issues: A Documentary History
(Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999), p. 11.
Tuesday, February 4: Second Impressions: The Rise of White Skin Privilege
Mathew Frye Jacobson, Whiteness of a Different Color (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press, 1998), pp. 40-91.
Thursday, February 6: Whiteness and the Generation of the Ethnicity Paradigm
Mathew Frye Jacobson, Whiteness of a Different Color (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press, 1998), pp. 91-135.
**Mary Waters, “The Costs of a Costless Community,” excerpt from Michael Hughey (Editor),
New Tribalism’s: The Resurgence of Race and Ethnicity (New York: New York University
Press, 1998), pp. 273-295.
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Tuesday, February 11: First Responses to Black Skin Disadvantage
**“That All Men May Be Free”, excerpt from John Hope Franklin (With Alfred A. Moss), From
Slavery to Freedom (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1988), pp. 64-78.
**John T. McCartney, Black Power Ideologies: An Essay in African-American Political Thought
(Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 1994) pp. 15-53.
**The Emergence of Racial Consciousness,” excerpt from James Sidbury, Plougshares into
Swords: Race, Rebellion and Identity in Gabriel’s Virginia (New York: Cambridge University
Press, 1997), pp. 11-49.
Thursday, February 13: Reading TBA
Tuesday, February 18: Moving Toward Freedom: Black Identity and Politics, 1954-1980
Michael Omni and Howard Winant, Racial Formation in the United States (New York:
Routledge, 1994), pp. 95-112.
**“Hearts and Minds” and “There Comes a Time” excerpts from Phillip A. Klinker (With Roger
Smith), The Unsteady March: The Rise and Decline of Racial Equality in America (Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1999), pp. 202-287.
Thursday, February 20: Beyond the White-Black Polarity: Native Americans
**“Racial Destiny and the Indians,” excerpt from Reginald Horsman, Race and Manifest Destiny
(Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1981), pp. 191-207.
**Red Power and the Resurgence of Indian Identity” excerpt from Joanne Nagel, American
Indian Ethnic Renewal: Red Power and the Resurgence of Identity and Culture (New York:
Oxford University, Press, 1996), pp. 83-141.
**Frommer, Frederic J. “Standing Their Ground: Sioux Won’t Take Huge Cash for Rights to
Land” New York Newsday, 19, August 2001.
**Clines, Francis X., “With Casino Profits, Indian Tribes Thrive,” New York Times, 31 January
1993, p.1
**Pena, Michael, “Indians Court Power Firms” San Francisco Chronicle, 1, August 2001, p. 1.
**Beckenstein, Myron, “Forget About Team Names: Fight for Indians’ Quality of Life,” The
Baltimore Sun, 23 August 2000, p. 17A.
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Tuesday, February 25: Beyond the White-Black Polarity: Latinos
**“Anglo-Saxons and Mexicans,” an excerpt from Horsman, Reginald. Race and Manifest
Destiny: The Origins of Racial Anglo-Saxonism (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
1981) pp. 208-229.
**Rodney Hero, Latinos and the U.S Political System (Philadelphia, PA: Temple University
Press, 1992), pp. 1-10 & 31-79.
**In Between Identities: Race and Ethnicity in the American Context,” excerpt from Michael
Jones-Correa, Between Two Nations: The Political Predicament of Latinos in New York (New
York: Cornell University Press, 1998), pp. 109-123.
Thursday, February 27: Beyond the White-Black Polarity: Asian Americans
**Angelo N. Ancheta, Race, Rights and the U.S Political System (New Jersey: Rutgers
University Press, 2000), pp. 1-40.
**“Ethnicity and Panethnicity,” excerpt from Yen Le Espiritu, Asian American Pan-Ethnicity:
Bridging Institutions and Identities (Philadelphia; Temple University Press, 1992), pp. 1-18
Angelo N. Ancheta, Race, Rights and the U.S Political System (New Jersey: Rutgers University
Press, 2000), pp. 40-81.
Tuesday, March 4: Midterm Exam Review
Thursday, March 6: MIDTERM EXAM in class
III. Race, Ethnicity and Political Behavior
Tuesday, March 11: Race and Public Opinion
Readings TBA
Thursday, March 13: Race, Ethnicity and Partisanship
Paul Frymer, Uneasy Alliances: Race and Party Competition in America (Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press), pp. 1-86.
**Bruce E. Cain, Roderick Kiewet, and Carole J. Uhlaner, “The Acquisition of Partisanship by
Latinos and Asian Americans” American Journal of Political Science 35: 390-422.
**SPRING BREAK: March 15-March 23**
Tuesday, March 25: Toward a History and Theory of Race Coding
“The Norm of Racial Inequality, Electoral Strategy and Implicit Appeals: and “The Norm of
Racial Equality, Electoral Strategy and Implicit Appeals” excerpts from Tali Mendelberg, The
Race Card: Campaign Strategy, Implicit Messages, and the Norm of Equality (Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press, 2001), pp. 28-107.
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“The Political Psychology of Implicit Communication” “Crafting, Conveying and Challenging
Implicit Racial Appeals” excerpts from Tali Mendelberg, The Race Card: Campaign Strategy,
Implicit Messages, and the Norm of Equality (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2001)
pp. 111-168.
Recommended:
“The Impact of Implicit Messages” excerpt from Tali Mendelberg, The Race Card: Campaign
Strategy, Implicit Messages, and the Norm of Equality (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University
Press, 2001) pp. 169-190.
Thursday, March 27: Impact of Gender: Race, Ethnicity on Electoral Politics
*(1) Smooth, Wendy G. 2010. “African-American Women and Electoral Politics: A
Challenge to the Post-Race Rhetoric of the Obama Movement.” From Gender and
Elections: Shaping the Future of American Politics, ed Richard Fox and Susan J. Carroll.
Sierra, Christine Marie. 2010. “Latinas and Electoral Politics: Movin’ On Up.” from Gender and
Elections: Shaping the Future of American Politics, ed Richard Fox and Susan J. Carroll
Tuesday, April 1: Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mobilization, Participation and Efficacy
**Sidney Verba, Kay Schlozman, and Henry Brady, “Race, Ethnicity and Political
Participation,” excerpt from Paul E. Peterson (Editor), Classifying by Race (Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press, 1995),pp. 354-378.
Janelle Wong, Pei-te-Lien and M. Margaret Conway “Activity Amid Diversity: Asian American
Political Participation,” in Junn and Haynie (editors), New Race Politics in America:
Understanding Minority and Immigrant Politics (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008),
70-95
Recommended:
**The Politics of In-Between: Avoiding Irreconcilable Demands” excerpt from Michael JonesCorrea, Between Two Nations: The Political Predicament of Latinos in New York (New York:
Cornell University Press, 1998), pp. 124-147.
Thursday, April 3: Race, Ethnicity and Representation
**Carol Swain, “Strategies for Increasing Black Representation of Blacks” and “The Future of
Black Congressional Representation” excerpts from Black Faces, Black Interests (Cambridge,
MA: Harvard University Press, 1993), pp. 193-243.
**David Ian Lublin, “Race, Representation, and Redistricting” excerpt from Paul E. Peterson
(Editor), Classifying by Race (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1995) pp. 111-125.
Tuesday, April 8: Reading TBA
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IV. Race, Ethnicity and Public Policy
Thursday, April 10: The Persistence of Electoral Capture
Paul Frymer, Uneasy Alliances: Race and Party Competition in America (Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press) pp. 87-119.
Michael Omni and Howard Winant, Racial Formation in the United States (New York:
Routledge, 10984) pp. 145-159.
Tuesday, April 15: Race and the Politics of Welfare
**Robert C. Lieberman, “Race and the Organization of Welfare Policy,” excerpt from Paul E.
Peterson (Editor), Classifying by Race (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1995), pp.
156-187.
**Martin Gilens, Why Americans Hate Welfare (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000),
pp. 1-79 and 102-216.
Recommended
**Jason De Parle, “Lessons Learned: Welfare Reform’s First Month—A Special Report,” The
New York Times, 30, December 1997, pp. 1-9.
**Jason De Parle, “Shrinking Welfare Rolls Leave Record High Share of Minorities,” The New
York Times, 30, December 1997, pp. 1-4
**Darrel Rowland, “As Welfare Caseloads Shrink, the Racial Make-Up is Reversed: Change
Could Result in Political, Social Tension,” The Columbus Dispatch, 2 August 1998, pp. 1-3
Thursday, April 17: Origins of the Affirmative Action Regime
**President Lyndon Baines Johnson, “Howard University Commencement Address (4, June
1965),” excerpt from Carson et.al (Editors), Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader (New York:
Penguin Press, 1991), pp. 611-614.
Ira Katznelson, When Affirmative Action was White (New York: W.W. Norton Press, 2005), pp.
1-24 & 53-113.
**Stanley Fish, “Reverse Racism, Or How the Pot Got to Call the Kettle Black” excerpt from
Francis J. Beckwith and Todd E. Jones, Affirmative Action: Social Justice or Reverse
Discrimination? (New York: Prometheus Books, 1997), pp. 142-151.
Tuesday, April 22: The Conservative Response
**Nathan Glazer “Affirmative Action in Employment from Equal Opportunity to Statistical
Parity,” excerpt from Affirmative Discrimination: Ethnic Inequality and Public Policy (New
York: Basic Books, 1977), pp. 33-76
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**William Julius Wilson, “Race Neutral Programs and the Democratic Coalition,” excerpt from
Francis J. Beckwith and Todd E. Jones, Affirmative Action: Social Justice or Reverse
Discrimination? (New York: Prometheus Books, 1997), pp. 152-163.
Ira Katznelson, When Affirmative Action was White (New York: W.W. Norton, 2005) pp. 113173.
Thursday, April 24: Race, Crime and the Law
**Randall Kennedy, “History: Unequal Protection,” and “Race, Law and Suspicion,” excerpts
from Race, Crime and the Law (New York: Pantheon Books, 1997), pp. 29-167.
**Kathryn K. Russell, “In Search of White Crime,” excerpt from The Color of Crime: Racial
Hoaxes, White Fear, Black Protectionism, Police Harassment, and Other Macroaggressions
(New York: NYU Press, 1998), pp. 110-130.
Tuesday, April 29: Looking Like the Enemy
**Korematsu v. United States (1946)
**Van Slambrouck, Paul “Asian Americans Fret about effects of Chill with China” The
Christian Science Monitor, 30, April 2001, pp.2
**Yin, Xiao-Huang, “The Lee Case Shakes Asian Americans’ Faith in Justice System,” Los
Angeles Times, 24 September 2001, p. 1
**Laurie Goodstein and Tamar Levin, “Violence and Harassment: Victims of Mistaken Identity,
Sikhs Pay a Price for Turbans,” The New York Times, 19 September 2001.
**“Reactive Solidarity” excerpt from Yen Leng Espiritu, Asian American Pan Ethnicity:
Bridging Institutions and Identities (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992), pp. 134-160.
V. Race, Ethnicity and Our Democratic Future
Thursday, May 1: Readings TBA/Concluding Discussion
**Final Exam: Determined by University Calendar
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