Political Science 275: Identity Politics in America
Spring Term 2009
Carolyn Wong
cwong@carleton.edu
Office: 403 Willis, Office Phone: 222-4680
This class explores the goals, forms, and impact of identity politics in America.
Groups engage in identity politics when their members collectively strive for recognition for
the group's particular culture, history, language, or identity. The class will examine the
following questions:
When and why do identity groups form? In what ways do identities formed around
race, ethnicity, sex, gender, religion, age, and disability shape people's values, political and
social status, and participation in democratic life in the United States?
Do particularistic or universalistic identity politics pose moral dilemmas?
How do groups delineate "insiders" and relate to "outsiders"? What are the
implications for group solidarity when individuals hold multiple group memberships? How
are identity politics changing at the national level of politics and in different regional or local
settings?
Required Texts
Lisa García Bedolla. 2005. Fluid Borders: Latino Power, Politics, and Identity
in Los Angeles. Berkeley, California: University of California.
Melissa Harris-Lacewell. Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and
Black Political Thought. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ. Press.
Rogers M. Smith. 2003. Stories of Peoplehood: The Politics and Morals of
Membership. New York, N.Y.: Cambridge Univ. Press
R.W. Connell. 1987. Gender and Power: Society, the Person and Sexual Politics.
Stanford, CA: Stanford Univ. Press.
Cliff Zukin, Scott Keeter, Molly Andolina, and Krista Jenkins. 2006. A New
Engagement?: Political Participation, Civic Life, and the Changing American Citizen.
City, State: Oxford Univ. Press.
Additional readings are available on e-reserve.
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Classroom participation:
You will learn most from this class if you take advantage of opportunities to actively
engage in class activities. Class format emphasize participation by all students in discussions.
We will address the content of the assigned readings in a variety of ways, i.e. through some
combination of lectures, medium-size and small-size group discussions, and debates or
simulations.
To benefit from whatever type of activity takes place in class, you should always
prepare careful notes as you do the readings on each of the following questions for every
assigned reading.
1. Can you identify an argument? If so, what are the logical steps of the argument?
Does the author propose a theory? Can you identify normative assumptions or
philosophical foundations of the argument? What is the evidence?
2. Do you find the argument compelling? What are its strengths and weaknesses?
3. How does the analysis in this text stand up alongside the analysis offered by other
authors we are reading in this class (or arguments made in other texts you have read)?
4. How well do the theory and/or findings “travel”? i.e. Are they helpful if we want to
understand important questions or phenomena not directly addressed in this text?
For at least one session during the term, you will work with another student to prepare
comments on a reading. Your comments may offer a critique of an author’s argument, a
novel illustration of a theoretical concept, an extension of the argument, or describe a
puzzle presented by the reading with your suggested answer to the puzzle.
Field trips and related research
The class offers several opportunities for students to participate in field trips to the
Twin Cities or to nearby community sites in southern Minnesota so that you can meet with
and interact with leaders of community groups that work with ethnic minority populations.
Because of our location in Northfield, participation in these trips will require some time
outside of the regular meeting time for the class. For this reason, participation is optional, but
if you cannot join the class in a particular field trip, you are asked to participate in some
alternative activity, such as watching a film on a related topic, or investigating the history of a
community organization and its work on immigrant rights. Because the community
organizations hosting these visits sometimes have to change their schedule, the dates of the
trips are subject to change; please stay posted!
Policy on academic honesty
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Each written assignment must be the product of your own independent work. You are
encouraged to discuss ideas for your papers with classmates, but you must write your papers
on your own. Be sure to consult the new College handbook (2007) on academic honesty for
details on submission of written work.
Writing requirements
In lieu of exams, you will write three 3-page essays, double-spaced, one-inch margins all
around. The topics will be distributed about one week before the due date. Through these
essays, you will demonstrate your understanding of the course readings, in-class lectures and
other activities. To achieve a very good grade, you must present a coherent argument, fully
engage assigned readings, and provide some empirical support for your argument. Excellent
papers will go beyond this standard to also demonstrate originality of thought in commentary
on at least one of the course readings and an ability discuss its practical political relevance.
For paper 4, you will write a longer research paper. My suggestion is that you write a
paper analyzing one American story of “peoplehood” using Roger Smith’s framework.
The analysis will include an application of Smith’s framework of how senses of “peoplehood”
vary according to Smith’s Table 1 on p. 21. In addition, you will evaluate the applicability of
Smith’s three hypotheses (pp. 102-135), which specify when ethically constitutive stories
became prominent.
Alternatively, you may write a research paper on another topic, but this topic must be
approved by the instructor after you submit your paper proposal during Week 4, and after
meeting with the instructor to discuss your proposal.
Begin with one of the recommended readings listed at the end of this syllabus on various
topics. After reading one of the recommended readings, use at least two additional scholarly
sources (book chapters or scholarly journal articles), and at least one primary source of
information – e.g an interview you might conduct yourself; a film; a collection of photographs
published in popular magazines; the text of four or five related news articles.
Submit papers 1-4 to me by email as a Word or pdf attachment (to cwong@carleton.edu)
no later than the specified due date. Be sure to send a copy to yourself as documentation that
you submitted the paper on time. The page lengths specified above do not include
bibliographies or appendices.
Late papers: Unless you submit documentation of an emergency or illness that prevented
you from completing an assignment on time, there is a one half- letter grade penalty for each
day your paper is late. The first late day begins immediately after the paper is due (one minute
after the due date).
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Group Oral Presentation
You will join one of three panels, which will consist of class members who are writing tenpage research papers on related topics. Your group will give a panel presentation during
Week 10. One of your roles on your panel will be to report on your ten page paper. Your
other role will be to present commentary on another student’s paper or set of papers. As a
whole, the panel is responsible for tying together themes of the commentary to reading
material and discussion topics covered in class.
Grading
Class participation 25%
Group Oral Presentation 10% (group grade 5%; individual grade 5%)
Written exercises
65%
Three short papers, 3 pages in length each; each 10%, total 30%
One-page proposal for research paper. 5%
A ten-page research paper. 30%
Class attendance
Regular class attendance and punctuality on everybody’s part are important to build sense
of collective participation and responsibility for learning. In exceptional situations, it may be
necessary to miss class because of illness or emergency; in that even if you want an absence
to be excused, bring written documentation of the reason. More than two unexcused absences
will negatively affect your grade.
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Schedule of Reading Assignments and Discussion Topics
Week 1: Changing Concepts of Identity Politics
Tuesday
Introduction
Thursday What Are Identity Groups? Voluntary groups and ascriptive identity
Amy Gutman, Identity and Democracy, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ. Press. 1-37; on ereserve.
Week 2: Normative and Positive Theories
Tuesday Identity politics in democracy
Amy Gutman, Identity and Democracy, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ. Press. 117-132
(first paragraph); optional: 132-150.. on e-reserve.
Tommie Shelby, We Who Are Dark: The Philosophical Foundations of Black Solidarity,
Cambridge, MA, ch. 4; on-reserve.
Thursday People-making narratives
Rogers Smith, Stories of Peoplehood,; 1-16; 19-42; 102-125.
Week 3: Normative and Positive Theories (cont’d)
Field trip to Jane Addams School of Democracy, with students in POSC 273, Monday, April
13, as space permits. Depart campus around 12 noon, return around 4 p.m.
Recommended reading for field trip, April 13 evening (depart 5 p.m.) to Jane Addams School
of Democracy: Nan Kari and Nan Skelton, Voices of Hope: The Story of the Name Addams
School of Democracy, excerpts on e-reserve.
Tuesday Moral claims and ethically constitutive stories
Roger Smith, Stories of Peoplehood; 154 (first full paragraph) -174;
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Thursday Competing (positive) theories of identity formation: ideology and interest
Roger M. Smith. 1993. “Beyond Tocqueville, Myrdal and Hartz: Multiple Traditions in
America”. American Political Science Review 87; 549-56; On Jstor.
Russell Hardin, One For All: The Logic of Group Conflict. pp. 46-55- On e-reserve
Paper 1 due Sunday, April 19, at noon
Week 4: Identity and Modes of Communication
Tuesday Black political thought and “ordinary talk”
Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Bibles, Barbershops, and BET; ch. 1: skim 3-15, “African
American Counterpublic” and “Ideological Development Through Everyday Talk”;
read ch. 1:19-32, “African American Political Ideology”; read ch. 5: 162-203
Thursday Disability Identity
Prof. Barbara Allen, who conducts community-based participatory research in the Deaf
community, will talk about her work and lead our discussion of one of her publications.
Barbara Allen, Nancy Meyers, John Sullivan, and Melissa Sullivan. 2006. “Using
American Sign Language in Assessing End-Of-Life Care Educational Needs of Deaf
Persons: Lessons on Language, Culture, and Research Practices.” In Thilio Kroll, ed.,
Toward Best Practice Toward Surveying People With Disabilities. Hauppauge, N.Y.:
Nova Science; pp. 1-23.
Michelle Putnam. 2005. “Disability Identity: Conceptualizing Disability.” Journal of
Disability Policy Studies, v. 16, no. 3, pp. 188-198. Electronic version online, Gould
library.
Proposal for 10 page paper is due in class. Write 1-2 pages. Describe the proposed topic
and a research question. How do you propose to investigate your question? Comment
briefly on the relevance of one recommended reading from the list at the end of this
syllabus.
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Week 5: Sexual Politics
Tuesday
R.W. Connell, Gender and Power; 1-20; 119-141.
Thursday
R.W. Connell, Gender and Power; 241-277.
Carol Pateman, 1988, The Sexual Contract, Stanford, CA: Stanford Univ. Press; 1-18.
Paper 2 due Sunday, May 3, at noon
Week 6: Native American Identity and Politics
Tuesday
Winona La Duke. 1999. All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life.
Cambridge, MA: South End Press; 92-111. On e-reserve.
In class, view clips from Homeland: four portraits of Native action.
Katahdin Productions. Video recording available at Gould library.
Thursday Field trip to Prairie Island Indian reservation, May 7. Depart at 12 noon.
Transformation of an Island by the Prairie Island Indian Community.
Historical perspectives on the Mdewakanton “Born of the Water” community on the island.
Week 7: Latino Political Identity
This week: Field trip to Immigrant Rights Project of UNITE-HERE (a labor union)
in St. Paul. Day and time to be arranged (probably Weds.)
Tuesday
Lisa Bedolla, Fluid Borders. Skim ch. 1; read ch. 2.
Thursday
Lisa Bedolla, Fluid Borders; ch. 3.
Paper 3 due on Sunday, May 24, at noon.
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Week 8: Religious Identity and Politics
Field trip to projects of the Rural Enterprise Institute, Northfield. Date and time
to be arranged.
Tuesday
Betany E. Moreton. 2007. “The Soul of Neoliberalism”. I Social Text 92, Vol. 25, No. 3;
pp. 103-121.
Thursday
Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Bibles, Barbershops, and BET; ch. 2.
Week 9: Youth Political Culture and Identity
Tuesday:
Cliff Zukin et al, A New Engagement; ch. 5,6.
Thursday
Cliff Zukin et al, A New Engagement; ch. 7.
Week 10: Group Presentations
Final Exam Period
Paper 4, ten pages in length, is due on June 6, 10 a.m.
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Recommended Readings for Research Papers
African American identity
Cathy J. Cohen. 1999. The Boundaries of Blackness: AIDS and the Breakdown of Black
Politics. Chicago, Ill: Univ. of Chicago Press. In Rolvaag library.
Michael C. Dawson. 1996. Behind the Mule: Race and Class in African-American Politics.
Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ. Press. In Gould library.
George M. Fredrickson. 1996. Black Liberation: A comparative history of Black Ideologies in
the United States and South Africa, New York, N.Y.: Oxford; ch. 7. On e-reserve.
Melissa Harris-Tracewell. 2004. Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black
Political Thought. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ. Press; ch. 6.
Asian American identity
Sofya Aptekar. 2008. “Highly Skilled but Unwelcome in Politics: Asian Indians and Chinese
in a New Jersey Suburb.? In S. Karthick Ramakrishnan, and Irene Bloemraad, Civic Hopes
and Political Realities: Immigrants, Community Organizations, and Political Engagement.
New York, N.Y.: Russell Sage; ch. 8. On e-reserve for POSC 273.
Estella Habal. 2007. San Francisco’s International Hotel: Mobilizing the Filipino American
Community in the Anti-Eviction Movement. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
Excerpts on e reserve.
Bill Ong Hing. 1994. Making Remaking Asian America Through Immigration Law. Stanford,
CA: Stanford Univ. Press. Gould library.
Disability identity
James I. Charlton. 2000. Nothing About Us Without Us: Disability Oppression and
Empowerment. Berkeley, CA: Univ. of California Press. Gould library.
Gender and Sexual Identity
Carol Pateman. 1988, The Sexual Contract, Stanford, CA: Stanford Univ. Press; ch. 5 and 8.
On e reserve.
Craig Ritterman. 2008. The Lesbian and gay Movement: Assimilation or Liberation.
Westview Press. Philadelphia: PA; ch 2, 5. On e reserve.
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David Paul, and Jessi L. Smith. 2008. “Subtle Sexism? Examining Vote Preferences When
Women Run Against Men for the Presidency.” Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy 29: 4;
pp.451-476. On e reserve.
Melissa Harris-Tracewell. 2004. Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black
Political Thought. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ. Press; ch. 4.
S. Laurel Weldon. 2002. “Beyond Bodies: Institutional Sources of Representation for Women
in Democratic Policymaking.” The Journal of Politics 64; pp. 1153-1174. In Gould library.
Jewish and Latino identity in the U.S.
Victoria Hattam. 2007. In the Shadow of Race; Jews, Latinos, and Immigrant Politics in the
United States. Chicago, Ill: Univ. of Chicago Press. In Gould library; also ch. 1 and 6 on e
reserve.
Latino/a identity in the U.S.
William V. Flores, and Rina Benmayor. 1997. Latino Cultural Citizenship: Claiming Identity,
Space, and Rights; Boston, MA: Beacon; read Introduction; also ch. 8 is on e-reserves for
POSC 273. In Gould library.
Juan Gonzales. Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America. New York, N.Y.: Viking.
In Gould library.
Michael Jones-Correa. 1998. Between Two Nations: The Political Predicament of Latinos in
New York City. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell Univ. Press. In Gould Library.
Native American identity
Will Kymlicka, ed. 1996. The Rights of Minority Cultures, New York, N.Y.: Oxford; ch. 6, 7,
8, 10, 11. On e reserve.
Peter Matthiessen. 1992. In the Spirit of Crazy Horse. New York, N.Y.: Penguin. Excerpts on
e reserve.
Waziyatawin. 2009. What Does Justice Look Like?: The Struggle for Liberation in Dakota
Homeland. St. Paul, MN: Living Justice Press; ch. 1, 4, 5. On e reserve.
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Religious identity
Jacqueline Maria Hagen. 2008. Migration Miracle. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press; pp.
82-113. On e reserve.
Karen Leonard. 2007. “Finding Places in the Nation: Immigrant and Indigenous Muslims in
America.” In Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotello, ed. Religion and Social Justice for Immigrants.
New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers Univ. Press; pp. 50-58. On e reserve.
Selcuk R. Sirin, and Michelle Fine. 2008. Muslim American Youth: Understanding
Hyphenated Identities Through Multiple Methods, New York, N.Y.: New York Univ. Press;
58-84; 85-120. On e reserve.
Kenneth D. Wald. 2003. Religion and Politics in the United States, Fourth Edition. Lanham,
MD: Rowman and Littlefield; ch.7 (The Political Mobilization of Evangelical Protestants),
ch. 8 (Continuity and Change Outside the Evangelical Camp). On e reserve.
Janelle Wong, Kathy Rim, and Haven Perez. 2008. “Protestant Churches and Conservative
Politics: Latinos and Asians in the United States.” In S. Karthick Ramakrishnan, and Irene
Bloemraad, Civic Hopes and Political Realities: Immigrants, Community Organizations, and
Political Engagement. New York, N.Y.: Russell Sage; ch. 10 (see also ch. 1). On e reserve for
POSC 273.
Youth identity
W. Lance Bennett. 2008. “Changing Citizenship in the Digital Age." Civic Life Online:
Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth. In W. Lance Bennett, ed. The John D. and
Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA:
MIT Press, 2008. 1–24.
http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/dmal.9780262524827.001?cookieSet=1
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