Political Science 290:
Ethnic and Gender Politics
Instructor: Dr. Deems D. Morrione
Semester: Spring 2014
Location: BONH-306
Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30 PM to 1:50 PM
E-Mail: deems.morrione@canyons.edu
Website: www.canyons.edu/faculty/morrioned/
Office Hours: To Be Announced
Course Description
This course explores the politics of otherness in the United States. Our chief focus will be on
examining the political permutations of otherness as they find articulation in discourses
concerning ethnicity/race and gender/sexuality. The goal is not to discover the “essence” of any
group or person, but to elucidate the ways in which political narratives make various forms of
cultural anxiety, subjectivity, and social cohesion possible. Among the specific issues to be
covered this semester are: discrimination, -isms, political marking, identity, immigration,
poverty, inclusivity/exclusivity, equality, and the collapse of wholeness.
Student Learning Outcomes for this course:
Assess the political, social, cultural, and economic factors affecting the status of disadvantaged/
marginalized groups (e.g. African-Americans, Asians, Native-Americans, Latinos, women, gays,
etc.) in the United States.
Course Requirements
Attendance: At each class meeting, a roll sheet will be distributed. A student must sign the roll
sheet in order to get attendance credit for each class. This is your responsibility, so make sure
you sign it at every class. You may not sign the roll sheet for someone else. If you sign the roll
sheet for another student, this will count as cheating, and the incident will be reported to the
Chair of Political Science and the Office of Student Services. Class lecture and discussion are
part of your overall grade, so it is to your benefit to attend class regularly. It is the policy of
College of the Canyons that “Any student absent for any reason for one more time than that class
meets in one week may be dropped from the class.”
Reading: The instructor of this class takes reading very seriously. It is expected that students
will read all materials prior to the class meeting for which they are assigned. However, you
should come to class even if you haven’t done the reading, as this may facilitate a better
understanding of the material when you read it later. In a course of this nature, close reading is
preferable to skimming, as it assists you in engaging the material in a more critical/analytical
manner. This will also help you on the weeks for which you are responsible for raising questions
concerning class readings. NOTE: I DO NOT EXPECT YOU TO UNDERSTAND 100% OF
EVERYTHING YOU READ THE FIRST TIME YOU ENGAGE WITH IT. HOWEVER, I DO
REQUIRE THAT YOU READ ALL MATERIALS ASSIGNED.
Grading: A student’s grade in this course is based upon four elements: participation, two
critical reading assessments, and a research paper. The overall breakdown is as follows:
Participation:
Critical Reading Assessment 1:
Critical Reading Assessment 2:
Research Paper:
20 points
25 points
25 points
30 points
Total: 100 points
STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE EVERY ASSIGNMENT IN ORDER TO RECEIVE A
PASSING GRADE IN THIS COURSE. FAILURE TO COMPLETE ANY ASSIGNMENT
WILL RESULT IN AN “F” AS THE FINAL COURSE GRADE.
***SPECIAL NOTE: I DO NOT GIVE MAKE-UP EXAMS. I DO NOT ACCEPT
WORK SUBMITTED VIA E-MAIL. NO EXTENSIONS WILL BE GRANTED
WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL FROM THE INSTRUCTOR. EXTENSIONS ARE
ONLY GIVEN IN SITUATIONS DEEMED TO BE DIRE BY THE INSTRUCTOR. BE
PREPARED TO OFFER PROOF OF THE NEED FOR AN EXTENSION.
Participation: Participation accounts for a maximum of twenty (20) points of your overall
course grade. This is calculated in two ways: 1.) a maximum of fifteen (15) points for
questions generated by students on course readings; and 2.) a maximum of five (5) points for
overall participation in class over the semester as assessed by the instructor.
Reading Questions: Students will be responsible for creating questions on the readings at three
points during the semester, earning a maximum of five (5) points for each set of questions. A
sign-up sheet will be passed around and students will select three class meetings on which to be
responsible for the readings. There will be a limited number of students assigned to each class
meeting--do not exceed the amount of slots on the sign-up sheet for a given class without the
instructor’s permission, or you will not earn credit for that day’s readings. NOTE: You must
sign up for a total of three classes in order to receive full credit. Choose one day from each of
the following time periods: 1.) February 13, 2014-March 18, 2014; 2.) March 20, 2014April 29, 2014; 3.) May 1, 2014-June 3, 2014.
On the days for which you are responsible for the readings, you will do the following: 1.) You
will generate a list of at least three questions for discussion. The questions should be thought
provoking and demonstrate that the student read the assigned materials. 2.) You will write at
least one paragraph about a current political/theoretical issue which relates to the readings of that
class meeting or a paragraph about an issue from the readings you didn’t understand and be
prepared to discuss it in class. Your paragraph and questions must be typed (preferably on the
same sheet). Do not forget to cite the news article you used for this assignment (remember: this
must be from a valid news source—as discussed in class). Your paragraph/questions will be
collected at the beginning of the class session on which they are due. NOTES: You must
actively contribute to discussion in order to get full credit for this assignment. Also, do not
forget to put your name on the sheet. I can’t give you credit for your work if I don’t know who
gave it to me.
IF YOU DO NOT SHOW UP FOR CLASS ON THE DAY YOU ARE SCHEDULED TO
PRESENT OR IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO PRESENT ON A DAY FOR WHICH YOU
ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR QUESTIONS, YOU WILL GET A ZERO (0) ON THIS
ASSIGNMENT. IF YOU HAVE TO MISS A CLASS ON WHICH YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE READINGS, YOU MUST OBTAIN PERMISSION FROM THE INSTRUCTOR AT
LEAST ONE CLASS MEETING PRIOR TO THE ONE IN WHICH YOU ARE SCHEDULED
TO PROVIDE QUESTIONS. YOU WILL ONLY BE ALLOWED TO RESCHEDULE IN THE
CASE OF AN EMERGENCY ABSENCE.
Critical Reading Assessments: Two times during the semester, students will be required to
produce critical analyses of course materials and other relevant issues. Each Critical Reading
Assessment is worth a maximum of twenty-five (25) points toward the final course grade. The
Assessments must be written in essay format, contain a complete introduction and conclusion, be
double-spaced, be typed in 12-point font in the Times New Roman style, adhere to standard
guidelines of citation, have 1-inch margins, and have a bibliography. The Assessments should
also contain a separate title page that includes the following: your name, the course title,
semester taken, and the title “Critical Reading Assessment.” Do not forget page numbers
(Bibliography and Title pages do not count). Do not add extra spaces between paragraphs. Do
not place the paper in a folder—simply staple the pages together in the upper left hand corner.
Your response should be five to seven (5-7) pages in length.
The details of this assignment will be discussed in class, but generally speaking, each Critical
Reading Assessment should be understood as a way for students to demonstrate the ability to
critically apply the materials of the course. To this end, students may take each reading
individually, summarize the main points briefly (no more than a paragraph), and use it as a
framework to analyze a political event, movement, or phenomenon (this part should be the main
focus of each entry). Another option students may select is to put the overall emphasis of the
Assessment on a political event, movement, or phenomenon, and use the assigned readings to
analyze it.
Due Dates: Critical Reading Assessment 1: April 3, 2014
Critical Reading Assessment 2: June 5, 2014
Analytic Research Paper: Students are required to write one 8-10 page research paper for this
course. This assignment is worth a maximum of thirty (30) points toward the final grade. A
topic statement is due to the instructor by March 13, 2014 in class. The paper must be written in
essay format, contain a complete introduction and conclusion, be double-spaced, be typed in 12point font in the Times New Roman style, adhere to standard guidelines of citation, have oneinch margins, and have a bibliography. The paper should also contain a separate title page which
includes the following: your name, the course title, semester taken, and the title of your paper.
Do not forget page numbers (Bibliography and Title pages do not count). Do not add extra
spaces between paragraphs. Do not place the paper in a folder—simply staple the pages together
in the upper left hand corner. Each analytic research paper must use at least three scholarly
sources (such as academic journals or books), and must have at least five sources in total. If you
have questions about what sources qualify as scholarly, ask the instructor. Students should begin
thinking about this paper early, as it is due at the beginning of class on May 13, 2014.
Though the Analytic Research Paper will be discussed in class, it should be understood as an
assignment in which students demonstrate the skills they have learned about the analysis of
Otherness in American politics/culture. Students will select topics, research them, and write
political analyses of those topics. Make sure that the topic is contemporary and that the paper is
not too broad. For example, if you are interested in a subject such as immigration reform, avoid
saying something like, “I’m writing a paper on immigration reform in the United States.” Be
specific. You could discuss a plan that has been introduced to Congress; you could investigate
the politics of immigration and the impact on particular populations; you could examine the
function of “the immigrant”-as-other in American politics.
NOTE 1: ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND DICTIONARIES DO NOT COUNT AS SOURCES—
ESPECIALLY NOT WIKIPEDIA.
NOTE 2: IT IS GOOD TO USE A STYLE MANUAL TO AID IN YOUR WRITING (APA,
MLA, CHICAGO, ETC.). HOWEVER, WHENEVER YOUR STYLE MANUAL CONFLICTS
WITH MY WRITING GUIDELINES, MY REQUIREMENTS WIN. FOR EXAMPLE, DO
NOT USE MLA STYLE ON THE FIRST PAGE.
NOTE 3: YOUR RESEARCH TOPIC SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON A CONTEMPORARY
ISSUE, NOT A HISTORICAL ONE.
NOTE 4: IN MY CLASSES, ALL PAGE MINIMUMS ARE FULL PAGES. A TWO-PAGE
MINIMUM MEANS YOU MUST HAVE AT LEAST TWO FULL PAGES.
Classroom Behavior: The classroom environment requires that students adhere to a specific
form of conduct. I reserve the right to remove anyone from class who violates my standards of
academic civility. A major feature of academic civility for me is not being disruptive of the
educational environment. Some of my ground rules are:
*DO NOT use your cell phone, Ipod, or other electronic devices during class (all of these
things should be turned off while you are in class)
*DO NOT behave disrespectfully toward any person in the classroom--discussions must
remain civil in tone
*DO NOT surf the Internet/Web during class time
*DO NOT read materials unrelated to the course during class time (newspapers,
magazines, books, text messages, etc.)
*DO NOT record my lectures
CONTINUAL OR SEVERE PROBLEMS WILL BE REPORTED TO THE OFFICE OF
STUDENT SERVICES.
Tardiness: This interferes with the learning process and disturbs the classroom environment.
Habitual tardiness will be treated as classroom disruption (see above).
Plagiarism and Cheating: DON’T. I uphold the zero-tolerance policy of the College of the
Canyons with regard to plagiarism and other forms of cheating. The work you do in my class
must be your own work. Basically, plagiarism consists of passing-off someone else’s work as
your own (this includes summarizing someone else’s ideas without giving them citation credit or
stealing phrases, sentences, or paragraphs from an author’s work without giving citation credit).
Nearly any writing guide can be helpful in this regard. Also, you may visit the TLC Lab (LTLC216) if you have questions about your work and the plagiarism guidelines at the College of the
Canyons (they can also assist you with general writing skills). Plagiarism and cheating can have
serious consequences for you, so just don’t do it. If I catch you, I have to report the incident to
the Office of Student Services for review and possible disciplinary action.
Course Readings
*Reading Materials for this course are at the Reserve Desk on the first floor of the library.
NOTE ON RESERVE MATERIALS: RESERVE MATERIALS ARE NOT OPTIONAL
READINGS, THEY ARE PART OF THE COURSE. Keep in mind that these materials are to
be shared by the entire class, they are not for you alone. You may read and/or copy the reserve
materials in the library. YOU MAY NOT REMOVE RESERVE MATERIALS FROM THE
LIBRARY AND YOU MAY NOT KEEP THEM FOR YOURSELF.
Course Outline
February 11: Introduction to Course
No Reading.
February 13: Understanding Whiteness I
Reading: David Roediger, “New Immigrants, Race, and ‘Ethnicity’ in the Early Twentieth
Century,” pp. 3-18
February 18: Understanding Whiteness II
Reading: David Roediger, “New Immigrants, Race, and ‘Ethnicity’ in the Early Twentieth
Century,” pp. 18-34
February 20: Legally White I
Reading: Ian F. Haney López, “The Legal Construction of Race,” pp. 111-133
February 25: Legally White II
Reading: Ian F. Haney López, “The Legal Construction of Race,” pp. 133-153
February 27: Sm(O)thering Voices
Reading: Harriet Beecher Stowe in Narrative of Sojourner Truth, “Sojourner Truth, the Libyan
Sibyl,” pp. 112-127
Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I a Woman?” pp. 1-2
March 4: Appropriation, Marking, and “The Suffering Servant”
Reading: Donna Haraway, “Ecce Homo, Ain’t (Ar’n’t) I a Woman, and Inappropriate/d Others:
The Human in a Post-Humanist Landscape,” pp. 86-100
March 6: …Except Barack Obama?
Reading: Michael Eric Dyson, “Obama,” pp. 1-15
Frank Rich, “Mayberry R.I.P.,” pp. 1-9
March 11: Racism and the Body Politic
Reading: Patricia Hill Collins, “Like One of the Family: Race, Ethnicity, and the Paradox of
American National Identity,” pp. 29-54
March 13: “Mexicans?” I
Reading: Wayne A. Cornelius, “Ambivalent Reception: Mass Public Responses to the ‘New’
Latino Immigration to the United States,” pp. 165-189
Film: A Day Without a Mexican
ANALYTIC RESEARCH PAPER TOPICS ARE DUE IN CLASS ON MARCH 13, 2014.
March 18: “Mexicans?” II
Reading: Josh Kun, “What Is an MC if He Can’t Rap to Banda? Making Music in Nuevo L.A.,”
pp. 741-758
Film: A Day Without a Mexican
March 20: Masculinity Decentered
Reading: R. W. Connell, “The Social Organization of Masculinity,” pp. 67-86
March 25: “Full Frontal Feminism”
Reading: Jessica Valenti, “You’re a Hardcore Feminist. I swear.” pp. 5-17
Patricia Hill Collins, “Is the Personal Still Political?” pp. 161-173
March 27: “The Personal Is Political”…Still
Reading: Patricia Hill Collins, “Is the Personal Still Political?” pp. 173-196
April 1: Scarlet A
Reading: Roe v. Wade (1973), pp. 156-185
April 3: What Does “Pro-Choice” Mean, Anyway?
Reading: Roe v. Wade (1973), pp. 185-200
Jessica Valenti, “If These Uterine Walls Could Talk,” pp. 81-109
FIRST CRITICAL READING ASSESSMENT DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS ON
APRIL 3, 2014.
April 7-April 13: Spring Break
No Class Meeting.
April 15: The Politics of Being on a Break I
Reading: Janet Halley, “Taxonomies and Terms,” pp. 16-26
Janet Halley, “The Costs and Benefits of Taking a Break from Feminism,” pp. 304-319
April 17: The Politics of Being on a Break II
Reading: Janet Halley, “The Costs and Benefits of Taking a Break from Feminism,” pp. 319-347
April 22: What’s “Postmodernism” Got to Do with It? I
Reading: Judith Butler, “Contingent Foundations: Feminism and the Question of
‘Postmodernism’,” pp. 3-10
April 24: What’s “Postmodernism” Got to Do with It? II
Reading: Judith Butler, “Contingent Foundations: Feminism and the Question of
‘Postmodernism’,” pp. 10-21
April 29: Opinion Culture and Citizenship
Reading: Lauren Berlant, “Introduction: The Intimate Public Sphere,” pp. 1-21
May 1: Fetishizing Dead Citizens
Reading: Lauren Berlant, “Live Sex Acts (Parental Advisory: Explicit Material),” pp. 55-81
May 6: Philosophy and Law in the Bedroom
Reading: Lawrence v. Texas (2003), pp. 515-526
May 8: Masculinity, Race, and Heterosexism
Reading: E. Patrick Johnson, “Manifest Faggotry: Queering Masculinity in African American
Culture,” pp. 48-75
May 13: Tying Marital Gordian Knots I
Reading: In re Marriage Cases (2008), pp. 7-37
ANALYTIC RESEARCH PAPERS DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS ON MAY 13,
2014.
May 15: Tying Marital Gordian Knots II
Reading: In re Marriage Cases (2008), pp. 37-64
May 20: Bodily Imitation
Reading: Judith Butler, “Imitation and Gender Insubordination,” pp. 13-24
May 22: Genderboredom
Reading: Judith Butler, “Imitation and Gender Insubordination,” pp. 24-31
Jean Baudrillard, “Transsexuality,” pp. 20-25
May 27: A Transsexual Wall I
Reading: Janet Halley, “1998: Trans Theory Splits While Staying in Place,” pp. 260-270
Film: Hedwig and the Angry Inch
May 29: A Transsexual Wall II
Reading: Janet Halley, “1998: Trans Theory Splits While Staying in Place,” pp. 270-279
Film: Hedwig and the Angry Inch
June 3: Liquidating the Other
Reading: Jean Baudrillard, “The Surgical Removal of Otherness,” pp. 115-123
June 5: Class Finale
No Reading. Roundtable Discussion.
SECOND CRITICAL READING ASSESSMENT DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS ON
JUNE 5, 2014.