Sociology/African American Studies 247
Race and Ethnic Relations
Professor Amanda E. Lewis
Fall 2011
Office: 232 Tarbutton Hall
Office Number: 404-727-7413
Office Hours: Tues 11-1 or by appt.
Class Time: T-Th 2:30-3:45
Class Location: Tarbutton 106
email: alewi22@emory.edu
Teaching Assistant
Name: Roselyn Thomas
Office Hours: TBA
email: rthom23@emory.edu
Course Description:
In this course we will examine sociological theory on race as well as the history of race
relations in the United States. We will begin by examining competing definitions of
race and racism. Next we will turn to an exploration of the social histories of racial
groups in the United States (African-Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans,
Latinos, and Whites). Finally, we will use these theoretical and historical lenses to
examine race relations focusing on several important contemporary issues. All course
participants are expected to complete required readings, attend class regularly,
participate in discussions and carry out assigned work.
Course Requirements:
Grades for the course will be computed based on the following:
Exams & Quizzes – 75%
Papers – 25%
Exams: There will be three exams over the course of the semester. Two will be take-home
exams. For these you will have to write several short essays (approximately 4-5 pages
each). The take-home exams will be handing out on a Thursday and will be due at the
beginning of class the following Tuesday. Additional information and guidelines will be
distributed with the exams. The third exam will be an in-class essay exam administered
during our allotted exam week time. A list of possible questions will be distributed on the
last day of class. The exams will each cover a different section of the course material and
thus will not be cumulative.
Quizzes: Occasionally throughout the semester I will give quizzes on assigned readings at
the beginning of the class. These will not be announced ahead of time and no make-up
quizzes will be given for those who are late or miss class.
Papers: Two short papers will be assigned during the semester. One is due during the
first week of class. The second will be due on the last day of class. Guidelines for papers
will be handed out in class.
Course attendance and participation: Attendance at lectures is highly encouraged and
will be taken daily in class. These records will be used at the end of the semester to assist
in making determinations of final grades.
Books & Materials: All books are available for purchase at the Emory University
Bookstore. They are also available on reserve at the library. Additional required readings
are available electronically on ReservesDirect. To access these readings go to
https://ereserves.library.emory.edu/ or follow the link in the “course documents” section of
our course Blackboard page.
Required Texts:
Alexander, Michelle. 2010. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of
Colorblindness. New York: The New Press.
Lewis, Amanda. 2003. Race in the Schoolyard: Negotiating the Color Line in
Classrooms and Communities. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University
Press.
Shapiro, Thomas M. 2005. The Hidden Cost of Being African American: How
Wealth Perpetuates Inequality. New York: Oxford University Press.
Takaki, Ronald. 1993. A Different Mirror. Boston: Little, Brown & Company.
Recommended Text:
Amott, Teresa and Julie Matthaei. 1996 (revised edition). Race, Gender and Work:
A Multi-Cultural Economic History of Women in the United States. Boston:
South End Press.
Honor Code: By enrolling in this class you are agreeing to abide by the Emory University
honor code. As stated in the honor code this means that you agree to the following: “I
pledge to pursue all academic endeavors with honor and integrity. I understand the
principles of the Emory College Honor System, and I promise to uphold these standards by
adhering to the Honor Code in order to preserve the integrity of Emory College and its
individual members.” As per university policy, any form of academic dishonesty, cheating
or plagiarism in the class will be referred to the Honor Council for review.
Please Note: I am happy to meet and talk with students with disabilities who need any
accommodations made for access and participation in this course but you must be
registered with the Office of Disability Services (ODS). Please contact ODS at 404-7279877 (voice) or 404-712-2049 (TDD).
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Course Reading Schedule:
Week 1-2 (August 25th-Sept 1st): Defining Race & Racialization
Reserves Direct:
• Haney-Lopez, Ian. 1996. White By Law. New York: NYU Press. Chapter 1 (pp 114) & 5
• Marks, Jonathan. 2008. “Race: Past, Present and Future.” Pp. 21-38 in Revisting
Race in the Genomic Age by B. Koenig and S. J. Lee. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers
University Press.
• Omi, Michael and Howard Winant, 1994. Racial Formation in the United States.
New York: Routledge. Pp. 53-69
• Pascoe, Peggy. 2010. What Comes Naturally: Miscegenation Law and the Making
of Race in America. New York: Oxford University Press. Chaps 3-5.
* Paper #1 –Due August 30th – In Class *
Week 3 (Sept 6th-Sept 8th): Defining Racism
Reserves Direct:
• Bonilla-Silva, Eduardo. 2006. Racism without Racists. Lanham, MD: Rowman and
Littlefield. Chapter 1
• Omi, Michael and Howard Winant, 1994. Racial Formation in the United States.
New York: Routledge. Pp. 69-76
• Wellman, David. 1993. Portraits of White Racism. New York: Cambridge. Chapter
2
Week 4-5 (September 13th-20th): Native Americans
A Different Mirror
Chapters 2, 4 & 9.
Week 5-6 (September 22nd-29th): African-Americans
A Different Mirror
Chapters 3, 5, & 13.
* Exam #1 – Distributed Sept 29th, Due Oct 4th – In Class *
Week 7 (October 4th-6th): Latinos
A Different Mirror
Chapters 7 & 12.
Reserves Direct:
• Rodriquez, Clara. 1991. Puerto Ricans: Born in the U.S.A. Boulder: Westview Press,
1991. Chapter 3
Week 8 – Fall Break (October 10th-11th)
Soc/AAS 247 – Fall 2011
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Week 8-9 (October 13th-October 18th): Asian Americans
A Different Mirror
Chapters 8 & 10
Reserves Direct:
• Epiritu, Yen Le. 1992. Asian American Panethnicity: Bridging Institutions and
Identities. Chapter 2
• Okihiro, Gary Y. 1994. Margins and Mainstreams: Asians in American History and
Culture, Chapter 5
Week 9-10 (October 20th-27th): Whiteness
A Different Mirror
Race in the Schoolyard
Chapters 6 & 11
Chapter 2
Reserves Direct:
• Guglielmo, Thomas A. 2003. “No Color Barrier.” Pp 29-43 in Are Italians White how
race is made in America edited by J. Guglielmo & S. Salerno. New York, Routledge.
• Lipsitz, George. 1998. The Possessive Investment in Whiteness: How White People
Profit from Identity Politics. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Intro and
Chapter 1.
• McIntosh, Peggy. 1998. “White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of
Coming to See Correspondence through Work in Women’s Studies.” Pp. 94-105 in
Race, Class and Gender: an Anthology, edited by M. Anderson and P. Hill Collins.
Belmont: Wadsworth.
• Steinberg, Stephen. 1981. The Ethnic Myth: Race, Ethnicity and Class in America.
Boston: Beacon Press. Chapter 6.
• Waters, Mary. 1990. Ethnic Options: Choosing Identities in America. Berkeley:
University of California Press. Chapter 7.
Week 11 (November 1st-3rd): Contemporary Issues II – Wealth & Poverty
Shapiro, Thomas. 2004. The Hidden Cost of Being African American: How Wealth
Perpetuates Inequality. New York: Oxford University Press.
* Exam #2 – Distributed Nov 3rd, Due Nov 8th – In Class *
Week 12 (November 8th-10th): Contemporary Issues IV – Housing and Segregation
Reserves Direct:
• Massey, Douglas S. and Nancy Denton. 1993. American Apartheid: Segregation and
the Making of the Underclass. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Chapter 2.
• Charles, Camille. 2003. “The Dynamics Of Racial Residential Segregation.” Annual
Review of Sociology. 29: 167-207.
Week 13-14 (November 15th-22nd): Contemporary Issues III – Education
Race in the Schoolyard
Soc/AAS 247 – Fall 2011
Chapters 1, 3-6
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November 24th – Thanksgiving Break
Week 15 (November 29th-December 1st) Contemporary Issues V- Incarceration
Alexander, Michelle. 2010. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of
Colorblindness. New York: The New Press.
Week 16 (December 6th): Wrap-up – Where are we headed?
Race in the Schoolyard
Chapter 7
Reserves Direct:
• Bonilla-Silva, Eduardo and Karen S. Glover. 2004. “’We are all Americans’: The
Latin Americanization of Race Relations in the United States.” Pp 149-186 in The
Changing Terrain of Race & Ethnicity edited by M. Krysan and A. Lewis. New
York, NY. Russell Sage
• Gans, Herbert. “The Possibility of a New Racial Hierarchy in the Twenty-First
Century United States.” Pp. 371-390 inThe Cultural Territories of Race edited by M.
Lamont. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
• Kim, Nadia 2008. “Critical Thoughts on Asian American Assimilation in the
Whitening Literature.” Pp. 53-66 in Racism in Post-Racism America: New Theories,
New Directions, edited by Charles A. Gallagher. Chapel Hill, NC: Social Forces.
* Paper #2 – Due December 6th – In Class *
* Essay Questions for Exam #3 Distributed In Class, December 6th*
* Exam #3 – Tuesday, December 13th, 8:30-11am *
Soc/AAS 247 – Fall 2011
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