Bridgewater College

RACIAL  AND  ETHNIC  STUDIES

SOCIOLOGY 228

Fall 2010

 

     Instructor: Dr. Mwizenge S. Tembo                              August 31, 2010

     Office:  Bowman Hall 225                                Office Hours: Posted on Office

     Phone: 828-5351                                                    Door and by Appointment

     E - Mail: mtembo@Bridgewater.edu  

     Class Schedule: TR 12:30 – 1:45PM

All Cell Phones, Beepers, and Wrist Watch Beepers should be turned off before class. Cell Phones and Beepers should be put away and will not be used during class.

You are expected to read the attached document at the end of the syllabus titled: “Ethics in Academic Work”. The document is also on the BC web page: http://www.bridgewater.edu/WritingCenter/BCplagiarism.htm.

 

"The mission of Bridgewater College is to educate and develop the whole person. Our graduates will be equipped to become leaders, living ethical, healthy, useful and fulfilling lives with a strong sense of personal accountability and civic responsibility. This mission is carried out in a learning community, with Christian values, high standards of integrity and excellence, affirming and challenging each member”.

                                                                                           - Bridgewater College Catalog, p. 6

 
 

 

 

 

 

 


Bridgewater College is committed to providing all students equal access to the college’s academic programs and activities.  Students who have or think they may have a condition (attentional, learning, visual, hearing, physical, psychological or chronic medical) that impacts learning and for which an accommodation may be desired, are encouraged to contact the Director of Academic Support, Dr. Chip Studwell, 540, 828-5370 or cstudwel@bridgewater.edu.  A letter is required from the Academic Support Office, each semester, in order to receive accommodations at Bridgewater.

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1.     To introduce students to and explore the nature of racial and ethnic inequality in the historical and contemporary context in America in all its complexity.

2.     To Critically Explore and Discuss the history of racial and ethnic composition of the American society in relation to the development of capitalism on the international and domestic scale, and the impact of legal and recently illegal migration patterns on societal attitudes.

3.     To Critically Explore and Discuss the impact of the Civil Rights movement, racial and ethnic conflict and harmony, prejudice, and inequality on race relations.

4.     To determine the origins and status of affirmative action, and multiculturalism and the nature of the current debate on the issue.

5.      All of these issues will be explained, discussed,  critically analyzed, and synthesized in the context of social change in the American and global context.

6.     To help each student become a better scholar. The instructor will encourage students to be better scholars of Racial and Ethnic Studies through frequent reminders and practices of what it takes to be better scholars.

 

The Instructor will use some of the following methods of teaching to achieve these objectives:

 

COURSE GOALS

At the end of the course the student should be able to:

1.     Identify major patterns and factors (economic, political, and social) that shape racial and ethnic relations in the US and other societies of the world in history as well as in contemporary times.

2.     Identify major concepts, theoretical perspectives, and paradigms that are used to Explain and Analyze racial and ethnic conflict and inequality.

3.     Identify and Explain major arguments, fallacies, myths, perspectives and themes that are used in public and private discourse on racial and ethnic inequality, the Civil Rights Movement, affirmative action, and multiculturalism.

4.     Be aware of the brief history and the commons patterns of development of racial and ethnic relations, inequality,  and conflict in the US and the world.

5.     Plan and execute a research project that will Explore or Investigate, Analyze, and Synthesize some significant aspects of racial and ethnic inequality.

6.     Become a better scholar. The student will become a better scholar of race and ethnicity after all the practical experiences during the course.

 

REQUIRED READINGS

Schaefer, Richard T., Racial and Ethnic Groups, 12th Ed., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2010.

Steinberg, Stephen., The Ethnic Myth: Race, Ethnicity, and Class in America, Boston: Beacon Press, 1989.

RECOMMENDED:

Kromkowski, John A., (Ed.) Race and Ethnic Relations, 16th Edition, Dubuque, IA., McGrawhill Contemporary Learning Series, 2008.

Johnson, Jr., William.,  Retting, Richard., Scott, Gregory M., and Garrison, Stephen M., The Sociology Student Writer’s Manual, 6th Edition, New York: Prentice Hall, 2004, 2006, 2010.

 

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Week. 1: Aug 30-Sept 5: Introduction and Understanding Race and Ethnicity,

               Definition of Concepts; Origins of  American Racial and Ethnic 

                 Relations,

    • Schaefer, Ch. 1, pp. 2-31
    • Steinberg, Ch. 1, pp. 1-43.

 Week 2 : Sept. 6- 12: Prejudice, Ethnic Conflict and Antagonism

·        Schaefer, Ch. 2, pp. 32-57

·        Steinberg, Ch. 2, pp. 44-74.                 

Week 3 :Sept. 13- 19:, Discrimination,

·        Schaefer, Ch. 3, pp. 58-83;

·        Steinberg, The New Darwinism, Introduction, Ch. 3, pp.77-105

 

 

Week 4 : Sept. 20 - 26: Immigration and the United States,

·        Schaefer, Ch. 4, pp.84-111;

    • Steinberg,  Exploring Myths of Ethnic Inequality, Culture of Poverty, Ch. 4, pp.82-105

Week 5 : Sept. 27-Oct.3: Ethnicity and Religion

·        Schaefer, Ch. 5, pp. 112-141         

                        Exploring Myths of Ethnic Inequality,

·        Steinberg, 5, & 6, pp. 128-166.

Week 6 : Oct. 4-10: The Native Americans,

·        Schaefer, Ch. 6, pp.142-171     

Week 7:  Oct. 14-15: The Making of African Americans in a White America

·        Schaefer, Ch 7& 8,  pp.172-217   

·        Steinberg, The "Iron Law of Ethnicity" Revised, Introduction, Ch. 7, pp.169-200

  FALL BREAK

Week 8 : Oct. 20- 24: Hispanic Americans,

·        Schaefer, Ch. 9,  pp.218-235

Week 9 : Oct.25-31: Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans,

·        Schaefer, Ch. 10, pp.236-259.

Week 10 : Nov. 1-7: Ethnic and Racial Groups,

·        Steinberg, The "Jewish Problem" in American Higher Education, Ch. 9, pp. 222-252. 

Week 11: Nov.8-14:  Chinese and Japanese Americans,

·        Schaefer, Ch. 13, pp.351-371

Week 12: Nov 15- 21: Project PowerPoint Presentations

 

                                    THANKSGIVING  BREAK    

Week 13: Nov 30- Dec 3: Women: The Oppressed Majority, and Beyond the

                 United States:  The Comparative Perspective,

·        Schaefer, Ch. 15,pp. 354-375. Ch. 16, pp. 376-399.

Week 14: Final Exams Dec. 6:   Monday 1:30-3:30PM 

 

 

 

DUE   DATE                ASSIGNMENTS                                POINTS              % GRADE

Sept. 7                     Paper Thesis (1 page)                          10                         2.06%

To be Announced    3 Tests (65 points each)                    195                       40.21%          

Sept. 14                   1 Exploratory Paper(4-5 pages )         50                       10.31%

To be Announced     Class Presentation (1)                        50                       10.31%

To Be Announced     PowerPoint Presentation (What I  

                                 Learnt from Racial and Ethnic                                                            

                                 Studies) (6 minutes)                           50                       10.31%

Dec. 3                             3 Page Summary of Project           30                        6.19%

Dec  6                            FINAL EXAM                             100                       20.61%

TOTAL                                                                                                 485             100.00____

 

GRADING:

90 - 100%                      A

80 - 89%                        B

70 - 79%                        C

60 - 69%                        D

59% and below              F

 

 

 

PAPER

All academic papers must always be well organized with a good title,  introduction, well defined thesis http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml or objectives, well written, with proper punctuation, good spelling, proper length, proper citing of sources in the text of your paper, and a reference list at the end of the paper. Monosource never make for good research papers. Always use several sources which are a mix of types of sources; books, journals, and the internet.

 

45-50 points (A): Paper has all of the above very well done with a good conclusion with a clear demonstration of your point of view based on the alternative hypotheses, arguments, perspectives and discussions clearly demonstrated in the paper.

 

40-44 points (B/B+): Paper has some or all of the above done in an average to satisfactory manner.

 

35-39 points (C/C+): Paper has some of the above  done but in a below average manner with the paper being rather short.

 

30-35 points (D/D+): Paper is poorly written with very few of the above done. Paper might be poorly organized and rather short.

 

Below 29 points (F): Bad paper with most of the above missing

 

Students will be expected to attend all classes, participate in class discussions, do all the required reading before the class, use the Internet, do assignments, and take their own lecture notes. When ever necessary, readings will be put on reserve in the library. The STUDENT has the responsibility to contact the instructor for assignments missed for any reason.

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ALL ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE TURNED IN TO THE INSTRUCTOR ON THEIR DUE DATE. ASSIGNMENTS TURNED IN LATE WILL BE PENALIZED (3 points deducted) FOR EACH DAY OVERDUE.