ANTH 320: Racial Inequality in the
Class
Time: Tuesday and Thursday 9:30-10:45
Class Location: Rm 112
Office Hours: M/W 9:30-12:00
Office Phone: x3888
Office Location: Snell Hall 272
E-mail: staiger@clarkson.edu
What is the status of
racial equality today, four decades after the civil rights struggle? Have we
ceased to judge people "by the color of their skin," have we achieved
a society where all members share "equal opportunities" to succeed? Has
the "appreciation of cultural diversity" in
This course attempts to
arrive at an understanding of how systems of racial inequality are maintained
in a democratic system that allegedly upholds the civil rights of all its
citizens. We will assess the extent of racial inequality in the contemporary US
by focusing on segregation, wealth, and education and review theories that
explain the persistence of this inequality. In particular, we will look at the
critical role the legal system played in the processes of racial formation: as
cementing apartheid laws of Separate but Equal as well as providing
far-reaching promises via the Civil Rights Struggle. While racial inequality
appears most persistent between Blacks and Whites, we will include in our discussion
also various experiences of "brown" people, and examine why some
groups have been able to apparently assimilate or integrate more than others.
Last but not least, "being of color" benefits those that are
"not of color". It is therefore critical to examine and understand
the structural and often invisible (to Whites) privileges of Whiteness.