Joseph F. Healey, 1997. Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in the United States.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

This course provides the student with a broad introduction to the field of race & ethnic relations, mostly as it developed and is applied in the United States, but also as it is applied elsewhere in the world, especially in the Americas. The historical and contemporary experiences of various ethnic and panethnic groups in the United States -- the so-called European Americans, Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, and Asian Americans, and all their constituent groups -- are analyzed, using various theoretical perspectives and conceptual frameworks from historical sociology; that is, we seek to understand the history of race & ethnic relations mediated by sociological concepts.

Emphasis is placed on how race, ethnicity, & nationhood were and are re-constructed and re-presented, and how they relate to other social constructs such as gender, native/immigrant status, and social class. We seek to understand the context in which these modern social categories originated and evolved, how they are affected by, and in turn affect, the broader political, economic, and cultural processes of the modern world-system.

Attention is given to some currently controversial issues, such as: immigration policy, affirmative action, the extent of racial/ethnic discrimination & stratification, the new credo of multiculturalism in the United States and worldwide, and impact of globalization on peoplehood.

Classes: Class will meet four days a week, Monday through Thursday, for two hours. Half of the days, Mondays and Wednesdays, we will be in "lecture mode" in Room DDH-E101. On these days we will be focusing on the chapters of the Healey textbook, Dr. Santos's lectures, and some videos. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we will be in "web mode" at the Library's Computer Lab 3. On these days, we will be exploring the subject of race, national, & ethnic relations on the World Wide Web. Attendance is mandatory for both kinds of sessions. Students are further required to come fully prepared to discuss their reading assignments and, in rotational fashion, make class presentations on web readings and sites.

Student Web Projects: All students will learn to make a web page based on their student VAX accounts. Each student will propose, develop, and present to class a web page devoted to a class-related topic. Furthermore, all students must submit e-mail reports on all assigned web readings every week. They should send these reports to soc1@academic.csubak.edu, which will allow all class members, as well as Dr. Santos, to receive a copy.

Exams: There will be a final exam. The exam will have multiple-choice questions based on the Healey textbook, and essays questions based on the lectures and the web readings.

Grading: The final exam is worth 60 points. Class attendance, participation, and presentations are worth 15 points. The e-mail reports are worth 15 points. The individual student web page project is worth 10 points. The final letter grade will be assigned, on a scale of 0 to 100, as follows:

Office Hours/E-Mail to Dr. Santos: All students are encouraged to visit the instructor regularly, during his office hours or by appointment, especially to make sure their class presentations and webpage projects are well organized, as well as to discuss any question they may have from the class lectures, the textbook, or the web readings.

Private but brief e-mail messages to Dr. Santos may be sent to gsantos1@academic.csubak.edu, but NOT as a substitute for office visits, please.