Courses

A study of the core texts and key debates that have shaped queer theory, considering the work in feminism, critical race studies, gay and lesbian studies, and poststructuralism out of which queer theory developed; emphasizing how queer theory provides a broad framework that designates non-normative modes of knowledge, cultural practices, and political activism; and examining the ways in which queer theory has recently been challenged to move in new directions.

Exploration of how musical representations and experiences figure in the creation of public and private notions of race and nation. It grapples with music’s power to mediate imagined and inscribed cartographies of self and other. The course provides a broad foundation for discussing matters of music, race, and nationalism.

An overview of the history of race and racism in Latin America from the colonial period to the contemporary world. Some of the main topics covered in the course include the Iberian concept of purity of blood, mestizaje (racial miscegenation), slavery and race, the idea and practice of racial democracy, and the endurance of colorism in modern Latin American societies.

Physical differences among human populations are complex, continuous, and include many more invisible than visible traits. After brief consideration of human genetic variation around the world, we examine cultural schemes that segment and compress this diversity into a small number of "races." Racial systems emerge in particular historical and cultural settings, always involve differences in power, and vary from society to society.

This class will focus on three of the most important factors in contemporary American law and politics. Particular attention will be given to changing theories of law and justice with regard to employment discrimination, health, welfare, and education, and to the continuing debate over affirmative action.

This course combines historical and sociological approaches in a survey of the racial and ethnic minorities in the United States, tracing their disparate origins and trajectories to the present. Differences between African Americans, with their roots in slavery, and immigrant minorities are emphasized. The course also examines recent trends in immigration, including patterns of incorporation into American society and enduring transnational links to countries of origin.

Examination of public policy issues involving race and ethnicity in the United States. Assessment of persistent racial disparities in the aftermath of the civil rights revolution and of such anti-racist policies as affirmative action, school desegregation, and racial districting. Analysis of ethnicity, rival conceptions of what it means to be an American, and policy debates regarding immigration, bilingualism, and multicultural education.

The way race and gender shaped who the poor were, how poverty and related social problems were perceived, and the struggles against poverty from the Gilded Age to the 1980s. Topics include the different notions of motherhood for black and white women, the influence of class, culture, and race in the development of the welfare state in the 1930s and 1960s, and changing strategies to combat or alleviate poverty.

Exploration of philosophical and legal issues concerning race and gender in US law, focusing on how US law shapes, reflects, and perpetuates racial and gender hierarchies in US society and abroad. We will examine critical race theory, feminist legal theory, intersectionality, and the relationship between social identity and US legal structures.

Critical examination of radical analyses of mass media, products, and institutions.