HIST 383
Whiteness and Race in the History of the United States
Fall 2015
Division II
Exploring Diversity Initiative
Cross-listed
AMST 383 / WGSS 383
This is not the current course catalog
Class Details
If race is socially and historically constructed, then the study of race relations in the U.S. extends to the topic of whiteness. And if we are never without the past, then “whiteness” must be a part of current discussions about American political culture, citizenship, and social issues. This course uses the prism of race to explore social, political, and economic development in U.S. history, following the development of “whiteness” through a chronology that begins in colonial Virginia, travels through immigration in the nineteenth century, examines racial politics and popular culture in the twentieth century, and ends with a look at the current issues. This course is framed by several questions: What about other analytical categories, like gender and class (or region or ethnicity or sexuality): how have these experiences shaped and been shaped by the racial category of whiteness? Because historically whiteness has carried overtones of power, privilege, and wealth in the United States, the course necessarily critiques the roots of racial disparities. This class is not for the faint-hearted. Informed participation is necessary to its success. The course fulfills the requirements for the Exploring Diversity Initiative because it examines the differences and similarities between white Americans and other American cultures, and because it explores whiteness as a prism for understanding the operations of power and privilege in American society.
The Class:
Format: discussion
Limit: 25
Expected: 20-25
Class#: 1680
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Limit: 25
Expected: 20-25
Class#: 1680
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation:
evaluation will be based on class participation and four papers
Enrollment Preferences:
students in History, Africana Studies and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Distributions:
Division II
Exploring Diversity Initiative
Notes:
This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
AMST 383 Division II HIST 383 Division II WGSS 383 Division II
AMST 383 Division II HIST 383 Division II WGSS 383 Division II
Attributes:
AMST Comp Studies in Race, Ethnicity, Diaspora
HIST Group F Electives - U.S. + Canada
WGSS Racial Sexual + Cultural Diversity Courses
HIST Group F Electives - U.S. + Canada
WGSS Racial Sexual + Cultural Diversity Courses
Class Grid
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HIST 383 - 01 (F) SEM Whiteness & Race in US History
HIST 383 - 01 (F) SEM Whiteness & Race in US HistoryDivision II Exploring Diversity InitiativeLeslie BrownMR 2:35 pm - 3:50 pm
Hopkins Hall 0021680
Megamenu Social