Race, Politics, and the Law (348-0-20)

Instructors

Jesse Yeh
620 Lincoln Street

Meeting Info

Harris Hall L06: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

A polity governed by "We the People" is the foundational principle of democracy. Yet, who is included in this "We" and who is not? How is that decided and enforced? What does it mean to live in a country without being part of the governing "We"? This course draws from anthropology, critical race theories, history, political science, sociology, and sociolegal scholarship and explores the deeply intertwined processes of race, politics, and law. These important questions are relevant globally, even though the course focuses primarily, but not exclusively, on the U.S. context. The course first develops students' conceptual toolkit for analyzing the relationships between race, law, and politics. Then, the course examines two core tensions: social differences versus law's universality and law's role in maintaining the status quo versus instigating social change. This course will be student discussion-forward and the main component of the course will be a self-directed research paper.

Learning Objectives

- Evaluate social scientific writings on argumentation, evidence, credibility, and positionality
- Produce clear and well-organized arguments using academic sources
- Engage with scholarship describing historic and contemporary structures, processes, and practices that shape racialization, racism, power, and resistance
- Reflect on one's position within these structures, processes, and practices
- Develop the necessary skills to work with key analytical concepts relating to racialization, racism, power, and resistance

Teaching Method

Discussions and Lectures

Evaluation Method

Writing assignments

Class Materials (Required)

All course material will be posted on Canvas

Class Attributes

Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area