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POLITICAL SCIENCE
334:
THE POLITICS OF RACE, ETHNICITY AND INEQUALITY
Gary Klass
gmklass@ilstu.edu
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Since its
founding, no set of political issues has more bedeviled the American
political system than those having to do with race and ethnicity.
The nation’s founders devised a political system that has done a
pretty good job of addressing conflicts arising from ideological,
geographic, religious and class differences, but the institutions
they created have been largely inept when it comes to dealing with
the persistent inequalities related to race and ethnicity. Social
policy problems related to education, crime, and welfare, that might
otherwise find resolution, often prove unsolvable to the extent race
and ethnicity enter into the debates. How and whether or not the
nation can begin to solve these problems are the fundamental
questions of this course.
At its
simplest level, much of the debate over race in the US is between
those who see racism as the fundamental cause of America's social
ills and those who blame these problems on the behavior and
lifestyle of the disadvantaged themselves. Starting with either of
these first two premises -- and in some cases, compromises between
the two premises -- those how have studied and written books on race
in America have developed a wide range of competing theories, and
agendas.
In this
course we will read many of these books, analyze and critique them.
We will read the books in part for the knowledge and information
they might contain, but mostly to gain an understanding of the
diversity of thinking about these matters. An important objective of
this course is for the students to develop an ability to communicate
their own ideas and insights about these most controversial of
subjects. This involves more than formulating ideas and putting them
on paper; it involves finding an audience, exposing one's ideas,
evidence, and logic to others and anticipating, and responding to,
their reactions. In this regard, this course will be different.
Perhaps
unlike many other courses related to race, ethnicity and social
inequality, there will be no attempt to impose any doctrine,
perspective or ideology on this course (although even saying that
might do so), other than that we ought to adhere to common standards
of free and open inquiry. The books themselves have been chosen to
reflect a very broad spectrum of thought and ideology. The authors,
the other students in the class, and, perhaps, the instructor will,
no doubt, express views with which you will disagree. This should be
appreciated: you will never learn much from people you agree with.
Our discussions will be guided by one general rule:
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