SYD 3700-901

SYD 3700-901

Racial and Ethnic Relations

(Course Registration # 87215)

Fall, 2001

Class Time: 6:00-8:50 p.m., Tuesday

Location: 254 Cooper Hall (CPR)

Instructor: Dr. James Cavendish

Office: 225 Cooper Hall (CPR)

Office Hours: 3:00-4:00 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday; or by appointment

Office Phone: 813-974-2633

Email: jcavendi@luna.cas.usf.edu

Internet: http://www.cas.usf.edu/sociology/cavendish/soc_cavendish.htm

PURPOSE AND FORMAT

The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the various sociological perspectives used to understand race and ethnic relations in the United States. The course begins with a survey of the assimilationist and conflict perspectives of race relations, and continues with in-depth descriptions of the theories used to explain racial and ethnic inequality in American society. The topics of gender, class, and sexual orientation will be treated in terms of how they intersect with race and ethnicity to magnify social inequalities.

Through a combination of lectures, readings, films, and class discussions, the course challenges students to examine the cultural and structural explanations of racial and ethnic inequality, as well as to explore the causes and consequences of prejudice and discrimination in society. In striving to fulfill these objectives, students will: 1) arrive at a new appreciation and understanding of groups other than themselves, 2) develop an understanding of the historical processes that generated and sustained discrimination and inequality in our society; and 3) reach informed judgments about the most practical and worthwhile social policies for our nation today.

This course has been certified for General Education (Liberal Arts) credit in Social Sciences and Historical Perspectives. Between one and three additional credit hours may also be obtained by students who choose to enroll in the Service Learning/Internship Component of the course (SYA 4949-002: Sociological Internship, Course Registration # 88359), which is described on the final pages of this syllabus.

To facilitate critical reasoning, all students will write an essay of at least 4 pages (typed, double-spaced), complete a course packet/learning log consisting of the answers to the discussion questions listed in the course packet, participate actively in small group projects and class discussions, and complete two exams consisting of true-false, multiple choice, and possibly short answers and essays.

The pedagogy is based on an awareness that all participants in the course are simultaneously both teachers and students; only by assuming both roles can each of us grow in our understanding of our selves, our classmates, and our society. Students enrolled in the Service Learning component of the course will contribute as “teachers” by sharing their experiences of the lived realities of people in the community.

Our Tuesday evening meetings will be broken up into two sections: 1) a short lecture period in which portions of the readings are summarized and supplementary materials are presented (including occasional films, audio presentations, and film clips); and 2) a longer period for class discussion consisting of small group discussions, student presentations, and class activities.

At least every three weeks, students will be broken into small discussion groups of approximately 3-4 students to discuss the answers to questions stemming from the readings. Students will be placed in discussion groups through a process of random selection, and remain in those groups until each student has had an opportunity to serve as discussion leader. Discussion leaders will be responsible for facilitating the discussion of the group and then presenting the group’s ideas and conclusions to the class in an oral presentation.

TEXTS

The following books are available at Books for Thought, Inc., which is located at 10910 56^th St. N., just south of the intersection of Fowler and 56^th St. on the west side of street (look for the strip mall with the dark green awnings); phone 813-988-6363, ask for Felicia Wintons.

Required texts:

Pincus, Fred L. and Ehrlich, Howard J. (editors). 1999 (second edition). Race and Ethnic Conflict: Contending Views on Prejudice, Discrimination, and Ethnoviolence. Boulder: Westview Press. ISBN 0-8133-3498-5.

One of the following two books is required:

Briscoe, Connie. 1996. Big Girls Don’t Cry. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0-06-017277-0.

McCall, Nathan. 1994. Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America. NewYork: Vintage Books. (Also available on cassette.)

If neither of these books captures your interest, you may consider an alternative, such as:

Alvarez, Julia. 1991. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. Chapel Hill, N.C.: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.

Boykin, Keith. 1996. One More River to Cross: Black and Gay in America. New York: Anchor Books.

Cisneros, Sandra. 1984. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage Books.

Campbell, Bebe Moore. 1994. Brothers and Sisters. New York: Berkley Books. (Also available on cassette.)

Rodriguez, Richard. 1983. Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez: An Autobiography. New York: Bantam Books.

A small learning log/course packet is also available at Pro-Copy, which is located at 5209 E. Fowler Ave., just west of the intersection of Fowler and 56^th St.; phone (813) 988-5900. You are strongly encouraged to purchase the books and the packet.

REQUIREMENTS

Grades will be determined as follows:

1. One 4-6 page Essay, typed, double-spaced (20%). The essay will be a book review of either Nathan McCall’s Makes Me Wanna Holler (1994), Connie Briscoe’s Big Girls Don’t Cry (1996), or another book of your choosing (as long as it is relevant to the course material). No matter which book you decide to read and review for this essay, you must criticize the book on the basis of your newly achieved expertise in the issues of race and ethnicity. See Handout #11 on page 22 of the course packet for further details.

Essays are due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, Dec. 4. Essays turned in after this time will be reduced by one letter grade (e.g., from an “A” to a “B”) for each day late, including weekend days.

2. Midterm Exam (30%). There will be an in-class midterm exam on Tuesday, Oct. 9. Make- up exams will NOT be offered, and can only be given to those with evidence of a medical or family emergency.

3. Final Exam (30%). A final exam will be administered during the scheduled exam time, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 6-8:00 p.m. The exam will focus primarily on material from the post-midterm part of the course; it will not be cumulative. Make-up exams will NOT be offered, and can only be given to those with evidence of a medical or family emergency.

4. Learning Log, Class Participation, and Oral Presentation (20% total). Part of each class will be devoted to discussing the readings for that week. Therefore, you should come to class prepared to participate actively in class discussion, which will be based largely on the discussion questions provided in the course packet/learning log (beginning on page 24). To ensure your preparation for, and participation in, class, students will occasionally be assigned to small discussion groups in which they will be asked to present to the group the answers which they wrote in their course packet in conjunction with each reading assignment. Students will be asked to critique each other’s answers and the group leader will present the group’s conclusions to the class in the form of an oral presentation. These oral presentations are designed to give each student the opportunity to develop his/her oral expression skills.

Participation in the small groups, and in the discussion sessions of the memoirs or novels, will count for 10% of your final grade, and completion of the learning log, which will be collected on at least three occasions during the semester and evaluated for content, will count for 10%. The three scheduled turn-in dates for the learning logs are indicated on the course outline. As with the essay, learning logs turned in after the scheduled due date will be reduced by one letter grade (e.g., from “A” to “B”) for each day late, including weekends. Additional, unannounced turn-in times and/or pop quizzes will only be used if there is indication that students are not doing the assigned reading before each class session.

Because active participation is vital in this course, your attendance for the entirety of each class session is expected. In order to limit class disruption, plan to arrive at the classroom before 6:00 p.m. Students arriving more than 5 minutes late for class are asked not to enter the classroom until after the class has recessed for its break (approximately 7:15 p.m.). The break will last for 10 minutes.

Final Grade: Each of these four components, when added together, results in 100 points maximum.

Cheating will not be tolerated in this course and may result in either a failure on the assignment or exam, or a failure in the course. Notes and tape recordings taken during this course are not permitted to be sold, and in no case shall cell phones be permitted in the classroom.

EXTRA CREDIT

Extra credit is offered throughout the course of the semester in the form of film reviews. Handout #10 on pages 19-21 of the course packet contains a list of films available at the Library Media Center on the 6^th floor of the library. Each of these films deals with a theme of prejudice or diversity relevant to this class. You may view these films at your leisure (the equipment for viewing the films is available in the library, though you may also check some films out for overnight use), and write a one-page, typed film review that summarizes the film. Each film review will count for one extra credit point toward the “class participation” component of your grade. These film reviews must be turned in no later than Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2001.

COURSE OUTLINE

The required reading assignments must be completed before class.

Aug. 28: Introduction to course readings and sociological methods.

Pincus and Ehrlich, “Introduction,” pp.1-7.

Pincus and Ehrlich, “The Study of Race and Ethnic Relations,” pp. 11-13.

Handout #1 and Handout #2 in course packet.

Sept. 4: The Social Construction of Race and Ethnic Identities.

Ferrante and Brown, “Classifying People by Race,” pp. 14-23.

Gallagher, “White Racial Formation,” pp. 24-29.

Blauner, “Talking Past Each Other: Black and White Languages of Race,” 30-40.

Sept. 11: Theoretical Perspectives in Race and Ethnic Relations.

Feagin and Feagin, “Theoretical Perspectives in Race and Ethnic Relations,” pp. 41-59.

Sept. 18: The Experience of Unequal Treatment: Prejudice and Its Causes

Pincus and Ehrlich, “Prejudice,” pp. 61-64.

Jones, “The Changing Nature of Prejudice,” pp. 65-76.

Roth, “Racism and Traditional American Values,” pp. 77-88.

Introduction to Discrimination in the Criminal Justice System. Presentation by Teaching Assistant David Thornton, Temple Terrace Police Dept.

Sept. 25: Discrimination and Its Varieties: Individual, Institutional, and Structural

Turn in learning logs (questions should be answered through readings for this week.) Discuss which book you might want to read.

Handout #3 in course packet.

Walton, “Letter to Jack....” (Course Packet.)

Pincus and Ehrlich, “Discrimination, Economic Restructuring, and Underclass Culture” pp. 89-96.

Pincus, “From Individual to Structural Discrimination,” pp. 120-124.

Bendick, Jackson, and Reinoso, “Measuring Employment Discrimination Through Controlled Experiments,” pp. 140-151.

View “True Colors” in class.

Oct. 2: Explaining Disproportionate Share of Resources I: Cultural Values.

Handout #4 and Handout #5 in course packet.

Harrison, “How Cultural Values Shape Economic Success,” pp. 97-109.

Review for Midterm Exam.

Oct. 9: Midterm Exam

Oct. 16: Explaining Disproportionate Share of Resources II: Economic Restructuring.

Review Handout #5 in course packet.

Wilson, “Societal Changes and Vulnerable Neighborhoods” pp. 110-119.

Moore and Pinderhughes, “Latinos and Discrimination,” pp. 180-194.

View “Solving Black Inner-City Poverty” in class (30 minutes).

Oct. 23: Explaining Disproportionate Share of Resources III: Residential Segregation

Turn in learning logs. Make decision about which book you will read.

Massey, “American Apartheid and the Urban Underclass,” pp. 125-139.

Handout #6 and Handout #7 in course packet.

View “American Apartheid” and “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” in class.

Choose one of the readings for Oct. 30 and prepare a group presentation for Oct. 30. Guidelines will be discussed at the end of class.

Oct. 30: Explaining Disproportionate Share of Resources IV: Racial Discrimination

Choose one of the three following readings. Part of the class session will entail a group presentation on the reading you chose.

Kirschenman and Neckerman, “We’d Love to Hire Them, But....”: The Meaning of Race for Employers,” pp. 152-161.

Hossfeld, “Hiring Immigrant Women: Silicon Valley’s ‘Simple Formula,’” pp. 162- 179.

Min, “Major Issues Relating to Asian American Experiences,” pp. 195-204.

David Thornton will summarize relationship of readings to his experience in the Criminal Justice System.

Nov. 6: Immigration and Group Conflict

Pincus and Ehrlich, “Immigration,” pp. 223-228.

Saskia Sassen, “America’s Immigration Problem,” pp. 229-238.

Cole, “Five Myths about Immigration,” pp. 257-259.

Handout #8 in course packet.

Song “Aunque la Jaula Sea de Oro” by Los Tigres Del Norte.

Nov. 13: Race, Class, and Gender

Collins, “Toward a New Vision: Race, Class, and Gender as Categories of Analysis and Connection.” (Course Packet.)

Franklin, “Breaking the Silence,” from What’s Love Got to do With It?:

Understanding and Healing the Rift between Black Men and Women.

(Course Packet.)

Nov. 20: Education, and Public Policy.

Handout #9 in course packet.

Pincus and Ehrlich, “Education,” pp. 271-276.

Pincus, “The Case for Affirmative Action,” 205-221.

Film Clip: “Unequal Education.”

Film Clip: “Law and Order in Civil Society,” Charles Willie.

Audio segment: Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”

Turn in learning logs and any extra credit assignments.

Nov. 27: The Human Experience of Racism

Nathan McCall’s Makes Me Wanna Holler.

Connie Briscoe’s Big Girls Don’t Cry.

Dec. 4: Essay due at the beginning of class.

Class discussion on books, review for final exam.

Dec. 11: Final Exam. The final exam will be administered during the scheduled exam time, Tuesday, December 11, 2001, 6:00-8:00 p.m. in our classroom, CPR 254. The exam will focus on material from the post-midterm part of the course; it will not be cumulative. Make-up exams will NOT be offered, and can only be given to those with evidence of a medical or family emergency.

SERVICE LEARNING COMPONENT

Students registered for SYD 3700-001: Racial and Ethnic Relations are eligible to register for up to three hours of sociology credit by contracting to work with a community organization in a volunteer capacity.

Requirements include:

(1) Twenty hours of service per credit hour (e.g., 20 hours for 1 credit, 40 hours for 2 credits, etc) in a community organization that either strives to improve relations between racial/ethnic groups or provides services to a particular racial/ethnic minority community. Because there are approximately 14 weeks in the semester, students registering for 1 credit hour should plan to volunteer approximately 1½ hours/week, and those registering for 2 credit hours, 3 hours/week, those registering for 3 hours, 4-4½ hours/week.

(2) Completion of whatever in-service training sessions the agency requires of its volunteers.

(3) A bi-weekly log of your observations in which you briefly describe any new insights you learned relevant to the concepts covered in the course. This could include a description of the setting you’re working in, a reflection on how the experiences of the population you interact with are either similar to, or different from, your own life experiences, or a direct application of course concepts to what is happening in the community or organization. (See Handout #12 in the course packet for more details.) You will find it particularly beneficial to talk with the clients of the organization to learn about their experiences with respect to the various issues covered in this course.

(4) A bi-weekly log of the activities you performed and the number of hours devoted to each activity. This log should be signed by a representative of the organization at the end of each month.

(5) Sharing your insights with the class throughout the course of the semester. This will include a brief presentation, at an appropriate time during the semester, about your service learning experience. This presentation should: (a) describe the community problem your agency is addressing; (b) describe the various ways your agency is addressing the problem; and (c) propose alternative ways the agency could address the problem.

(6) A monthly meeting with other service learning participants held outside of class.

(7) A statement of satisfactory performance as a volunteer written and signed by a representative of the organization upon completion of your 20-60 hours of service.

Grades will be either “Satisfactory” or “Unsatisfactory” depending on the satisfactory completion of the above requirements. Since the course is offered as S/U, only the hours will count toward the 36 hours of sociology credits required of majors.

If you are interested in registering for this internship, please see me to obtain a green “course permit” form. After completing the form and obtaining my signature, take the form to the Sociology Department office (CPR 209), show the form to the secretary, Carole Griffing, and ask her politely to enter into her computer a permit for you to register. You must then register yourself – and pay – for SYA 4949-002: Sociological Internship, Course Registration # 88359, and sign up for the number of credit hours you wish to receive. (I’ve already had one student go through this process and she has informed me that the computer system won’t allow her to register for more than 1 credit hour. If the same thing happens to you, call the Registration Hotline at 974-3853 and tell them you would like to register for more credits than the system permits. They should be able to help you.)

In addition to the permit form, you must also fill out the “Contract: Service Learning Internship” form. This form will serve as the contract between you, me, and the agency, which should be turned in as part of the required materials at the end of the semester.

GUIDED SERVICE-LEARNING EXPERIENCE

The main community organization which internship students will work with this semester is the University Area Development Corporation, under the leadership of Julian Garcia, Executive Director. Located at 14013 N. 22^nd St., just north of Fletcher Ave., the organization sponsors a variety of community development projects in the university community area and provides services to youth, parents, and senior citizens of diverse races and ethnicities. These services include after school mentoring and tutoring programs, ESOL and GED programs, Head Start, Parks and Recreation programs, and neighborhood beautification projects. It is also preparing for a Winter Holiday Festival at which the diverse communities in the university area can share their cultures and traditions.

Students interested in working with this organization will be guided by James Cavendish (974-2633) and Martine Dorvil (558-5212, ext. 210), who is the community organizer in charge of volunteers for the corporation. Martine would like to meet with internship students on either the 11^th or 12^th of September to provide an orientation and tour of the facilities. Students should supply the instructor with their phone numbers and e-mail addresses so we can set up a time for this meeting.

If you prefer to venture out on your own, there are other service sites, listed below, with which you can work. If you decide to do this, three factors should go into your selection of a service site. (1) Practical – can you get there and back?... Do their needs mesh with your availability? (2) Personal – do you have a particular interest in this issue?... in this population? (3) Applicability – is the placement one that conforms to the aims of the course?

If you choose one of these organizations, requirements for the service learning experience are the same, but you will have much less guidance through the experience than those who work with the University Area Development Corporation.

ALTERNATIVE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

Big Brothers/Big Sisters. This association, under the leadership of Laurie Buck (phone: 813-287-2210), has a waiting list of about 100 girls and 300 boys who would like a big brother or big sister to serve as a mentor. Volunteer Coordinator: Tammy Sheehan.

Boys and Girls Clubs. This association, under the leadership of Patty Moses (phone: 813-875-5771), serves children of school age by providing a place to be when school is closed. Its after-school programs include mentoring, tutoring, athletics, games, arts/crafts, field trips, and computer instruction. Volunteer Coordinator: Beth Moore.

Center of Excellence. This association, under the leadership of Dr. Mary Lindsay (phone: 813-238-5873), provides education opportunities for children of all ages. It coordinates “Brainbow,” a competition on black history and culture, a tutoring program, and a summer camp experience.

Corporations to Develop Communities. This organization, whose Youth and Family Division Coordinator is Coleman Bell (phone: 813-232-1419, ext. 11), is involved in re-developing neighborhoods, coordinating youth programs, and providing job training.

Francis House. This organization, whose volunteers are coordinated by Diane Pelleck (phone: 813-237-3066), helps families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. They offer services such as counseling, day care, respite, GED training, after-school help, etc.

Hispanic Needs and Services. This organization, under the leadership of Maria Pinzon (phone: 813-876-7223), provides information and referral to Spanish-speaking people who have recently settled in the Tampa Bay area. Its primary services include classes in English and citizenship.

Metropolitan Ministries. This organization, located at 2002 N. Florida Ave. (phone: 813-209-1000), helps the homeless of central Tampa through its Family Care Center, its Thrift Market, and its Soup Kitchen.

National Conference for Community and Justice. This association, under the leadership of Roy Kaplan (phone: 727-568-9333), is located in downtown St. Petersburg, and is the area’s leading human relations organization. It runs the country’s largest and most ambitious school-based multicultural awareness program, conducts workplace diversity training for private companies and private agencies, and coordinates youth residential program, “Camp Anytown,” designed to encourage inter-ethnic and inter-cultural dialogue and relationships.

Redlands Christian Migrant Association. This association, under the leadership of Miguel Fuentes (phone: 813-671-5264), is located in Ruskin (about 30 miles south of USF-Tampa), and is looking for volunteers to serve as tutors in one of its six after school programs for the Mexican migrant children and teens. Since most of the children speak English, it is not essential for volunteers to speak Spanish. Volunteers are needed in the afternoons any time after 2:00 p.m.

Tampa Heights Civic Association. This association, under the leadership of Pam Glass (phone: 813-221-2525), provides tutoring and after school programs for children in the Tampa Heights area.

YMCA-Central City. This organization, located next to Metropolitan Ministries and the Salvation Army, supervises “teen nights” at their athletic facility and provides instructional swimming/athletic programs. Program Director: Michael Marx (phone: 813-229-9622).