Sociology 46N Syllabus
"Race, Ethnic and National Identities: Imagined Communities"
Spring 2014
Class Meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11A-12:15
Thornt 209
Michael J. Rosenfeld
Associate Professor
Department of Sociology
McClatchy Hall (Building 120) room 124
What does it mean
when someone identifies themselves as White? or Black? or Irish? or American?
or Irish American? or Tibetan? or a Man?
How do new identities get created and legitimated? What does it mean to try on a different
identity, i.e. to 'pass'? National
groups and ethnic groups are so large that one individual can only possibly
know an infinitesimal fraction of the other members of the group. What then explains the seeming coherence of
the groups? If identities are a product
of the imagination, why are people willing to fight and die for them?
Grading:
1 Class
Presentation 20%
3 Short Papers 60%
Class Participation 20%
Requirements:
This seminar will
require careful reading, consistent class participation, 3 short papers, and
one class presentation (which will be based on that week's reading
assignment). There are no exams. Depending on class size, you may be able to
make a second in-class presentation, and substitute that for the third paper
(so 2 presentations and 2 papers instead of 1 presentation and 3 papers). Every
reading assignment will be accompanied by 2 or more questions to guide your
reading. These questions will be posted
on my website (http://www.stanford.edu/~mrosenfe). These questions should guide your reading,
your writing assignments, and your class presentation. Papers should be short- 2 or 3 pages- and
should answer the questions I pose about the reading. The length restriction on papers is designed
to force your essays to be concise. You may hand in essays in any 3 of the 9
weeks of class. You may hand in written
assignments in more than 3 weeks, and in that case your grade will reflect the
best 3 assignments you turn in. Because
the written assignments are designed to stimulate class discussion, no late
papers will be accepted and no incompletes for the course will be granted. Class presentations will be 10-15 minutes in
length.
Books to be Purchased at the Stanford Bookstore:
Ignatiev, Noel. 1995. How the Irish Became White. New York: Routledge . 0415963095, $21
F. James Davis. 1991. Who is Black: One Nation's Definition. Pennsylvania State University Press. 0271021721, $24
·
Benedict Anderson. 1991. Imagined
Communities: Reflections on the Origin and
Spread of Nationalism. London: Verso. ISBN-10: 1844670864, $16
·
Gould, Stephen Jay. 1996. The Mismeasure of
Man. New York: W.W. Norton. ISBN-10: 0393314251, $15
Tatum, Beverly. 2003. Why
Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? A Psychologist
Explains the Development of Racial Identity. New York: Basic Books. 0465083617, $13
Stoler, Ann Laura. 1997. "Carnal Knowledge and Imperial Power" Ch 1 in The Gender/ Sexuality Reader, edited by Lancaster and di Leonardo. Routledge. ISBN 0415910056, $44. Plus further readings from the book TBA.
Other Readings, available at the Stanford Bookstore, or on
Library Reserve, or linked from Rosenfeld’s website:
Gans, Herbert. 1979. "Symbolic Ethnicity: The Future of Ethnic Groups and Cultures in America" Ethnic and Racial Studies 2: 1-20 (note: Stanford library does not have free access to this article online, so you will either have to pay $39 for it, or else go to the library reserve and borrow the physical copy)
·
Garfinkel,
Howard. 1967. "Passing and the Managed Achievement of
Sex Status in an 'Intersexed' Person part 1" p. 166-185 in Studies in
Ethnomethodology. Englewood Cliffs,
NJ: Prentice- Hall (either buy the book or borrow it from the library) ISBN-10: 0745600050.
$30
Reading Assignments:
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Week 1: |
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Apr 1 |
Introduction to
the class |
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Apr 3 |
Symbolic
Ethnicity: The Future of Ethnic Groups
and Cultures in America |
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Week 2: |
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Apr 8 |
Imagined Communities Ch 1-4 |
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Apr 10 |
Imagined Communities Ch 5, 6 |
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Week 3: |
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Apr 15 |
Imagined Communities finish the book |
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Apr 17 |
How the Irish
Became White,
Introduction + Chapter 1 |
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Week 4: |
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Apr 22 |
How the Irish, Chapters 2, 3, and 4 |
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Apr 24 |
How the Irish, finish the book |
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Week 5: |
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Apr 29 |
Who is Black? Ch 1-5 |
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May 1 |
Who is Black? Finish the book |
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Week 6: |
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May 6 |
Why Are All the Black Kids... Chapters 1-4 |
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May 8 |
Why Are All the Black Kids... Chapters 5-8 |
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Week 7: |
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May 13 |
Carnal Knowledge (by Stoler, in the Gender/Sexuality reader) |
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May 15 |
Passing, and the Managed Achievement of Sex Status, (By Garfinkel) |
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Week 8: |
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May 20 |
The Mismeasure of Man Chapter 2 (on craniometry) |
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May 22 |
The Mismeasure of Man Chapter 5 (On IQ), plus P. 264-269 on Cyril Burt |
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Week 9: |
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May 27 |
Additional Readings from the Gender/Sexuality reader, TBA |
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May 29 |
Additional Readings from the Gender/Sexuality reader TBA |
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Week 10: |
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June 3 |
No assignment, last class |
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