Sociology 46N Syllabus
"Race, Ethnic and National Identities: Imagined Communities"
Fall 2009
Class Meets Tuesdays and Thursdays,
Blgd 60, room 119
Michael J. Rosenfeld
Associate Professor
Department of Sociology
McClatchy Hall (Building 120) room 124
Office Hours Tuesdays 3:15-4:15
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.
F. James Davis. 1991.
Who is Black: One Nation's Definition.
Benedict Anderson. 1991. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. London: Verso.
Gould, Stephen Jay. 1996. The Mismeasure of Man. New York: W.W. Norton
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.
Other Readings, available in a class reader 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
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
Kinder, Donald and David O. Sears. 1981. Prejudice and Politics: Symbolic Racism Versus Racial Threats to the Good Life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 40: 414-431 (online)
Bobo, Larry. 1983. "Whites' Opposition to Busing: Symbolic Racism or Realistic Group Conflict?" Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 45: 1196-1210 (online)
Stoler, Ann Laura. 1997. "Carnal Knowledge and Imperial Power" Ch 1 in The Gender/ Sexuality Reader, edited by Lancaster and di Leonardo. Routledge.
Reading Assignments:
|
|
|
|
Week 1: |
|
|
Sept 22 |
Introduction to
the class |
|
Sept 24 |
Symbolic
Ethnicity: The Future of Ethnic Groups
and Cultures in |
|
|
|
|
Week 2: |
|
|
Sept 29 |
Imagined Communities Ch 1-4 |
|
Oct 1 |
Imagined Communities Ch 5, 6 |
|
|
|
|
Week 3: |
|
|
Oct 6 |
Imagined Communities finish the book |
|
Oct 8 |
How the Irish
Became White,
Introduction + Chapter 1 |
|
|
|
|
Week 4: |
|
|
Oct 13 |
How the Irish, Chapters 2, 3, and 4 |
|
Oct 15 |
How the Irish, finish the book |
|
|
|
|
Week 5: |
|
|
Oct 20 |
Who is Black? Ch 1-5 |
|
Oct 22 |
Who is Black? Finish the book |
|
|
|
|
Week 6: |
|
|
Oct 27 |
Why Are All the Black Kids... Chapters 1-4 |
|
Oct 29 |
Why Are All the Black Kids... Chapters 5-8 |
|
|
|
|
Week 7: |
|
|
Nov 3 |
Carnal Knowledge (by Stoler, in the reader) |
|
Nov 5 |
Passing, and the Managed Achievement of Sex Status, (By Garfinkel, in the reader) |
|
|
|
|
Week 8: |
|
|
Nov 10 |
The Mismeasure of Man Chapter 2 (on craniometry) |
|
Nov 12 |
The Mismeasure of Man Chapter 5 (On IQ), plus P. 264-269 on Cyril Burt |
|
|
|
|
Week 9: |
|
|
Nov 17 |
Prejudice and Politics (by Kinder and Sears, online) |
|
Nov 19 |
Whites’ Opposition to Busing (by Bobo, online) |
|
|
|
|
Week of Nov 24 |
Thanksgiving. |
|
Week 10: |
|
|
Dec 1 |
|
|
Dec 3 |
No assignment, last class |
|
|
|