The following texts and selected readings provide you with the information necessary to comprehend, analyze, and interpret American racial and ethnic relations. Feagin and Feagin (2003) provides basic information, including terms and theories, and specific information on each racial/ethnic group, including contemporary data. Takaki (1993) provides a historical perspective on race and ethnic relations in the United States. The e-readings are supplemental material to enhance your learning experience.
Required texts
Feagin, Joe R., and Clairece Booher Feagin. 2003. Racial and Ethnic Relations, 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
Takaki, Ronald. 1993. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Boston: Little, Brown.
Electronic Readings
Berg, Charles Ramirez. 2002. "Categorizing the Other: Stereotypes and Stereotyping," Chapter 1 in Latino Images in Film.
Hraba, Joseph. 1994. "The Social Sciences and Ethnic Relations," Chapter 1, pages 8-26 in American Ethnicity.
MacLeod, Jay. 1995. "Social Reproduction in Theoretical Perspective," Chapter 2 in Ain't No Makin' It: Aspirations and Attainment in a Low-Income Neighborhood.
Marger, Martin N. 2003. "The Newest Immigration" and "The American Ethnic Configuration," pages 156-171 in Race and Ethnic Relations and "Issues of the Newest Immigration" and "Cultural Assimilation or Pluralism? Competing Goals," pages 402-417 in Race and Ethnic Relations.
Massey, Douglas S., and Nancy A. Denton. 1993. "The Construction of the Ghetto," Chapter 2 in American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass.
Lipsitz, George. 2002. "The Possessive Investment in Whiteness," Part 2, Chapter 4 of White Privilege.
Wilson, William Julius. 1996. "From Institutional to Jobless Ghettos," Chapter 1 in When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor.
Note: See the bibliography at the end of this study guide for more complete information on the above.
Textbook
Marger, Martin N. 2003. Race and Ethnic Relations: American and Global Perspectives, 6th ed. Thomson Wadsworth.
This valuable textbook, which is cited throughout this course, is required for another Independent Study course written by Dr. Cardenas, Sociology 534, Comparative Racial and Ethnic Relations.
Article
Snipp, Matthew C. "The First Americans: American Indians," in Majority and Minority: The Dynamics of Race and Ethnicity, edited by Norman Yetman.
See the bibliography at the end of this study guide for complete information on this article.
Online Resources
You are encouraged to take advantage of the many Web sites related to the topics in this course. A list of recommended sites is found at Independent Study Course Websites (link provided to enrolled students).
Top of Page | Bottom of PageEach lesson includes the following: lesson objectives, required readings from the text and/or e-readings, and the lesson introduction, which is part of your reading assignment. There are nine lessons and three writing assignments: Part I includes lessons 1 and 2 and writing assignment 1; Part II includes lessons 3 and 4 and writing assignment 2; Part III includes lessons 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 and writing assignment 3. The writing assignments count for 70 percent of your grade. (Writing assignments 1 and 2 count for 20 percent each; writing assignment 3—a comprehensive essay—counts for 30 percent).
The writing assignments reflect material discussed in your textbook readings, lesson introductions, and any other assigned material. Specific information, such as the recommended length of the essay, is found in each writing assignment. Your answers must be typed, double spaced, with one-inch margins and a font size of 12, preferably Times New Roman. If you choose to submit writing assignments to the instructor via e-mail, please follow the instructions provided in a separate handout included in your course materials packet. I prefer, but do not require, e-mail lesson submissions. One final suggestion: It is a good idea when you begin a lesson to read the writing assignment first so that you know what to focus on in your study.
Please do not submit writing assignment 2 until the first assignment has been graded and returned to you. Likewise, do not submit writing assignment 3 until assignment 2 has been graded and returned. You may not take your exam until ALL writing assignments have been submitted.
One supervised final exam is required. The exam covers all lessons, assigned readings, and writing assignments. You must have completed ALL the writing assignments prior to taking the final exam. The exam has thirty multiple-choice questions worth one-half point (1/2) each and three essay questions worth five points each. At the end of the study guide sample test questions and essays indicating the test format and style are provided. Use these as an aid in studying for the exam. The same objective questions may (or may not) be asked on the actual exam. Your essay question on the exam will be chosen from the list of sample essays. Please note: You may not bring your text or use any notes during the examination.
Your final grade will be the sum of the following components.
Writing Assignment 1 = 20 points
Writing Assignment 2 = 20 points
Writing Assignment 3 = 30 points
Final Exam = 30 points
Total Points: 100 points
Grading scale
90 and above = A
80 to 89.99 = B
70 to 79.99 = C
60 to 69.99 = D
59.99 and below = F
This course follows the academic guidelines presented in the 2003-2004 Student Datebook/Handbook, published by the University of Kansas Student Affairs.
Academic integrity is a central value in the great human enterprise of education. It is vital to the development of genuine learning in the individual. It is essential to the production, distribution and application of reliable knowledge in a civilized society.
It rests on two principles: First, that academic work is represented truthfully as to its source and its accuracy. Second, that academic results are obtained by fair and authorized means.
"Academic misconduct" occurs when either of these guiding principles in knowingly violated. (University Senate Rule 2.6.1)
Furthermore, any form of academic misconduct will not be allowed in this course. The following examples of academic misconduct are excerpted from the Student Datebook/Handbook.
Cheating—Giving, using, or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, notes, study aids, or other devices in any academic exercise, including unauthorized communication or information.
Fabrication and Falsification—Unauthorized alteration or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise.
Plagiarism—Knowingly presenting the work of another as one's own (i.e., without proper acknowledgment of the source).
Facilitating Academic Misconduct—Giving or attempting to help another commit an act of academic misconduct.
Tampering with Materials, Grades, or Records—Interfering with, altering, or attempting to alter university records, grades, or other documents without authorization from an appropriate university official for the purpose of changing, falsifying, or removing the original information found in such records.