Course Description

Explorations of multicultural and diversity issues too often focus on an external examination of the experiences of traditionally oppressed groups and individuals. Such an approach disregards the idea that each of us carries with ourselves an individual set of lenses, tinted by our own experiences and identities, through which we view and make assumptions about others. Any attempt at institutional change and systemic prejudice elimination must begin with, and constantly be supplemented by, a personal process of self-examination and self-development. What are my prejudices and biases? How do my lenses affect my worldview and relationships with others? What is my role, both as the oppressed and the oppressor, in the dynamics of human relations and societal change?

This course is designed to engage participants in a systematic process of introspection, self-examination, and personal identity understanding and development with regards to issues of race, gender, sex, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic class. Emphasis will be placed on naming and confronting one’s own prejudices and how they affect relationships and fit into institutional oppressions, exploring the process of one’s identity development in relation to other individuals in one’s cultural groups, and understanding the interconnectivity of individual racial, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic class identities.

Theoretical and philosophical frameworks for understanding identity, culture, and oppression will be developed through readings and course materials drawn from a number of fields including Education, Psychology, Sociology, American Studies, and Cultural Studies.

Goals and Objectives

The goal of this course is to facilitate self-reflection and self-growth among participants, preparing them to more critically, actively, and effectively participate in a diverse environment. Course objectives include:

1. To engage participants in a process of examining and understanding their own identity along the lines of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and socioeconomic class. To facilitate the exploration of how these identifiers shape an individual’s attitudes and perspectives.

2. To examine the role of education, the media, and other influences on individual identity development and social understanding.

3. To develop a deeper understanding of the nature of institutional prejudice and oppression and to examine our individual roles as both oppressors and oppressed.

4. To name, own, and eliminate personal prejudices.

5. To model a critical, collaborative approach to learning.

6. To develop and nurture critical thinking and intercultural collaboration skills.

7. To develop individual processes for introspection, self-examination, and self-development.

8. To learn strategies for addressing multicultural issues by maximizing educational opportunities and minimizing possible negative outcomes.

9. To collaborate toward addressing issues of diversity and oppression on and off campus.

Class Activities

Class meetings will be built around three crucial dimensions of multicultural awareness: the Introspective, the Reflective, and the Collaborative. The Introspective dimension will be included through interactive, experiential activities that encourage self-reflection and self-development. The activities have been designed and refined to engage participants in a process of awareness through a tested sequence:

1. Developing a community of respect, honesty, and comfort within the class

2. Sharing personal experiences

3. Examining the dimensions of multiculturalism, pluralism, and diversity

4. Understanding how these dimensions affect us as individuals

5. Reflecting on one’s own process of identity development

6. Exploring how one’s identity development informs their perspectives and views of others

7. Naming, confronting, and eliminating prejudices

Participants will also complete a series of ethnographic, autobiographical writing assignments, exploring our own processes of identity development around several identity dimensions, as part of this process.

The Reflective dimension will provide a base of theoretical and philosophical understanding, expanding the focus on self to a socio-political and socio-historical context. Within this context, the Reflective dimension will focus on developing social consciousness and understanding and critical thinking skills. Participants will engage in both big group and small group discussions centered on weekly readings, films shown during class, and the examination of various forms of media (TV, newspapers, educational materials, etc.). Participants will be encouraged to offer critical analysis and self-analysis: What are the political slants of these materials? Who created them and for what purpose? How does the assumption of “objectivity” affect institutional attitudes? They will also be challenged and encouraged to internalize these questions: How do my biases and assumptions inform my interpretations of these materials?

The Collaborative dimension will focus on intercultural teamwork and social action. Participants will work together on a variety of projects and processes including:

1. Acting as teacher and learner in a collective push toward self-awareness

2. Developing strategies for analyzing and addressing diversity issues and oppression on and off campus

3. Creating original resources for the continued development of self, campus, and society (to be made available through the class Web site)

Participants will learn the value of diverse voices in collective decision-making and problem-solving while developing an understanding of how their own voices fit into such complex discourses.

Course Requirements

1. ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION

Attendance is mandatory. As we develop a classroom atmosphere conducive to addressing issues such as racism, sexism, heterosexism and classism, it is vital that every class member attends all class sessions and arrives on time. Because the class is centered around a collaborative learning process, participation is also very important. Students will be expected to participate in small and large group discussions, to share projects and writing assignments with classmates, and to actively engage in several in-class activities.

2. THE COMPLETION OF READING ASSIGNMENTS

Three or four short readings will be assigned weekly. Students are expected to read the material carefully and be prepared to discuss the readings in class.

3. WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS

Short writing assignments will be given weekly. These will usually be 2-3 page pieces, combining self-reflection with demonstrating a socio-cultural understanding of the readings and class discussions. An example of a weekly assignment follows:

Boy/Girl Piece

This assignment is designed to help you explore your own gender identity development in relation to existing identity development theory. Write a 2-3 page paper on the messages you remember receiving as a child about what it meant to be the gender with which you associate. What messages did you receive from teachers, peers, parents, coaches, clergy, the media, or others? How did this affect your image of yourself and your own sense of gender identity? Is this consistent with the identity development models we discussed in class today? How is your experience similar or difference from the modalities?

4. FIELD PROJECT

Field projects take a naturalistic approach to inquiry and student-centered research. Field project researchers identify questions and develop methods for data collection in the field, through interviews and participant-observation. All students will propose, then carry out a field study project exploring the lived experience of racism, sexism, classism, or heterosexism. Experiences will be shared through reports.

5. FINAL PAPER

Students will complete a final identity paper (8-10 pages). Each student will choose a dimension of her or his identity (race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or class) and describe their process of identity development, from early childhood to the present time, in terms of that dimension. Final papers should illustrate an understanding the class readings and discussions, and should highlight the ability to internalize these and refocus them into greater self-understanding.

Grading

Attendance and Participation: 30%

Weekly Assignments: 20%

Field Study Project: 20%

Final Paper: 30%

Reading List

Rosenblum, K. and Travis, T. (Eds.) 2000. The meaning of difference: American constructions of race, sex and gender, social class, and sexual orientation. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies.

Course Packet.

Course Readings Calendar

I. COMPLEXITIES OF CULTURE AND MULTICULTURALISM

What is “culture”? How do we define for ourselves and for others? What are the dimensions of culture? How are these interwoven to from “multiculturalism”? What is the “dominant” culture in America? How do we define “the other”?

February 1. Introductions of course and each other

Readings for next class:

· Constructing categories of difference: Framework essay (in R & T, pp. 1-33)

· Experiencing difference: Framework essay (in R & T, pp. 165-188)

February 8. Constructions of Culture and Difference

Reading for next class:

· Kerchis, C. & Young, I. Social movements and the politics of difference (in R & T, pp. 337-349)

· View for next class: Essential Blue Eyed

February 10. Nature of Prejudice

Readings for next class:

· Hidalgo, N. (1993). Multicultural teacher introspection. In T. Perry & J. Fraser (Eds.), Freedom’s plow (pp.99-106). New York: Routlege. (packet)

II. A SELF-DEVELOPMENT APPROACH FOR MULTICULTURAL LEARNING

How can we refocus “multiculturalism” to analyze self instead of “the other”?

February 15. A “Self” Orientation to Multiculturalism

Reading for next class:

· Roland, A. (1994). Identity, self, and individualism in a multicultural perspective. In Salett, E. and Koslow, D. (Eds.), Race, Ethnicity and Self (pp. 11-23). Washington, D.C.: National Multicultural Institute. (packet)

February 17. More on “Self” and Introduction to Field Project Assignment

Readings for next class:

· Rosenblum, K. and Travis, T. Ten key supreme court cases (in R & T, pp. 295-319)

· Davis, J. Who is black: One nation’s definition (in R & T, pp. 34-41)

III. RACE AND ETHNICITY

What are “race” and “ethnicity”? How have these categories been used historically, and how are they used presently? What is racial privilege and who has it in the United States? What are racial stereotypes of different groups? How are these propagated by the media, education, and other institutions?

How do I define my race and ethnicity? What stereotypes do I have about my own group and other groups? How does my identification with a particular racial or ethnic group inform my worldview and the way I experience other groups? What racial prejudices do I have, and what are some strategies for eliminating them?

February 22. Historical Perspective on Race and Racism

Readings for next class:

· Loewen, J. (1995). Gone with the wind: The invisibility of racism in american History Textbooks in Lies My Teacher Told Me. New York: Simon and Schuster. (packet)

February 24. Systemizing Racial Prejudice

Readings for next class:

· Blauner, B. Talking past each other: Black and white languages of race (in R & T, pp. 231-239)

· Moore, R. Racism in the English language (in R & T, pp. 451-458)

B. Socio-cultural Perspective

February 29. Systemized Racial Oppression

Readings for next class:

· McIntosh, P. (1988). White privilege and male privilege: A personal account of coming to see correspondences through work in women’s studies. Working Paper Series #189. Wellesley, MA: Wellesley College Center for Research on Women.

http://www.uwm.edu/~gjay/Whiteness/mcintosh.htm

· Frankenberg, R. Whiteness as an ‘unmarked’ cultural category (in R & T, pp. 81-86)

March 2. Privilege and Whiteness

March 7 – 9. In Class Viewing: Color of Fear

Assignment for next class:

· Proposal for field study assignment

March 14. Update on Field Studies and Introduction to Final Papers

March 16. Open Class

Readings for next class (March 28):

· Loewen, J. (1995). The land of opportunity. In Lies My Teacher Told Me. New York: Simon and Schuster. (packet)

****Spring Break: No class on March 21 or March 23****

IV. SOCIAL CLASS

What is “social class”? What is the social class structure in the United States? What is the historical significance of social class in the United States? How do opportunity structures affect social class mobility? Do institutions such as the education system and the media contribute to social class oppression or stratification? If so, how?

Where do I fit in the social class continuum? How did my family experience growing up affect my current social class status? How was my own opportunity structure affected by my social class? What prejudices do I have about poor people or rich people? What are some strategies for eliminating those prejudices?

March 28. Class Perceptions and Realities in the U.S.

Reading for the next class:

· Kahlenberg, R. How much social mobility exists in the United States? (R & T, pp. 117-129)

March 30. The Myth of Mobility

April 4. In-class viewing: Roger & Me

Reading for the next class:

· Mincy, R. The underclass: Concept, controversy, and evidence (R & Y, pp. 130-142)

April 6. Open class

Reading for next class:

· Heyl, B. Homosexuality: A social phenomenon (in R & T, pp. 146-155)

· Katz, J. The invention of heterosexuality (in R & T, pp. 143-145)

V. SEXUAL ORIENTATION

What is “sexual orientation”? How does society define what “sexual orientation” somebody is? How do institutions like the education system and the media deal with sexual orientation?

How do I define/conceptualize my own sexual orientation? How do I define/conceptualize the sexual orientation of people different from me? What messages did I receive as a kid about what it meant to be heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, etc.? What other factors have contributed to my understanding of my own sexual orientation and of the sexual orientation of other people? What are my prejudices regarding sexual orientation? What are some strategies for eliminating them?

April 11. Construction of Sexual Orientation

Readings for next class:

· Allison, D. A question of class (in R & T, pp. 262-271)

· Chapter 8: The Bible and Homosexuality in Gomes, P. (1996). The Good Book. New York: William Morrow and Co., Inc.

April 13. Heterosexism and Religion

View for next class:

· It’s Elementary

April 18. Sexual Orientation in Schools

Due for next class: Field study check-in and draft of final paper

April 20. Open class

Readings for next class:

· Hacker, A. The gender gap: Contours and causes (in R & T, pp. 372-380)

· Richardson, L. Gender stereotyping in the English language (in R & T, pp. 459-464)

VI. GENDER

What is “gender”? Is it different from “sex”? What are the socio-historically defined gender roles in the United States? How are they changing? How have these traditional roles informed gender stereotypes? How are gender stereotypes reaffirmed in the education system, the media, and other institutions?

How do I define my gender? Do I fit into traditionally defined gender roles? What are the stereotypes I have about people of my own gender or another gender? What messages did I receive as a kid about what it meant to be my gender? How did this affect my gender identity development? What are my prejudices around gender? What are some strategies for eliminating them?

April 25. Gender and Systemic Oppression

Readings for next class:

· Fausto-Sterling, A. The five sexes: Why male and female are not enough (in R & T, pp. 68-73)

· Williams, W. The Berdache tradition (in R & T, pp. 92-100)

April 27. The “Science” of Gender

Reading for next class:

· Basow, S. Gender stereotypes and roles (in R & T, pp. 101-115)

May 2. Fishbowls

May 4. Open class

Due for next class: Field study report

May 9. Presentations of field studies

May 11. Presentations of field studies

May 16. Open class (final day of class)

May 22. Final papers due