Instructor: Jim Cohen
Office: 0121 Caroline Hall
e-mail: jcohen@bss2.umd.edu

Office Phone: 405-6795
Office Hrs: M & W, 1-2:30, or by appt.
FAX: (301) 314-9897

COURSE DESCRIPTION

U.S. cities have traditionally been centers of diversity, in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle choices. The large population base and density of cities have enabled persons from diverse groups to find solidarity with people like themselves. Across these groups, city residents frequently enjoy benefits from diversity and appreciate the richness of a multi-cultural environment. At the same time, this diversity has also been accompanied by intolerance, prejudice and hostility, expressed not only among majority and minority groups, but also between and within minority groups. U.S. residents (along with much of the world's population) are living in increasingly diverse urban environments, and are still figuring out how to live, work and learn together.

This class is intended to assist students to expand their awareness and understanding of multi-cultural diversity in U.S. society. Through class readings, discussions, projects and writing assignments, it is intended that students will:

1. learn about and appreciate the experiences and challenges faced by different racial and ethnic groups since their arrival in the U.S.;
2. critically analyze ways that social scientists, policymakers and others have classified various groups, studied differences between them, and produced hypotheses about the extent, causes and impacts of discrimination;
3. explore their own assumptions about people different from themselves, and how these assumptions affect others; and
4. examine (and debate about) key public policies that have been introduced to promote equal opportunity.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Reading Assignments

The readings for the course are assigned from three primary sources:

1. the two required and one recommended textbooks, available for purchase at the University Book Center and the Maryland Book Exchange;
2. a packet of articles from the Washington Post and New York Times, two copies of which are on reserve at McKeldin Library; and
3. a set of other reserve readings taken from books, journals and other sources. The latter readings are on reserve at McKeldin Library under their separate titles.

   Students are urged to do the assigned readings before coming to class in order to participate fully in class discussions. In addition to the readings listed herein, the instructor will occasionally provide handouts in the class, consisting of tables, graphs, and other materials. Handouts are considered to be important supplements to course readings and discussions, and it is the student's responsibility to retain any handout materials which are utilized in class.

   The following textbooks are required for the course:

   1. Don C. Locke. 1998. Increasing Multicultural Understanding: A Comprehensive Model. 2nd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
   2. Richard T. Schaefer. 1995. Race and Ethnicity in the United States. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers.

   The following textbook is recommended for the course.
   Richard C. Monk (ed.). 1996. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Race and Ethnicity (2nd Edition). Guilford, CN: Dushkin Publishing Group / Brown and Benchmark Publishers.

Student Projects

There will be two student projects during the semester:

1. cultural plunge, in which the student attends an event or visits a place that is dominated by a culture outside his/her own identity and then writes (and presents) a short report on the experience; and
2. participation in an in-class debate on a controversial, diversity-related topic, and a paper discussing the debate.

   For the debates, each student will be part of a two-person team that will argue one side of a controversial topic against another team. The five debate topics, and the dates of the in-class debates, are:

   1. Should There be Affirmative Action in College Admissions? -- Nov. 12;
   2. Should There be National History Standards for Education? -- Nov. 17;
   3. Should School Busing in Prince George's County Be Ended? -- Nov. 19;
   4. ) Should Jury Nullification Be Used to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Inequalities? -- Dec. 1; and
   5. Is Transracial Adoption a Good Idea? -- Dec. 3.

   Students will be given an opportunity to express their preference for debate topic selection.

Examinations

There will be a midterm examination on Oct. 20, and a final exam during finals week. Students who do not appear for the quiz or an exam will be given a score of "0". No make-up exams will be given except in cases of a well-documented medical excuse or other emergency.

Participation

Class participation will be evaluated on the basis of attendance and contributions to class discussions. As part of the participation element, each student will be responsible for providing an oral summary of three of the assigned readings. Details on the selection and content of the oral summaries will be provided in class. A student who does not appear in class on the date of his/her assigned summary will be given a score of "0" for that part of the participation grade, except in cases of a well-documented medical excuse or other emergency. In cases of a documented excuse, the student will arrange with the instructor for a "make-up" summary.

Grading

Students' final grades will be determined according to the following formula:

1. the midterm exam, 25 percent;
2. the plunge, 15 percent;
3. the in-class debate and debate paper, 20 percent;
4. the final exam, 25 percent; and
5. class participation, 15 percent.

COURSE OUTLINE AND CLASS SCHEDULE

Note: Readings from the Selected Articles from the New York Times and Washington Post packet are preceded by an asterisk (*). Other readings on reserve are denoted by a double asterisk (**) and are available under their separate titles. All other readings are from the required texts, which are also on reserve at McKeldin.

1. Introduction to the Course: Respect and Diversity (Sept. 1).

2. Majority / Minority Relations (Sept. 3 & 8).

   Sept. 3.

   • Schaefer, Ch. 1.
   • **Joan Ferrante and Prince Brown, Jr. (eds.), The Social Construction of Race and Ethnicity in the United States (New York: Longman, 1998). Introduction, pp. 1-18.

   Sept. 8.

   • **Paul Knepper, "Historical Origins of the Prohibition of Multiracial Legal Identity in the States and the Nation." In Ferrante and Brown, The Social Construction of Race and Ethnicity in the United States, pp. 123-130.
   • **"The Declaration of Athens: Scientists Speak Out Against Racism." In Ferrante and Brown, The Social Construction of Race and Ethnicity in the United States, pp. 333-336..

3. Issues of Race and Class (Sept. 10).
   • Assignments #1 and #2 Handed Out.
   • *Roberto Suro, "The Next Wave: How Immigration Blurs the Race Discussion," Washington Post, 19 July 1998, p. C1.
   • *Eugene L. Meyer, "Enmity Grows From Planter Dividing Subdivisions," Washington Post, 2 Feb. 1998, p. C3.

4. A Model of Multicultural Understanding; Application to Native Americans (Sept. 15).
   • Don C. Locke, Increasing Multicultural Understanding, chs. 1 and 4.

5. African Americans; Race and Prejudice (Sept. 17, 22 & 24).

   Sept. 17.

   • Locke, Ch. 2.
   • **Arthur Ashe, "The Burden of Race." In Ferrante and Brown, The Social Construction of Race and Ethnicity in the United States, pp. 62-66.
   • David Finkel, "Kim and Josh," Washington Post Magazine, 28 June 1998, p. 13+.

   Sept. 22.

   • Schaefer, Ch. 2.
   • *John Lamberth, "Driving While Black," Washington Post, 16 Aug. 1998, p. C1.
   • **K.C. Cole, "Brain's Use of Shortcuts Can Be a Route to Bias." In Ferrante and Brown, The Social Construction of Race and Ethnicity in the United States, pp. 455-461.

   Sept. 24.

   • Schaefer, Ch. 3.
   • ** Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton, American Apartheid (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1993), Ch. 4, pp. 83-114.

6. Immigration to the U.S. (Sept. 29, Oct. 1).

   Sept. 29.

   • Schaefer, Ch. 4.
   • *William Branigin, "Visa Program, High Tech Workers Exploited, Critics Say," Washington Post, 26 July 1998, p. A1.
   • *William Booth, "By the Sweat of Their Brows, a New Economy," Washington Post 13 July 1998, p. A1.

   Oct. 1.

   • *William Branigin, "Immigrants Question the Idea of Assimilation," Washington Post 25 May 1998, p. A1.
   • *Blaine Harden and Jay Mathews, "New Mix Enlivens N.Y. Melting Pot," New York Times, 1998, p. A1.
7. Chinese Americans; Japanese Americans (Oct. 6).
   • Locke, Chs. 5 and 6.
   • *Todd S. Purdum, "U.S. Starts to Dust Off a Dark Spot in History for All to See, New York Times, 20 June 1998, p. A6.

8. Korean Americans; Vietnamese in the U.S. (Oct. 8).
   • Locke, Chs. 7 and 8.
   • *Joel Garreau, "A People Molded Into Merchants," Washington Post, 5 July 1992, p. A1.
   • *Joel Garreau, "Lives Defined by Sacrifice," Washington Post, 6 June 1992, p. A1.

9. Mexican Americans; Puerto Rican Americans; Central Americans (Oct. 13 & 15 )

   Oct. 13.

   • Locke, Chs. 9 and 10.
   • *Lois Romano, "A Community Adapts to Newcomers," Washington Post, 24 March 1998, p. A2.

   Oct. 15.

   • *Don Terry, "The Reply, It Turned Out, Was Bilingual: No," New York Times, 5 June 1998, p. A12.
   • Film: Fear and Learning at Hoover Elementary. Nominated for an Emmy and winner of the Sundance Freedom of Expression Award, this movie traces the impact of California's Proposition 187, which would deny public services -- including public education -- to undocumented immigrants.

   Oct. 20.

   • Midterm Exam

10. Religion (Oct. 22)
    • Schaefer, Ch. 5.
    • Locke, Chs. 11 and 12.
    • *Norimitsu Onishi, "Stabilizing Lefrak City: Jewish and Muslim Immigrants Help Revive Troubled Complex,"New York Times, 6 June 1996, p. B1.

11. Socioeconomic Diversity (Oct. 27 & 29)

    Oct. 27.

    • *Michael D. Shear, "Relocation Plan Canceled in Fairfax," Washington Post, 28 Feb. 1998, p. A1.
    • *Terry Pristin, "New Building in Battery Park City Will Give Middle-Income Families a Break on Rents.

    Oct. 29.

    • The Moderately Priced Housing Law, Montgomery County Code 1984, As Amended.

    Nov. 3.

    • Discussion of Plunge;
    • Assignment #1 Due

    Nov. 5.

    • No Class Meeting. Study Period for Debate Preparation.

12. Affirmative Action; Curriculum Diversity (Nov. 10, 12 & 17)

    Nov. 10.

    • *Same Howe Verhovek, "In Poll, Americans Reject Means But Not Ends of Racial Diversity," New York Times, 14 Dec. 1997, p. 1.
    • **"Is Affirmative Action Good for Hispanics?". Issue #19 in Richard C. Monk, Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Race and Ethnicity, pp. 322-331.

    Nov. 12.

    • **"Should Colleges and Universities Have Affirmative Action Admission Policies?" Issue #18 in Richard C. Monk, Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Race and Ethnicity, pp. 302-321.
    • *Ethan Bronner, "Admissions Plunge at U. Of California for 3 Minorities," New York Times, 1 April 1998, p. A1.
    • *Pamela Ferdinand, "Suit Calls Diversity Policy Unfair," Washington Post, 29 Jan. 1998, p. A10.
    • *For Asian Americans, a Barrier or Boon?" Washington Post, 20 June 1998, p. A8.

    Debate #1: Should There be Affirmative Action in College Admissions?

    Nov. 17.

    • **"Are National History Standards for Education Harmful?" Issue #10 in Richard C. Monk, Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Race and Ethnicity, pp. 172-193.
    • *Maria L. La Ganga, "San Francisco Sets Minority Book Rule," Washington Post, 2 March 1998, p. A7.
    • *Michael A. Fletcher, "Debates on Ethnicity, Free Speech Flare as N.M. Teachers Fight Dismissal" Washington Post, 6 Feb. 1998, p. A3.

    Debate #2: Should There be National History Standards for Education?

13. School Desegregation in Prince George's County (Nov. 19).
    • *Lisa Frazier and Robert E. Pierre, "Desegregation Trial Opens," Washington Post, 19 November 1997, p. B1.
    • *Lisa Frazier, "Final Accord Reached on Ending Pr. George's Busing," Washington Post, 20 March 1998.

    Debate #3: Should School Busing in Prince George's County Be Ended?

14. Gays and Lesbians in the City (Nov. 24)
    • Film: The Castro. This award-winning film examines a 40-year period in which homosexuals gradually transformed a hidden lifestyle into a social movement. It shows how gays and lesbians took over San Francisco's Castro neighborhood and developed it into their cultural and political stronghold.

15. Race and Criminal Justice (Dec. 1).
    • **Should Jury Nullification Be Used to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Inequalities? Issue #20 in Richard C. Monk, Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Race and Ethnicity, pp. 332-343.

    Debate #4: Should Jury Nullification Be Used to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Inequalities?

16. Transracial Adoption (Dec. 3).
    • *Is Transracial Adoption a Good Idea? Issue #15 in Richard C. Monk, Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Race and Ethnicity, pp. 250-271.

    Debate #5: Is Transracial Adoption a Good Idea?

17. Conflict and Change; Disability Culture (Dec. 8).
    • Schaefer, Ch. 6.
    • *Douglas Martin, "Eager to Bite the Hands That Would Feed Them," Washington Post, 2 June 1997,p. E1.

18. Pluralism Within Unity? (Dec. 10).
    • Assignment #2 Due.
    • Locke, Epilogue, pp. 225-229.
    • **Amitai Etzioni, The New Golden Rule (New York: Basic Books, 1996), Ch. 7, pp. 189-216.