A Critique of the Concept of Racism
Schedule of Readings and Assignments
(click to download PDF file or to go to linked document)
1. An Intellectual History of Racism
Tues Jan 19 – Introduction to the course and to each other
Thurs Jan 21 – Immanuel Kant, “Kant on the Different Races of Man”
Tues Jan 26 – Emmanuel Chukwudi Eze, “The Color of Reason: The Idea of ‘Race’ in Kant’s Anthropology” and “Race, History, and Imperialism: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel”
2. The Nature and Effects of Racism
Thurs Jan 28 Michael Dummett, “The Nature of Racism”
Tues Feb 2 – George Yancy, “The Return of the Black Body: Seven Vignettes”
Frantz Fanon, “The Fact of Blackness”
Thurs Feb 4 – W.E.B. Du Bois, “Of Our Spiritual Strivings”
http://www.readingnewengland.org/books/soulsofblackfolk/l=01spiritual&PHPSESSID=71d47c13869ce7719d0d9e559f7b26bc
Tues Feb 9 – George Yancy, “Whiteness as Ambush and the Transformative Power of Vigilance” (oops, missing p. 233)
3. Racism and the Liberal State
Thurs Feb 11 – John Locke, “The Second Treatise of Government” or http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtreat.htm
American Declaration of Independence http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html
Tues Feb 16 – NO CLASS!
Thurs Feb 18 – Charles Mills, “Overview” (excerpt from The Racial Contract)
4. Racism and Power
Tues Feb 23 – Charles Mills, “White Supremacy as a Sociopolitical System”
5. Racism and Marxism
Thurs Feb 25 – Charles Mills, “European Specters”
Tues Mar 2 – Robert Young, “Putting Materialism back into Race Theory: Toward a Transformative Theory of Race”
http://www.redcritique.org/WinterSpring2006/puttingmaterialismbackintoracetheory.htm
[Supplemental: Richard W. Miller, “Marx’s Legacy”]
6. Racism, Political Equality and Democracy
Thurs Mar 4 – Robert A. Dahl, “Why Political Equality I?” and “Is Political Equality a Reasonable Goal?” (pp. 10-11 are missing!)
Tues Mar 9 – George Yancy, “Whose Democracy?” (pp. 15-21 of the newsletter)
7. Racism and Justice
Thurs Mar 11 – Glenn Loury, “Racial Justice”
Tues Mar 16 – Thurs Mar 18 Spring Break!
Tues Mar 23 – Same reading as previous class
8. Racism and Feminism
Thurs Mar 25 – Movie in class, The Edge of Each Others Battles: the Vision of Audrey Lorde
Tues Mar 30 – Blanche Radford Curry, “Whiteness and Feminism”
9. Racism and Cosmopolitanism
Thurs Apr 1 – Martin Luther king Jr., “World House”
10. Paper Assignment
Tues Apr 6 – Paper topic discussions
Thurs Apr 8 – Thurs Apr 22 Writing Period
Tues Apr 27 – Thurs Apr 29 Presentations
Tues May 4 – Review + student evaluations
• FINAL EXAM, T.B.A.!!
NOTE: We may make reasonable changes & adjustments to the above schedule during the semester