Aims

This course will further develop students’ knowledge of the sociology of race and ethnicity. It will explore the origins and development of racism, examining how it has shaped, and continues to shape the nature of society. We will further examine how ‘race thinking’ has played in the production of inequalities and exclusions, as well as how it is articulated with nationhood and nationalism. The course engages with contemporary debates and theoretical advances.

The module aims to:
•       Advance students’ understanding of theorisations of race and racism.
•       Develop students understanding of the ways in which race intersects with other forms of social difference such as nation, gender, class, and religion.
•       Encourage students to evaluate the role of racism in the structure of contemporary society.
•       Explore current theoretical debates around key contemporary issues.

Outline Of Syllabus

The course begins by deepening students understanding of the concepts of race and racism. This will also involve looking at the interrelationship between ‘race’, ethnicity, and racism. The rest of the module will build on these foundations to examine how race has shaped, and continues to shape, the nature and structure of society in intersection with other forms of social difference such as nation, gender, class and religion. Many of these issues will be highly topical and students will be encouraged throughout the course to engage in contemporary debates.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The lectures will provide students with key concepts and ideas relevant to the topic. The lectures will also discuss these in relation to topical contemporary debates and students will be expected to actively engage in these debates.
Seminars will allow the students to explore the matters raised in lectures more depth and introduce them to key readings.
The workshops (debate and content analysis) will give the opportunity for students to draw on the knowledge they have gained and apply this to specific practical examples. In two of the workshops students will have the opportunity to participate in a Virtual Exchange with students at Indiana State University.
Remaining workshops will support the development of critical thinking skills and offer a helpful practice to prepare for assessment.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The critical reflection will ask students to select three key readings on the module and write up a critical engagement of these texts. Students will be asked to evaluate the contribution of the texts to understandings of race and racism and sociological thinking more broadly and offer a personal reflection on how their own thinking on these issues has been reshaped.

The essay will assess the development of sociological knowledge and theoretical concepts of race and racism, critical evaluation and synthesis of relevant literature.