Welcome to our graduate seminar on race and American politics!

My goal today is to talk about:

• what this class will be like,
• what we can expect from each other, and
• how to get the most out of this class.

We will also introduce ourselves.

Course schedule (16 lessons, broken into 5 parts):

1. The study of race and politics
2. Political issues
3. Social identity, political orientation, and mass-level participation
4. Elections and “Obama effects”
5. Media, campaigns, policy

Part 1: Studying Race and Politics

• Introduction and Overview - August 24
• The Meanings and Measurements of Race - August 31
• Historical Context - September 7

Part 2: Political Issues

• Power Threat as A Theory of Racial Politics - September 14
• Pressure Groups - September 21
• Achieving Political Empowerment - September 28
• Prospects for Competition or Coalition - October 5

Part 3: Identity, Orientation, and Participation

• Race, Party, and Ideology - October 12
• Social Identity and Racial Attitudes - October 19
• The Intersection of Race, Gender, Class, and Sexuality - October 26
• Race and Political Involvement - November 2

Part 4: Elections and “Obama Effects”

• The Politics of Race in the Obama Era - November 9
• Race, Voting, and Representation - November 16

Part 5: Media, Campaigns, & Policy

• Race, Crime, and Stereotyping - November 23
• The Politics of Pigmentation - November 30
• Race, Campaigns, and Media - December 7
• Wrapping Up - December 14

You can expect me to…

• argue that US politics doesn’t make sense w/out explicitly considering race
• work really hard to make this class a good one
• center BIPOC scholars (both their work and their experiences)
• encourage you to draw connections across disciplines & methodologies

I expect you to…

• read lots of stuff, from a bunch of different fields
• contribute meaningfully to conversations
• complete formal and informal writing assignments
• help your colleagues become clearer writers
• get more comfortable talking about race

The earlier the better, but I expect students to talk to me about their research topic by September 13

Succeeding in PLSC 597 (some unsolicited advice):

• Be proactive!
• Don’t procrastinate
• Try not to miss too many classes
• Ask LOTS of questions
• Form (socially distanced) study groups
• Apply the material here to your own field of study

The need for “community building” in this class

• These are sensitive topics
• These are difficult times
• We need to support one another
• It’s hard to be supportive when we don’t meet face-to-face
• So we must find ways to nurture candid and respectful dialogue online

My turn:

Now you.

As you introduce yourselves, can you share

• who you are (and what department[s] you are in),
• what you study,
• why you chose this course, and
• how you think the class will benefit you?