Race & Ethnicity: A College Requirement

The LSA faculty added the Race Ethnicity requirement in 1991 after long and thoughtful discussion. The faculty does believe that because racial and ethnic intolerance has fundamentally affected the development of contemporary American society and because its effects will continue to be felt well into the future, all students should take at least one course that deals on a fairly sophisticated level with topics such as the historical development of racism, and the social, political, and economic effects of racism and other types of discrimination.

In an article for the Spring, 1991 edition of LSAmagazine, LSA Dean Goldenberg wrote that the faculty "agreed that racism is an urgent problem facing the University and society at large and that it is desirable that courses in the College address questions of race and ethnicity and teach students to think analytically and critically about such topics.... The aim [of the requirement] is to provide students with relevant information about an important social issue since the changing world and work-place the student will enter will require being better able to listen to and understand a diversity of voices."

Courses approved to meet the Race Ethnicity requirement will address issues arising from racial or ethnic intolerance. In approving the requirement, the faculty of the College made the following statements:

Required content. All courses satisfying the requirement must provide discussion, consistent with disciplinary approaches, of:

1. the meaning of race, ethnicity, and racism;

2. racial and ethnic intolerance and resulting inequality as it occurs in the United States or elsewhere;

3. comparisons of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, social class, or gender.

Required focus.

1. Every course satisfying the requirement must devote substantial, but not necessarily exclusive, attention to the required content. Courses may meet this requirement by various means consistent with disciplines or fields of study, and faculty members from all departments are urged to think creatively about how their fields might contribute to the requirement.

2. Although it is hoped that many of these courses will focus on the United States, it is not required that they do so. Courses that deal with these issues in other societies, or that study them comparatively, may also meet the requirement.

Students who are new to the College of LSA (that is, first time enrolled as an LSA student) in the Fall Term of 1991, and thereafter, must (in any term before graduation) receive credit for one of the approved Race and Ethnicity (RE) courses. Each term's listing will vary as courses are added or deleted by the College of LSA Curriculum Committee. The College offers several courses taught by a number of different departments each term. Although the list of courses that fulfill this requirement varies from term to term, all such courses are designed to give students exposure to questions focusing on the meaning of race and racism, racial and ethnic intolerance and resulting inequality, and comparisons with other types of discrimination.

The courses that have been granted blanket approval for meeting the requirement are:

Afroamerican and African Studies

303/Soc. 303. Race and Ethnic Relations. (4; 3 in the half-term). (SS).

American Culture

212. Introduction to Latino Studies – Social Science. (3). (SS).

213. Introduction to Latino Studies – Humanities. (3). (HU).

214. Introduction to Asian American Studies – Social Science. (3). (SS).

215. Introduction to Asian American Studies – Humanities. (3). (HU).

216. Introduction to Native American Studies – Social Science. (3). (SS).

217. Introduction to Native American Studies – Humanities. (3). (HU).

240/WS 240. Introduction to Women's Studies. (4; 3 in the half-term). (HU).

243/WS 243. Introduction to Study of Latinas in the U.S. (3). (HU).

312/Hist. 377. History of Latinos in the U.S. (3). (Excl).

Cultural Anthropology

101. Introduction to Anthropology. (4). (SS).

272/Ling. 272. Language in Society. (4). (SS).

French

469. African and Caribbean Literature. (3). (Excl).

History

377/Amer. Cult. 312. History of Latinos in the U.S. (3). (Excl).

Linguistics

272/Anthro. 272. Language in Society. (4). (SS).

Sociology

303/CAAS 303. Race and Ethnic Relations. (4; 3 in the half-term). (SS).

University Courses

298. Race, Racism, and Ethnicity. (4). (HU).

299. Race, Racism, and Ethnicity. (4). (SS).

Women's Studies

240/Amer. Cult. 240. Introduction to Women's Studies. (4; 3 in the half-term). (HU).

243/Amer. Cult. 243. Introduction to Study of Latinas in the U.S. (3). (HU).

Other courses are approved on a term-by-term basis. It is most important that you are careful to elect the section of the course taught by the faculty member whose name is listed with the course. Other sections of the course have not been approved to meet this requirement and may not be substituted. Courses meeting the RE requirement may also help meet either distribution or concentration or composition requirements.

Advanced Placement credit can not be used to meet this requirement.

Winter Term, 1996 Race Ethnicity Courses

Afroamerican and African Studies

303/Soc. 303. Race and Ethnic Relations. (4). (SS).

American Culture

212. Introduction to Latino Studies – SS. (3). (SS).

215. Introduction to Asian American Studies – HU. (3). (HU).

216. Introduction to Native American Studies – SS. (3). (SS).

240/WS 240. Introduction to Women's Studies. (4). (HU).

243/WS 243. Introduction to Study of Latinas in the US. (3). (HU).

311. Topics in Ethnic Studies. (3). (HU).
Section 002 – The Writings of Latinas. (Moya-Raggio)

351. Race and American Cinema. (4). (HU).
(Vega-Hurtado)

374/Hist. 374. The Politics and Culture of the "Sixties." (3). (SS).
(Countryman)

399. Race, Racism, and Ethnicity. (4). (SS).

404/Soc. 404. Hispanic-Americans: Social Problems and Social Issues. (3). (Excl).
(Pedraza)

496. Historical Approaches to American Culture. (3). (Excl).
Section 001 – Approaches to Asian American History. (Nomura)

Anthropology

Biological 362. Problems of Race. Sophomore standing. (3). (NS). (BS).
(Brace)

Cultural 101. Introduction to Anthropology. (4). (SS).

Cultural 272/Ling. 272. Language in Society. (4). (SS).

Cultural 285. Cult Archaeology. (4). (SS).
(Ford)

Cultural 447. Culture, Racism, and Human Nature. (3). (Excl).
(Williams)

Asian Languages and Cultures

Chinese 475/Asian Studies 475/Hist. of Art 487/RC Hums. 475/Philosophy 475. The Arts and Letters of China. (4). (HU).
(Feuerwerker)

Asian Studies

112/Hist. 152. Southeast Asian Civilization. (4). (SS).
(Lieberman)

475/Chinese 475/Hist. of Art 487/RC Hums. 475/Philosophy 475. The Arts and Letters of China. (4). (HU).
(Feuerwerker)

Communication

202. Freedom of Expression. (3). (SS).
(Lowenstein)

Comprehensive Studies Program

105. Reading and Writing Seminar: Insiders/Outsiders. (4). (Excl).
(Zorn)

English

224. The Uses of Language. (4). (HU).
Section 001 – Authority in Law and Language. (Carlton)

317. Literature and Culture. (3). (HU).
Section 001 – Bigotry and Maturity in the Literature of Several Cultures. (Fader)

Film-Video

455. Topics in Film Studies. (3). (Excl).
Section 001 – Race, Ethnicity, and American Cinema. (de la Vega-Hurtado)

History

152/Asian Studies 112. Southeast Asian Civilization. (4). (SS).
(Lieberman)

374/Amer. Cult. 374. The Politics and Culture of the "Sixties." (3). (SS).
(Countryman)

396. History Colloquium. (4). (SS).
Section 001 – The Church and the Jews. (Bodian)

443/APTIS 487. Modern Middle East History. (3). (Excl).
(Cole)

593. Topics in U.S. and Latin American History. (3). (Excl).
Section 001 – Approaches to Asian American History. (Nomura)

History of Art

487/Chinese 475/Asian Studies 475/RC Hums. 475/Philosophy 475. The Arts and Letters of China. (4). (HU).
(Feuerwerker)

College Honors

250. Sophomore Seminar. (3). (SS).
Section 002 – Intergration, Segregation, and Diversity in Contemporary America. (Wacker)

Linguistics

272/Anthro. 272. Language in Society. (4). (SS).

Near Eastern Studies

APTIS 331. Introduction to Arab Culture and Language. (4). (Excl).
(Rammuny)

APTIS 487/Hist. 443. Modern Middle East History. (3). (Excl).
(Cole)

Philosophy

355. Contemporary Moral Problems. (4). (HU).
(Darwall)

455. Contemporary Moral Problems. (4). (Excl).
(Darwall)

475/Chinese 475/Hist. of Art 487/RC Hums. 475/Asian Studies 475. The Arts and Letters of China. (4). (HU).
(Feuerwerker)

Psychology

120. Seminar in Psychology as a Social Science. (3). (SS).
Section 005 – I, Too, Sing America: Psychology and Cultural Differences. (Behling)

Residential College

Humanities 317. The Writings of Latinas. (4). (HU).
(Moya-Raggio)

Humanities 475/Chinese 475/Phil. 475/Asian Studies 475/Hist. of Art 487. The Arts and Letters of China. (4). (HU).
(Feuerwerker)

Slavic Languages and Literatures

Russian 222/UC 176. Russia Today. (3). (HU).
(Makin)

Slavic Surveys 150. First Year Seminar. (3). (HU).
Section 001 – Cultural Diversity in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia. (Shevoroshkin)

Sociology

303/Soc. 303. Race and Ethnic Relations. (4). (SS).

404/AC 404. Hispanic-Americans: Social Problems and Social Issues. (3). (Excl).
(Pedraza)

444. The American Family. (3). (SS).
(Adams)

University Courses

176/Russian 222. Russia Today. (3). (HU).
(Makin)

Women's Studies

240/AC 240. Introduction to Women's Studies. (4). (HU).

243/AC 243. Introduction to Study of Latinas in the US. (3). (HU).

343. Gender Consciousness and Social Change. (3). (Excl).
Section 001 – Gender Consciousness in Oral History. (Hart)

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