Fall 2009
CRPC/CRES 20207. Race, Ethnicity and Human Development. 21st century practices of relevance to education, social services, health care and public policy deserve buttressing by cultural and context linked perspectives about human development as experienced by diverse groups. Although generally unacknowledged as such post-Brown v. 1954, the conditions purported to support human development for diverse citizens remain problematic. The consequent interpretational shortcomings serve to increase human vulnerability. Specifically, given the problem of evident unacknowledged privilege for some as well as the insufficient access to resources experienced by others, the dilemma skews our interpretation of behavior, design of research, choice of theory, and determination of policy and practice. The course is based upon the premise that the study of human development is enhanced by examining the experiences of diverse groups, without one group standing as the "standard" against which others are compared and evaluated. Accordingly, the course provides an encompassing theoretical framework for examining the processes of human development for diverse humans while also highlighting the critical role of context and culture. M. Spencer
CRPC/CRES 24001. Colonizations I. (=ANTH 18301, HIST 18301, SOSC 24001) Must be taken in sequence. This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies. This three-quarter sequence approaches the concept of civilization from an emphasis on cross-cultural/societal connection and exchange. We explore the dynamics of conquest, slavery, colonialism, and their reciprocal relationships with concepts such as resistance, freedom, and independence, with an eye toward understanding their interlocking role in the making of the modern world. Themes of slavery, colonization, and the making of the Atlantic world are covered in the first quarter. Modern European and Japanese colonialism in Asia and the Pacific is the theme of the second quarter. The third quarter considers the processes and consequences of decolonization both in the newly independent nations and the former colonial powers. S. Palmie, staff.
CRPC/CRES 27200/37200. African-American History to 1877. (=HIST 27200/37200, LLSO 26901) This lecture course examines selected topics in the African-American experience, from the slave trade to slavery emancipation. Each lecture focuses on a specific problem of interpretation in African-American history. All lectures are framed by an overall theme: the 'making' of an African-American people out of diverse ethnic groups brought together under conditions of extreme oppression; and its corollary, the structural constraints and openings for resistance to that oppression. Readings emphasize primary sources (e.g., autobiographical materials), which are supplemented by readings in important secondary sources. T. Holt.
CRPC/CRES 27301. Introduction to Black Chicago, 1895-2005. (=HIST 27301) This course surveys the history of African Americans in Chicago, from before the 20th century to the present. Referencing episodes from that history, we will treat a variety of themes, including: migration and its impact, origins and effects of class stratification; relation of culture and cultural endeavor to collective consciousness, rise of the institutionalized religions, facts and fictions of political empowerment, and the correspondence of Black lives and living to indices of city wellness (services, schools, safety, general civic feeling, etc). Of necessity, this will be a history class that acknowledges its place within a robust interdisciplinary conversation. Students can expect to read works of autobiography and poetry, sociology, documentary photography, political science, and criminology, as well as more straightforward historical analysis. By the end of the class, students should have grounding in the history of Black Chicago, as well as an appreciation of how this history outlines and anticipates a broader account of Black life and racial politics in the modern United States. A. Green.
CRPC/CRES 29700. Reading and Research: Comparative Race Studies. PQ: Consent of instructor and Director of Undergraduate Studies. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
* NEW COURSE!* CRPC/CRES 29800. Comparative Race Studies in Context: Service Learning/Internship Credit. PQ: Consent of Director of Undergraduate Studies required. Open to all students accepted into an internship program or placement at a non-profit organization, government agency, or other community-based context. Students must make arrangements with the undergraduate program chair before beginning the internship and submit a College Reading and Research Course Form. For summer internships, students must submit this paperwork by the end of Spring Quarter and register for the course the following fall quarter. For internships during the academic year, students should meet with the undergraduate program chair as soon as possible before the beginning of the internship and before the beginning of the quarter when credit is to be earned. The aim of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to reflect on their experiences working within a community context. Students will be required to write a 15-20 page paper about their experience, especially as it relates to structures of racial inequality in American society or in a broader global context. Autumn, Winter, Spring.
