-1- Sociology 220: Ethnic Movements in the US Fall 2011 4:00-5:15 Tuesday & Thursday 5206 Sewell Social Science Course Web Page: http://www.ssc.wisc.edu /~oliver/soc220/SOC220.HTM Lecture notes and links to resources are posted on the web page Prof. Pamela Oliver 8143 Social Science 262-6829 Office hours & Contacting Me: Email: [email protected] du I am easy to reach by email and will check email every evening, if not more often. This is an excellent way to get a quick question answered or to tell me about a problem. This is also an excellent way to ask for more detailed help finding sources for a paper topic, as it lets me do a little research and then get back to you. Office hours: I will be available immediately after almost all classes to answer questions and address concerns that can be dealt with quickly. I will also generally be in my office 11-12 and 1:30-3 Thursday. Appointments are best if you have something serious to discuss. I am NOT available for any serious discussion in the 30 minutes before class. NOTE: There are make-up procedures for illness as explained below. Do not come to class if you are ill. This course will use a social movement perspective to discuss ethnic movements and conflict in the United States. Questions we will discuss include: (1) When do groups adopt collective rather than individual strategies for improving their status? (2) When and how are ethnic identities constructed? How and when do people come to see a common identity despite differences within the group? (3) How do economic and political conditions affect life conditions and shape the possibilities for collective action? (4) What are the interests and issues involved in inter-group conflict? (5) How does the history of inter-group relations affect the present? Substantively, most of our emphasis will be on African Americans, Mexican Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. Lectures and supplementary articles will give information about other Hispanic groups, Jews, European immigrant groups, and nativist/racist movements among European Americans. We seek to understand current issues and conflicts by locating them in their historical and political/economic context. We will pay close attention to the resource mobilization and political opportunity questions: who controls the situation, what resources and capacities do aggrieved groups have to affect the situation? We will also give explicit attention to the ways in which different groups have different perspectives and interests. Some of the time we will be focusing on giving the facts about a particular group, and other times we will be discussing topics that cut across groups. There will be at least four films shown and at least two guest speakers, possibly more. Discussion sections are required and are an integral part of this course. They have two purposes. First, they provide an opportunity to discuss class issues in a smaller group. Second, they will be the site of the writing instruction which meets the communications-b requirement. Your TA is a sociology graduate student who has special training in teaching writing as well as advanced knowledge in sociology. Your TA will be grading your papers, but the whole instructional team is working together to establish common assignments and grading standards. Class Format and Classroom Policies • Class sessions include lecture, discussion, films and guest lectures. • I try to create a relaxed atmosphere. Food and drink are OK as long as they are unobtrusive and do not create problems for others. • There are no tests. Attendance at lecture is an end in itself. o Your mind as well as your body must be present. o You are required to be in a mental state that puts you at risk of learning something. o You may not read, do homework for another class, work crossword puzzles, play video games,-2- answer email, surf the Internet, send text messages, or engage in any other activity that occupies your mind or distracts the people around you. If you are caught doing any of these activities, you will receive a zero for that day’s class attendance. o You MAY take notes on lectures and write lecture reaction comments in class. o If you unintentionally fall asleep occasionally, apologize in your lecture comment. o If your lifestyle or a health problem makes falling asleep in class a regular problem, or if you have some special circumstance regarding the “no distracting activities” policy, please speak privately to me or your TA. • Respect others' rights and needs. Do not carry on private conversations or engage in other behavior which distracts others. University policy prohibits the disruption of classes, and students who are persistently disruptive will be asked to leave. Let us know if you have any concerns about these issues. • Do your best to contribute to an environment in which people can express real opinions that others disagree with and can learn from hearing the opinions of others, even when you disagree. Do not expect to end class agreeing on one right opinion on controversial topics. Instead, expect to learn more about why different people have different opinions. • Never intentionally insult another person or group in this class. This includes insults meant as jokes. • If you are offended at or bothered by what someone else has said, please explain why so the person can learn from your view, but make the assumption that the other person did not mean to be offensive. • If someone else says they are offended by something you said, listen respectfully and try to understand their concern. It is always OK to ask for more information before deciding what you think about the original statement and reaction. It is always helpful to apologize for hurting someone’s feelings if you mean it. You can be sorry for hurting someone even when you did not mean to do it. It is OK to end up disagreeing, but do your best to use the experience to learn about the diversity of other people's opinions, perspectives, and experiences. • The only cure for ignorance is education. Some people enter this class with no prior background in ethnic studies and little or no experience with other cultural groups. Please do not make noises or gestures to make people feel bad if they ask a "naïve" question that you already know the answer to. Some class sessions will provide "basics" so everyone can have some common background. Please tolerate these sessions even if
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