SYLLABUS: ANT 3451 (ANTHROPOLOGY OF RACE AND ETHNICITY)

Spring Semester 2005

Class Number: 18262; Section: P81

PINES CENTER (PEMBROKE PINES CAMPUS), Building BPC, Room 110

THURSDAYS 6:25-9:05 PM, JANUARY 13 THROUGH APRIL 28, 2004

(no class on March 24, Spring Break)

PROFESSOR: Dr. Abraham D. Lavender, Department of Sociology and Anthropology. The best contact is at abelavender@aol.com. More contact information will be given during the first class.

PURPOSE OF COURSE:

The purpose of this course is to study the ethnic composition within the United States, and to understand how ethnicity has been and is a major factor within the United States. This class will follow the definition of ethnicity as a form of “peoplehood” which can be based on race, religion, language, country of origin, or a combination of any of these. We will briefly examine how the importance of these four dimensions differs greatly in different countries, with race historically being by far the most consequential dimension within the United States, but with other dimensions varying in importance in different countries and times.

The class will begin with lectures on sociological concepts related to ethnicity, including theoretical concepts such as assimilation, pluralism, and enclaves. We will look at several theoretical explanations of why different approaches have been used at different times in the history of the United States, and by different ethnic groups. Emphasis also will be put on different ways that minority groups can interact with the larger society, and the consequences for different groups. We also will look at the social, economic, political, and other characteristics of different ethnic groups.

This course will look at the BIG PICTURE of ethnicity within the United States, beginning with Native Americans before European settlement, and then discussing different ethnic groups which have come to the United States throughout its history. Because of the large number of groups to be discussed, some discussions will be necessity brief. Some special emphasis will be given to ethnic groups (especially Blacks, Hispanics, and Jews) which are major groups in South Florida, but the overall emphasis will be conceptual and descriptive analyzes of many groups within the U.S.

READINGS:

There are four books, and assignments will be made at the beginning of the semester.

(1) NATIVE ROOTS: HOW THE INDIANS ENRICHED AMERICA, by Jack Weatherford.

(2) RACE MATTERS, by Cornel West (1993). This best-selling book by a prominent African-American author discusses the obsessive importance of race in the United States, and how this importance has affected African-Americans.

(3) FRAGILE BRANCHES: TRAVELS THROUGH THE JEWISH DIASPORA, by James Ross.Selected journal, magazine, or newspaper articles will be assigned during the semester.

(4) THIS LAND IS OUR LAND: IMMIGRANTS AND POWER IN MIAMI, by Alex Stepick, Guillermo Grenier, Max Castro, and Marvin Dunn. This book is “A richly textured nuanced account of how immigrants are remaking Miami–a city that, in one generation, has been transformed by the influx of Latin American and Caribbean newcomers...” (Nancy Foner). “A valuable account of ethnic relations in Miami by social scientists who live and work there” (Alejandro Portes).

GRADING:

There will be two tests, one around the middle of the semester and one at the end of the semester. The final grade (except for attendance) will be a combination of the tests. Each test will cover class material and assigned readings.

ATTENDANCE:

Attendance will be taken frequently, and the professor reserves the right to adjust a grade downwards for any student who misses more than three classes. Education also consists of the class atmosphere, hearing other student comments, observing class interactions, etc. Students who do not regularly attend classes will be at a grade disadvantage in this class.