History 350: Cultural
Diversity in the United States
National University
Dr. Steven L. Danver, steven.danver@natuniv.edu
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday,
Friday, 11:00-12:00
Required Text
Paula S. Rothenberg. Race, Class,
and Gender in the United States, 7th edition.
Other readings will be assigned
throughout the course.
Course Description
This course provides an historical
overview of race, class, and gender relations in the United States. This class
focuses on the phenomena of cultural and ethnic variation in a changing
American society and the particular groups that make up American society.
Students will examine issues of race, class, and gender in order to recognize
some of the ways in which these issues are constructed and embedded in ordinary
discourse and daily life. Students will explore the nature of diversity, the
nature of cultural conflicts, how cultural differences are managed in a complex
society, and how such differences impact different groups. The course acquaints
students with scholarly debates about ethnicity, gender, and cultural diversity
in late twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Its aim is to analyze the
origins, causes, and consequences of American and global cultural production.
Course Goals
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To examine the issues of race, ethnicity,
gender, and social class within the context of everyday life.
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To introduce theoretical and
historical perspectives for studying the changing nature of our society.
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To demonstrate the ways in which
race, class, and gender are socially constructed categories.
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To analyze the ways in which concepts
like race and gender are social, at least as much as they are biological, and
show that every individual occupies a social position in society which is based
on a combination of social class/gender/race/ethnicity/sexuality.
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To demonstrate that differences
between individuals and between groups are defined by dominance and
subordination, and that problems of prejudice and discrimination operate at
both the personal and at the institutionalized levels of society, and so do
their solutions.
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To show how these factors have
influenced the histories of different groups in American society.
Competencies
Upon completion of this course
students should be able to:
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Demonstrate understanding of the
culturally diverse nature of American Society (past and present) and examine
its influence on different groups of people.
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Relate legal and economic arguments
to often-contested social practices in American society.
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Use contemporary and on-line sources
(e.g., newspapers, online archives) to explain social and relations.
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Analyze and interpret personal
narratives that explore themes of ethnicity, sexuality and gender.
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In written exams or other writing
assignments, demonstrate knowledge of the various models and theories of
racial, class and gender discrimination and the roles of technology and
ideology in shaping the modern American society.
General Course Structure
The course is divided into three
units. Each unit contains a set of modules, focusing on a particular issue or
set of issues. Student participation and interactivity are structured into each
module. At the conclusion of each reading assignment, students will have an
opportunity to engage in questions and answers about the material through a
Threaded Discussion. In the Discussion boards, the subject matter will usually
include an analysis of the covered material, a written expression of one's own
position, and the critique of the positions of one's fellows. The Threaded
Discussions are graded items. For more information on completing these items
read Course Expectations. At the end of each unit students will complete
an essay Unit Exam.
Overview of Requirements
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Online Discussions-25% of Grade
Each module has a discussion. Your participation and
your engagement in the course are evidenced by discussion participation. You
must complete each discussion and respond to at least two other postings from
different students in the same discussion. You must first post your response
to the discussion question. Then, you should post your responses to your
classmates. All discussion must be completed by the due date to earn credit.
Late discussion posts are not accepted. This is the minimum participation
required. If you only do this you will earn a C in discussion. Each discussion
is worth 2-3% of your total grade.
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Exams: 50% of grade
At the end of each unit, students will take an essay
exam (2 exams at 25% each). Students are given an open-ended essay question.
The unit exams are essay papers and should be considered as such. They are
designed to measure how well students have mastered the unit content. Each
answer is expected to incorporate both textbook and other assigned readings.
Answers must bring together a number of ideas in a coherent fashion. The essays
for each unit are cumulative of all modules in the unit. Answers are evaluated
on content, writing, and interpretation.
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The Community Report: 25% of Grade
Understanding the globalized nature of the modern world
is critical to our understanding of cultural diversity in our own communities.
In this assignment students have a chance to bring together theory and practice
regarding the dynamic nature of communities.
The Community Report is
based on field research on the cultural life of a group that might constitute a
minority culture in the United States. Your audience when you write is not just
your instructor, but your present and future classmates who will depend on your
report for their understanding of the community you will profile. For this
assignment, choose one community organization that is dedicated to some social,
cultural or artistic purpose. Through the organizationÕs own material, what
others may have written about it, and your own interviews with members of the
organization, prepare a report that describes the organization in detail. The
report should discuss but not be limited to the following: the organization's
location and contact information, its stated purpose and the minority culture
that it serves, its organizational structure, the types of activities it
supports, its history, and whether it is part of a larger organization. The
above are a few ideas to help focus your data collection. The most important
part of the assignment is its analytic focus, i.e., discussing how the purpose,
function, or other aspects of this organization reflect the major themes or
ideas about cultural diversity that we are studying in this class. Be specific.
Cite readings from our text, including any appropriate selections that were not
part of the assigned readings. Be sure to write your report as an essay; the
analysis of your data must be informed by the reading and discussions that we
have completed in this course. Do not present you community report as a list of
details. Please see the Research Assignment button on the main menu for further
details and the assignment link.
Grading
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94-100 = A
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90-93 = A-
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87-89 = B+
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84-86 = B
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80-83 = B-
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77-79 = C+
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74-76 = C
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70-73 = C-
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67-69 = D+
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64-66 = D
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60-63 = D-
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below 60 = F
Please note that
the +/- grading option will be used in this class.
Students may
request a grade of "Incomplete" only if they have a valid reason and
have already completed 2/3rd of the course work with a passing grade, including
threaded discussion participation. No exceptions.
Grading Criteria
for Written Work
This is a university level
undergraduate course and your writing will be evaluated at this level. In
addition to adhering to proper format, style, grammar, and spelling count.
Include references in everything you write, i.e. Threaded Discussions and other
Interactive Assignments. Make sure you proofread your work.
Note:
Letter grades may be assigned to student work for any or all of the following
reasons.
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"A" range work is:
Outstanding achievement; significantly exceeds standards. Unique
topic or unique treatment of topic; takes risks with content; fresh approach.
Sophisticated/exceptional use of examples. Original and "fluid"
organization; all sentences and paragraphs contribute; sophisticated
transitions between paragraphs. Integration of quotations and citations is sophisticated
and highlights the author's argument. Confidence in use of standard English;
language reflects a practiced and/or refined understanding of syntax and usage.
Sentences vary in structure; very few if any mechanical errors.
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"B" range work is:
Commendable achievement; exceeds minimum standards. Specific,
original focus; content well-handled. Significance of content is clearly
conveyed; good use of examples; sufficient support exists in all key areas. Has
effective shape (organization); effective pacing between sentences or
paragraphs. Quotations and citations are integrated into argument to enhance
the flow of ideas. Have competent transitions between all sentences and
paragraphs. Conveys a strong understanding of standard English; the writer is
clear in his/her attempt to articulate main points, but may demonstrate moments
of "flat" or unrefined language. The work contains very few
mechanical errors.
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"C" range work is:
Acceptable achievement; meets minimum standards for course.
Retains over-all focus; generally solid command of subject matter. Subject
matter well explored but may show signs of under-development. Significance is
understood; competent use of examples. Structure is solid, but an occasional
sentence or paragraph may lack focus. Quotations and citations are integrated
into argument and references are provided. Transitions between paragraphs occur
but may lack originality. Competent use of language; sentences are solid but
may lack development, refinement, style. Occasional minor mechanical errors may
occur, but do not impede clear understanding of material. The work contains few
serious grammatical or spelling errors.
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"D" range work is:
Marginal in achievement; it fails to not meet minimum standards.
Significance of content is unclear. Some ideas may lack support, elaboration.
Lacks sufficient examples or relevance of examples may be unclear. Support
material may not be clearly incorporated into argument. Expression is
occasionally awkward (problematic sentence structure). Mechanical errors may at
times impede clear understanding of material. May have a few serious mechanical
errors.
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ÒF" range work:
Ignores assignment. Lacks significance. Lacks coherence. Lacks
focus. Difficult to follow due to awkward sentence or paragraph development. Mechanical
errors impede understanding. Problems with writing at the college level. Any
work that is plagiarized.
Plagiarism and
Why You Should Make Sure That You Never Do It
The
World Wide Web makes it easy to access vast amounts of information quickly. It
also makes it easy to plagiarize that information, both accidentally and
intentionally. Just to remind you, plagiarism is the presentation of someone
else's ideas or work as one's own. An obvious form of plagiarism is
intentionally stealing someone else's words. Using another person's sentence,
phrase, or even a word that a person coined requires students to acknowledge
the source of the sentence, phrase, or coined word. To acknowledge the source,
students can either use quotation marks or paraphrase the author. In both
cases, students must cite the source of the information properly. Please refer
to the National University Catalog for a much longer discussion on plagiarism.
Any form of plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the course.
Important Note: Students are required to cite the use of
materials written by others in all communications for this course. Remember,
the use of ideas, words, or phrasing without proper attribution constitutes
plagiarism. The burden of proof rests on the student, not the instructor; in
other words, the student will be required to prove that plagiarism has not
occurred. Inadequately or improperly cited work will receive no points.
Course Calendar
Unit 1: The Social Construction of Difference
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Week 1:
Creating Racial Differences
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Week 2:
Racism, Sexism, Class Difference, and Power
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Week 3:
Discrimination and the Poor
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Week 4: Unit
1 Exam and Progress Updates on Community Report due
Unit 2: Understanding Sexism, Racism, and Class Privilege in Society
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Week 5:
Discrimination in Everyday Life
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Week 6:
Discrimination and Social Control
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Week 7: The
Social Construction of Sexuality
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Week 8: Unit
2 Exam and Progress Updates on Community Report due
Unit 3: Cultural Diversity and American Communities
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Week 9:
Minority Communities in the United States
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Week 10: Language, Culture, and Social Change
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Week 11: Past Reflections and Future Changes
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Week 12: Final
Exam and Community Report due
Please
see the Reading Schedule for specific information on readings for each Unit