Critical Social Inquiry 0172 - Trajectories of Race in Latin

What does the term "race" mean? Is it an appropriate and/or legitimate way to talk about human diversity? What does it mean in different places? Rather than exploring these questions in the abstract, in this course we will look at a grounded history of this concept. That "place" is Latin America and the Caribbean and the historical periods we will explore include the colonial encounter, post-independence nation building, and the contemporary moment. The course is designed to first introduce students to broadly global understandings of racial ideology. It then tracks the manifestation of such ideas through a history of Latin American racial formations. We will pay particular attention to how racial ideas relate to space, class, and national identity throughout the region.

Power, Community and Social Justice Multiple Cultural Perspectives Writing and Research Students are expected to spend at least six to eight hours a week of preparation and work outside of class time.