Critical Social Inquiry 0245 - Race in Amer. Popular Culture

Building on the notion that racial identities are historically constructed, this course will examine popular culture as a site for forming and constructing race. We'll interrogate how social and political forces shape popular culture, and how popular culture shapes our popular imaginations. Approaching popular culture as a contested space of meaning, we'll also explore the ways cultural workers of color have utilized popular culture to resist, respond to, and reveal the conundrum of "race" throughout American history. Are "whiteness" and other racial categories fictions that depend upon the presence of one another, or are there material privileges and disadvantages attached to them that structure access to opportunities, resources, and privilege? Throughout the semester, we'll strive to answer this crucial question, meeting along the way a curious assortment of historical actors: pioneer frontiersman "playing Indian"; Irish immigrants "blackening up" in minstrel shows; "off-white" Mexican Americans becoming "Hispanic," and many others.

Independent Work 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.