Philosophy 248 - Philosophical Issues in Race and Racism

The category of race has profound political, economic, and moral significance for people. In the first part of this class, we explore the problem of whether race is real. What would it mean for race to be real? If race is not real, what follows? Can we continue to use the concept of race if it is not real? The second part of the course deals with racism. What is racism? Is it a matter of conscious belief, implicit bias, institutional forces, or something else? What policies are morally appropriate to address racism? For example, are reparations for slavery justified? We dig deep, critically examine the key arguments on these topics, and practice disagreeing with another respectfully.