History 392AH - Race & Ethnicity/Modern World

What are the roots of ethnic prejudice and racism? DNA and genetics, neuroscience and environmental studies, classical studies and anthropology?all have contributed to this important question. Students will learn how definitions of ethnicity arose in the Mediterranean world. This involves two interrelated questions. First, how did people construct their own sense of peoplehood, and second, how did people construct that of others? Greek and Roman understandings of ethnicity were deeply rooted in the authority of texts and continued to define peoples, communities, and territories throughout antiquity. These questions, of course, are relevant today. Who we think we are today has much to do with how various forms of racial identity were forged in the premodern past. We will analyze these ancient sources in light of recent scholarly discussions from a variety of disciplinary points of view.

Open to Seniors, Juniors & Sophomores only. This honors class meets as a combined session with a graduate level class.