ANT 3451 (ANTHROPOLOGY OF RACE AND ETHNICITY)

Fall Semester 2005

WEDNESDAYS 2:00-4:45 PM

This class beings Wednesday, August 31,
and ends on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 with an exam at 3:30 PM

Building and room: CP 197

Class Number: 80086; Section: U01C

PROFESSOR:

Dr. Abraham D. Lavender, Department of Sociology and Anthropology. DM Building, Room 322B. The best contact is at abelavender@aol.com. More contact information will be given during the first class. The professor also teaches at the Biscayne Bay Campus. For information on the professor, see www.fiu.edu/~lavender

PURPOSE OF COURSE:

The purpose of this course is to study the ethnic composition within the United States, and to understand how ethnicity has been and is a major factor within the United States. This class will follow the definition of ethnicity as a Apeoplehood@ which can be based on race, religion, language, country of origin, or a combination of any of these. We will briefly examine how the importance of these four dimensions differs greatly in different countries, with race historically being by far the most consequential dimension within the United States, but with other dimensions varying in importance in different countries and times.

The class will begin with lectures on sociological concepts related to ethnicity, including theoretical concepts such as assimilation, pluralism, and enclaves. We will look at several theoretical explanations of why different approaches have been used at different times in the history of the United States, and by different ethnic groups. Emphasis also will be put on different ways that minority groups can interact with the larger society, and the consequences for different groups. We also will look at the social, economic, political, and other characteristics of different ethnic groups.

This course will look at the BIG PICTURE of ethnicity within the United States, beginning with Native Americans before European settlement, and then discussing different ethnic groups which have come to the U.S. throughout its history (mostly from a chronological approach). Because of the large number of groups to be discussed, some discussions will be necessity brief. Some special emphasis will be given to ethnic groups (especially Blacks, Hispanics, and Jews) which are major groups in South Florida. But, the overall emphasis will be conceptual and descriptive analyzes of many groups within the U.S., and with some attention to areas outside of the U.S.

READINGS:

There are four books, and appropriate selected assignments will be made at the beginning of the semester:

(1) NATIVE ROOTS: HOW THE INDIANS ENRICHED AMERICA, by Jack Weatherford. The title is descriptive; we will look at Native American (Indian) contributions to the American culture.

(2) RACE MATTERS, by Cornel West. This best-selling book by a prominent African-American author discusses the obsessive importance of race in the United States, and how this importance has affected African-Americans.

(3) FRAGILE BRANCHES: TRAVELS THROUGH THE JEWISH DIASPORA, by James Ross. This book discusses Jewish and crypto-Jewish communities in different parts of the world, showing how one group maintains some degree of ethnic identity.

(4) THIS LAND IS OUR LAND: IMMIGRANTS AND POWER IN MIAMI, by Alex Stepick, Guillermo Grenier, Max Castro, and Marvin Dunn. This book is AA richly textured nuanced account of how immigrants are remaking MiamiBa city that, in one generation, has been transformed by the influx of Latin American and Caribbean newcomers...@ (Nancy Foner). AA valuable account of ethnic relations in Miami by social scientists who live and work there@ (Alejandro Portes).

GRADING:

There will be two tests, one around the middle of the semester and one at the end of the semester. Because of the large size of the class (enrollment closed at 100), tests will be objective (mostly multiple choice, some true-false). The final grade (except for attendance) will be a combination of the tests. Each test will cover class material and assigned readings.

ATTENDANCE:

Attendance will be taken frequently, and the professor reserves the right to adjust a grade downwards for any student who misses more than one-fourth of the classes when attendance is taken. Education also consists of the class atmosphere, hearing other student comments, observing class interactions, etc. Students who do not regularly attend classes will be at a grade disadvantage in this class.