The Commons Field Study

Here is the link to the excerpt from Beverly Tatum Daniel's book, "Why are all the Black Kids sitting together in the cafeteria". Please read this as you are embarking on your field study journey.

Reminder: Please post your paragraphs to the comments section of this entry and bring your diagram of commons into class on Monday.

A Nation of Cowards?

NY Times columnist Charles M. Blow explored the topic of implicit predjudice in his column on last Friday.

This article and Blow's opinions should resonate with you at this point in the course.

Please read the article and be prepared to discuss in class on Wednesday. This is your only HW!

The Color of Water: Assessments Monday 2/23 and Tuesday 2/24

I hope everyone had a relaxing break. This is just a friendly reminder that we will be having our in-class essay on Monday and our discussion of James McBride's "The Color of Water" on Tuesday. 

You may bring notes in on Monday, and your book and notes on Tuesday. 

Good luck!

Have a good break!

Remember to prepare for "The Color of Water" assessment and discussion. Relax and I will see you in a week!

Responding to Racism

On January 8, Time Magazine reported on a new study of human behavior that suggests "even people who aspire to tolerance...still harbor unconscious biases powerful enough to prevent them from confronting racists or from being upset by other people's racist behavior." Jack Dovidio, a Yale psychologist and co-author of the study believes that "the most worrying aspect [of the study] is that even if a small proportion of a society is active, old fashion racists" that majority "rationalize away racist behavior and don't intervene or even get upset when it occurs."


Please read the Time article and respond to TWO (it is your choice) of the following questions in the comment section:

• How do you explain why people who believe they are not racist often do not confront people displaying racist behavior?
• What are the implications for a group, community, and nation when people who do not like racism, do not stand up to stop it?
• Is there an ethical or moral difference between conscious and unconscious biases? How do unconscious biases reveal themselves?
• How can people overcome unconscious biases?

-From Facing History and Ourselves

HW: Tuesday, February 10th

On a separate piece of paper, please answer the following question. This will be collected and graded tomorrow:

Why do you think Delpit tells her daughter that “in many ways now is a more confusing time to live”? In what sense is it more confusing today? In her view, how does that confusion shape the way the young African Americans she knows view their identity?

Computer Lab Assignment: 2/10/09

Tuesday, February 10th in Computer Lab 503

Key Q: Who has benefited from the idea that we can sort people from idea that we can sort people by race and that there are natural biological differences between groups?


Objective: examine social and biological traits in races


Agenda:

1.) Click on: http://www.pbs.org/race/002_SortingPeople/002_00-home.htm
2.) go to "begin sorting". this may pop up behind you main window.
3.) complete activity
5.) after concluding, go to "go deeper" and to the activity related to skin color, fingerprints, and blood type.
6.) At main website, please explore "explore traits" under sorting people.
7.) When finished, you may explore other activities on the website, catch up on posting or start your HW.

I will give you directions along the way!

Your HW: finish packet from last night. Answer prompt (on blog) on a separate piece of paper.

"Passing" Homework Prompt

Please read pages 17-18 in the handout you received in class today (this is also part of the pdf file that is available on firstclass). After reading this excerpt from "The Sweeter the Juice", please answer the following italicized prompts in the comment section.

You should have a good idea of what "racial passing" entails at this point in the course. How do myths and misinformation about "race" explain the practice of passing? How does the fact that thousands of "blacks" have successfully passed as "whites" reinforce the idea that "race" is a social invention rather than a scientific description of human differences?

Shirlee Haizlip believes that "passing" was a way for members of her family to deal with the legacy of slavery. To what extent may "passing" also be a mechanism for survival during the years of the Jim Crow laws (laws that isolated and humiliated African Americans)?

Let me know if you have questions.

Recitatif Redux and tonight's HW assignment

*UPDATE* [FOR THOSE WHO COULDN'T UPLOAD THE VIDEO YOU CAN READ THE TRANSCRIPT] Look below the slide show. This should help you with the prompt

A recitatif is a style of music that hovers between song and speech episodes. This story is essentially Twyla's episode.

I was impressed with your discussion of stereotypes of perceived differences of the characters in Recitatif, mainly race, class, and disability in class today. While the characters and text give us clues to the differences, it is impossible to tell which character is white and which is African-American.

For tonight's homework, I would like you to spend some time thinking a bit more about personal racial identity on the "Race: The Power of an Illusion" website section called "Me, My Race and I: What's Race got to do with it?"

Please click on the slideshow menu to learn more how race plays a role in your daily life. Please watch the four "slides" Your comments in class and on the blog have been really honest thus far, please continue the hard work!

When you are finished, please answer the following in the comment section below:

So if Race affects everyone, why is it so hard to talk about? How/Why do people transcend racial categories?

As always, let me know if you have questions!