A Critique of the Concept of Racism

UMass, Spring 2010: AFROAM 391G, Du Bois Library Room 2220 (the Bond Center), Tu/Th 2:30-3:45

(…) if we stand idly by as America continues to become increasingly unequal, an inequality that tracks racial lines and therefore feeds racial strife and which, as the country becomes more black and brown, neither our democracy nor our economy can long withstand.   –Barack Obama

By: Amilcar Shabazz (shabazz@afroam.umass.edu) and Michael McEachrane (mceachrane@gmail.com).

Office Hours: Dr. Shabazz’s office address is 324 New Africa House; phone 545-5019. My official office hours will be Mondays and Wednesdays 1:30-2:30pm or you can make an appointment. Ms. Tricia Loveland is Dr. Shabazz administrative assistant and can be reached at (413) 545-2751 or tlovelan@afroam.umass.edu . Dr. McEachrane’s office hours are by appointment only.

Course Description

What is the nature of racism? How does racism express itself in society? And how is racism relevant to politics? Rather than focusing on biological racism, this course will focus on broader issues of political equality and racial justice. The goal of the course is to give students an understanding for how race and racism is relevant to some basic political ideas of liberalism and Marxism, so that students will be equipped with some rudimentary tools to be able to think about race and racism in political terms. The course will focus on such key concepts as the liberal state, class, equality, democracy and justice, and their relations to race and racism. Classes will typically be in seminar style and consist of a 5 minute presentation by a student followed by an introduction by Dr. Shabazz and/or Dr. McEachrane and roundtable discussions.

Course Requirements

A. Print and read all of the texts, answer the study questions before each class (the questions will be emailed to you at least 2 days before class), and participate in roundtable discussions.

B. Write a 9-12 page paper (12 points double-spaced Times New Roman) on a topic that makes use of ideas that have been covered in class.

C. Give a 10-minute presentation based on your paper and a 5 minute reflection on an aspect of the current reading(s).

D. Final Exam (mainly based on the study questions).

Grades

Excessive absences (three -or more) or impolite behavior will result in a failing grade.

1/3 of the final grade will be based on the final exam, 1/3 on the written assignment and 1/3 on class participation and presentations.

Class Policies

All University rules governing use of copyrighted materials and plagiarism must be observed. See the relevant policies about academic honesty at: http://www.umass.edu/dean_students/codeofconduct/acadhonesty/

As we study and discuss critical and sometimes contentious subject matters we will adhere to a policy of mutual respect. Please familiarize yourself with the UMass Code of Student Conduct – Trustee Doc. #T-95-095A and the Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination Policy Statement:

The University of Massachusetts Amherst prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, mental or physical disability, political belief or affiliation, veteran status, sexual orientation and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state or federal law in any aspect of the access to, admission, or treatment of students in its programs and activities, or in employment and application for employment. Furthermore, University policy includes prohibitions of harassment of students and employees, i.e., racial harassment, sexual harassment, and retaliation for filing complaints of discrimination.

• All students are expected to show that they are intellectually engaging the subject matter of every class and to participate in discussion (remember this is a seminar!).
• PLEASE BE ON TIME to avoid disrupting class; if you must be late, please quietly take your seat. Also, please stay in class for the duration of the class (no bathroom visits during class!).
• Food and drink are not permitted in the classroom (except for bottled water).
• Pagers and cell phones are not permitted to be audible or in use during class.

Practicum

Heretofore, as Karl Marx once wrote, “philosophers have only described the world, in various ways; the point is to change it.” Likewise in this class we do not want to limit our ambit to a mere critique or racism, but to totally destroy it. For “until the philosophy that holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war” (the words of Haile Selassie, sung by Bob Marley). Thus, we want to encourage you to try to apply the critical ideas you study in this course to historical and contemporary policies, problems, and practices. We want you to think through how different ideas of racism lead to certain conclusions and what the end results are of certain decisions. We want to consider how other ideas might lead to different conclusions and different end results. We challenge you to think and act globally and locally. As we confront various reading assignments some discussion questions will prompt you to do both theoretical and analytical work, but, also, some practical work as well. We invite your input about practical ways of critiquing racism. We invite you to help us explore not only the political and structural, but the popular and everyday manifestations of racism. We will devote time to developing a praxis dimension to the course that will be constructed carefully and collaboratively.