LA 378: Race, Identity, Belonging and Cultures in the Americas

LA 378 is a seminar, ordinarily taken in the junior year, that examines how societies and cultures in the Americas have responded to the foundations and social construction of race as the organizing principle of humanity and knowledge, and cultural expressions in the Modern World (16th through the mid-20th century with the US civil rights movement). Besides humanities, sources are drawn from multiple disciplines in social and natural sciences. This course must be completed in residence.  Students cannot receive credit for both LA 378 and HUM 324.

This course satisfies the DI-R requirement.

Prerequisite:  HUM124, HUM214

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Students understand the socially constructed nature of race in the United States.
  2. Students understand the significance of individuals’ differing relationships to race and power in the United States, and how structural racism undergirds institutions.
  3. Students understand how individuals, organizations, and institutions create, perpetuate, or challenge racial inequality in the United States.
  4. Students are better equipped to reevaluate their ideas about racial diversity and difference.
  5. Students understand the transnational dynamics of race, migration, and ethnicity, and the relationships among history, culture, politics, and race.
  6. Students understand social and political histories of migration to, from, and within the United States.
  7. Students understand the nature of race and racism, systemic and institutional racism, racial injustice, and what it means to be an anti-racist.