POL 352 - Topics: Politics of Race & Ethnicity (American Politics & Public Policy) (1)

Recent events have highlighted the impact of race and racial tensions on American politics. This course will broadly review the ways in which race and ethnicity shape and are shaped by American politics. In this class we will address a number of questions that will provide a better understanding of how race plays a role in American politics. How do race and ethnicity become politicized? What role does ethnic or racial identity play in one’s political behavior and decision-making processes? To what extent do political institutions and institutional design reinforce the salience of ethnic or racial identity in politics? These are just some of the questions that we will explore, as well as some of the methodological challenges involved in studying the politics of race and ethnicity. POL 172 OR POL 262