J298 Examining Racial Undertones in the American Election

Course summary:

Race in its many faces will be explored in discussions in class that grow out of the reading and viewing assignments in Journalism 298. I expect each student to read about ten books during the semester and to view at least six movies or documentaries. Students will decide on the reading list. Some of the viewings will be screened and discussed in class. Students will write a midterm report and a final project. These may be reporting projects, including a thesis draft, if the topic is relevant, in the instructor’s opinion.

Many students see themselves as “woke” and think they know everything they need to know about race. That’s not only mistaken; it’s foolhardy. http://bit.ly/2SVfkhC

Since this course was first taught in 1991, the issue of race has grown ever larger and more dangerous. The Rodney King verdict all those years ago precipitated an uprising in Los Angeles, and a burst of attention to race. The attention to police shootings of unarmed blacks began with

Oscar Grant and later with Ferguson. Since then, the struggle over race has intensified and lies at the heart over the Trump Administration’s determination to wall off the US border with Mexico. The goal of the course is to provide the student with fluency in the language and vernacular of the racial discourse as it has been framed by our most prominent intellectuals of color. It is an important component to understanding, but it is only a beginning.