Minority Problems - Syllabus

Minority Problems, Minority Group, Minority Problems Abstracts, Minority Problems Bibliography, Journals, Books Minority Problems, Majority

Minority Relations

INTRODUCTION TO ETHNIC STUDIES - Syllabus - Sam Houston State University

Race and Ethnic Relations - Dr. Tom Henricks - Sociology/Anthropology House - elon.edu

ETHNIC AND MINORITY GROUPS - DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY - UNA, Syllabus una.edu/sociology/SO%20424-01%20Syllabus.htm - Text: Schaefer: Racial and Ethnic Groups

Course Description and Objectives: The basic goal of the course is to provide understanding of the sociological perspective on minority groups and intergroup relations. The course is a study of ethnic, racial, and other minority groups in the contemporary United States, with emphasis on their history, culture, social organization, socio-economic status, problems, and contributions, and their relationship with other groups in the United States. Students will be introduced to the basic terms, concepts, theories, and perspectives in this field and then specific groups will be studied.

COURSE SYLLABUS OUTLINE: SO 424 – ETHNIC & MINORITY GROUPS
I. Introduction

• A. Basic concepts
• B. Perspectives on dominant-minority relations
• C. The nature of prejudice
• D. The nature of discrimination
• E. Immigration to the U.S.
• F. Ethnicity and religion in the U.S. today

II. A Study of Specific Minority Groups

A. American Indians

1. Traditional cultures and values
2. Changing policies: from reservations and wardship to urban relocation and reservation development
3. Contemporary position and welfare
4. “Red Power” movement
5. Contributions and prominent persons

B. African-Americans

1. History: Africa through Civil Rights Movement
2. Contemporary Position

A. Basic demographic factors
B. The Black subculture, subcommunity and family
C. Economic welfare
D. Education and school desegregation
E. Housing and residential patterns
F. Political participation
G. Contributions and prominent persons

C. Chicanos

1. History
2. Culture
3. Family
4. Education and bilingualism
5. Economic and social welfare
6. Social movements and current issues
7. Contributions and prominent persons

D. Other Minority Groups

A number of the following will be studied but more briefly and depending, in part, on students’ interests.

1. Puerto Ricans
2. Chinese Americans
3. Japanese Americans
4. Jewish Americans
5. Refugee groups, e.g., Cubans, Vietnamese
6. White Ethnics
7. Women
8. Impoverished Whites, e.g., Appalachia
9. The handicapped
10. Religious sects
11. Intergroup relations in Hawaii

INTRODUCTION TO ETHNIC STUDIES
Spring, 2004, Instructor: Caron Cates, E-MAIL: SOC_CCC@shsu.edu
Sociology Department at Sam Houston State University

Required Text: Parrillo, Vincent N. 2000. Strangers to these Shores: Race and Ethnic Relations in the United States. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Seventh Edition.
Course Description: This course is designed to introduce students to the topic of ethnic studies in Sociology. At the outset of the semester, students will be exposed to the basic theoretical paradigms of the discipline. Subsequently, this knowledge will be employed to study ethnic and racial social relations, their interpretations, and pertinent debates in current scientific literature. The course will focus on most racial and ethnic groups, religious groups, and women in the United States. Students will become familiar with key concepts - such as culture, minority, ethnocentrism and stratification - and their analytic uses. This is a freshman level course.

Introduction

• The Study of Minorities (Chapter 1)
• Culture and Social Structure (Chapter 2)
• Prejudice and Discrimination (Chapter 3)
• Dominant-Minority Relations (Chapter 4)
• The Native Americans (Chapter 7)
• Northern and Western Europeans (Chapter 5); Southern, Central and Eastern Europeans (Chapter 6)
• East and Southeast Asian-Americans (Chapter 8); Other Asian and Middle Eastern Americans (Chapter 9)
• African-Americans (Chapter 10)
• Hispanic and Caribbean Americans (Chapter 11)
• Religious Minorities (Chapter 12); Women as a Minority Group (Chapter 13)
• The Ever-Changing U.S. Mosaic (Chapter 14)

Sociology 341-AA - Race and Ethnic Relations
Professor: Dr. Tom Henricks - Sociology/Anthropology House - elon.edu

Course Description
This course examines the meaning of minority group status in society. The course focuses on both the general patterns and problems presented by all minority groups as well as the more specific issues facing individual minority groups in American society. We will discuss these issues in both historical and contemporary perspective. Groups receiving special emphasis will be African-Americans, white ethnics, Latinos, Jews, and Asian-Americans.

Required Texts
Richard Schaeffer. Racial and Ethnic Groups, 8th edition. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000).
John Kromkowski, ed. Annual Editions 02/03: Race and Ethnic Relations (Guilford, Ct.: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin. 2002).
Other readings will be placed on reserve, gathered from Internet sources, and/or distributed as hand-outs.

Student Learning Objectives
Students who have completed this course will be expected to:
Understand the nature of prejudice and discrimination, including the basic causes of each
Confront their own feelings about these matters
Understand sympathetically the circumstances of minority status
Explain the ways in which minority status is a common experience for many groups as well as the ways in which it is distinctive for different groups.
Explore the related effects of discrimination in economics, housing, education, politics, and other social institutions
Consider the nature and extent of prejudice and discrimination in a college community

Topical Outline with Readings
I. Introduction: The Nature of Prejudice and Discrimination
II. The Meaning of Minority Status
III. Immigration and Minority Status
IV. Native Americans
V. African-Americans
VI. Latinos in America
VI. Asian Americans: Growth and Diversity
VII. Jewish Americans

Minority Relations - Sociology 310
Susan Cecil, susan.cecil@brescia.edu
Course Description
Minority Relations is an upper level GER elective for non-majors. It is a required course for social work majors.
In this course we will make an in-depth study of several groups with minority status: Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanic and Caribbean Americans, women as a minority group, and the gay and lesbian population. Students will be introduced to patterns, which emerge as individuals, and members of groups interact.

Course Objectives/Brescia Outcomes for SOC 310
The students will have knowledge of:
1. Functional, conflict and interactionist theories regarding the study of minorities.
2. Characteristics of specific groups and their minority status in the U.S.
3. Theories of minority integration and dominant-minority relations.

The student will become skilled in:
1. Identifying contributions of members of selected minority groups.
2. Observation of discriminatory practices past and present in society.
3. Examining implications for those working with minority populations in human service settings.

The students will begin to value:
1. The importance of exploring diversity issues to promote successful relations among people of all cultures and lifestyles.
2. Their own cultural heritage and appreciate uniqueness in self and others.

Required Texts
Parrillo, Vincent. (2006) Strangers to These Shores, 8th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon Publishing.
Mann, C.R. & Zatz, M.S. (2002) Images of Color, Images of Crime . Los Angeles: Roxbury Publishing.

The student will write a 2-3 typed page reaction paper on two (2) films chosen from the list below. Describe both the dominant and minority groups and how they are represented. In what ways is the minority group discriminated against? What is the response of the minority? What are the strengths and weakness of the major characters in each group? (Films must represent two different minority groups)
Films:
*A Time to Kill
*Finding Forester
*Crash
*American History X
*Men of Honor
*Ghosts of the Mississippi
*Mississippi Burning
*Mi Familia/My Family
*The Milangro Bean Field War
*The Mona Lisa Smile
*Where the Heart Is
*The Burning Bed
*Places in the Heart
*Philadelphia
*The Laramie Project
*And the Band Played On
*Boys Don’t Cry
*If These Walls Could Talk II
*Normal
*Geronimo
*I Will Fight No More Forever
*Windtalkers

Course Outline
Week 1
(Parillo) Chapter 1: The Study of Minorities
*Functional Theory
*Conflict Theory
*Interactionist Theory
*Minority Group Characteristics
*Ethnocentrism

Week 2
(Parillo) Chapter 2: Culture and Social Structure
*The Concept of Culture
*Cultural Change
*Social Class
*Intergroup Conflict
*Theories of Minority Integration

Week 3
(Parillo) Chapter 3: Prejudice and Discrimination
*The Psychology and Sociology of Prejudiceness
*Stereotyping
*Media’s Influence
*Levels of Discrimination
*The Affirmative Action Controversy

Week 4
(Parillo) Chapter 3: (continued)
(Mann) Chapter 6: White Privilege, Color and Crime: A Personal Account
*Guest speaker scheduled

Week 5
(Parillo) Chapter 4: Dominant – Minority Relations
*Minority Group Responses
*Consequences of Minority Group Status
*Dominant – Group Responses
*Exploitation

Week 6
(Parillo) Chapter 7: Native Americans
*Values & Social Structure
*Stereotyping of Native Americans
*Changes in Government Policy
*Present Day Life
*Bureau of Indian Affairs

Week 7
(Mann) Chapter 12: “ Perpetuating the Stereotypes of American Indian Nations and Peoples.”

Week 8 Video: Seasons of the Navajo

Week 10
(Parillo) Chapter 10: Black Americans
*Institutional Racism
*Winds of Change
*Social Indicators of Black Progress
*Race or Class
Film: African Americans---Marching to Freedom

Week 11
(Mann) Chapter 8: Murderers, Rapists and Drug Addicts
*Stereotyping of Blacks by the Media
(Mann) Chapter 18: The Black Bogeyman and White Self-Righteousness
*Impact of Images on the Criminal Justice System

Week 12
(Parillo) Chapter 11: Hispanic Americans
*Sociohistorical Perspective
*Social Indicators of Hispanic Progress
*Mexicans
*Puerto Ricans
Film: Second Generation Hispanics

Week 13
(Mann) Chapter 14: “Immigrant Bashing and Nativist Political Movements”
English Only Movement in the U.S.
(Parillo) Chapter 13: Women As a Minority Group
Film: Killing Us Softly

Week 14
(Parillo) Chapter 13: Women as a Minority Group (continued)
*Sociohistorical Perspective
*Socialization and Gender Roles
*Today’s Minority Women
*Social Indicators of Women’s Status
*Sexual Harassment

Week 15
Gays/Lesbians as a Minority Group
*Hand-out: Myths About Gays and Lesbians
*Discussion: The Whole World Was Watching
Film: Assault on Gay America

Bibliography
Aguirre, Adalberto & Turner, Jonathan H. (2001), American Ethnicity: The Dynamics
and Consequences of Discrimination, 3rd, New York: McGraw-Hill.
Campo-Flores, Arion, “Brown Against Brown”, Newsweek, September 18, 2000.
Cole, David “The Color of Justice”, The Nation, October 11, 1999.
Mills, Hendrik “A Deadly Mix”, “American Enterprise, November/December 1998.
Rothenberg, Paula (2002) White Privilege, New York: Worth Publishers
Seelye, H.(1996) Between Cultures: Development of Self-identity in a World of
Diversity, Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Publishers.
Spivey, Donald(2003) Fire from the Soul: A History of the African American
Struggle, Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.
Staples, Robert (1999). The Black Family. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing.
Wade, Peter(1997) Racism in Latin America, Chicago: Pluto Press.

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