Instructor: Dr./Professor Jasmine Hill (she, her)
Email: [email protected]
Office: Public Affairs 6359
Office hours: By appointment here
Evolving Course Playlist here
Why does racial inequality exist and persist? And what do Critical Race Theory, intersectionality, and theories of structural racism or settler colonialism have to say about it? What do all these concepts have to say to modern policy problems?
This course is for students who wish to explore the causes of racial inequalities and the theories that help us understand those inequalities. We will study several leading ideological approaches which seek to explain disparate racial outcomes and uncover what solutions they offer for the social problems of our time. Most importantly, students will learn to discern and critique some of the ideological underpinnings around race and racial inequality which drive modern policy making. It is intended that students will gain tools to sharpen and challenge their own thinking on racial inequality and learn to glean policy solutions, on issues of their choice, from various theoretical traditions.
Outcome #1: Students will develop a nuanced and critiqued understanding of several prominent theories of racial inequality. (Why does racial inequality exist and how do we solve it?)
Outcome #2: Students will build capacity to see discourses of racial inequality in the public sphere. (Why are "they" saying that and what does it mean?)
Outcome #3: Students will gain skills to craft compelling, well-researched and theoretically based policy op-eds. (Based on what I learned, what do I think and how do I convince others?)
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📌 This course schedule provides a complete list of weekly topics, readings, assignments, and exams. To access the reading list, hover over any item and click ⤢ OPEN to see additional info like a link. Click All to switch to week, exam, or calendar view.
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Calculate Your Grade (spreadsheet)
Group Presentation: Up to 25 points
📌 In-Class Participation: Up to 10 points
Perusall Annotations (Ongoing): Up to 3 points each
Submit Your Op-Ed for Publication: 5 points
Propose & Do Your Own Assignment: up to 15 points
Create a Quiz or Study Guide: Up to 10 points
Take Home Exam: Up to 20 points
A 90-100 points B 80-89 points C 70-79 points D 60-69 points F < 60 points
Change: We are all living through an extremely difficult time, and I recognize that we cannot anticipate the challenges that lie ahead of us. I will do my very best to be sensitive and accommodate learning in this atmosphere.
Attendance & Participation: Students earn a point for each class they attend and actively engage in. Entrance more than 15 minutes late is considered an absence. Students will come to class having read the assigned texts, paying attention, and prepared to discuss. You do not need to email me if you miss one class, because life happens; please send an email if you need to miss consecutive classes.
Accommodations: I look forward to accommodating students with disabilities; please see the links below to submit an accommodations request through CAE. For parents, I welcome children to non-disruptively join class if childcare is unavailable. Finally, the cost of materials may inhibit participation for some. If this is the case, feel free to contact me; there is a limited supply of materials that can be loaned out if needed.
Technology: Laptops are allowed in class for note-taking purposes. I reserve the right to revoke these privileges at any time if abused. Please turn off all device (phone, laptop, watch, etc.) notification sounds during class.
Feedback: Students and the instructor approach the course with curiosity, space to learn, & a desire for feedback. One of the results of this orientation is that course content is subject to change. Fair warning will be given for any changes made to course content.
Late Assignments: Late work will be deducted 10% per twenty-four hour period that elapses after the due date, unless we've reached an agreement for extension before the deadline. If foreseen or unforeseen circumstances prevent you from completing an assignment on time, you may request an extension. Extensions must be requested in advance of the due date.
Respect: Students will engage in challenging and well-intentioned discourse during class discussions. This includes, but is not limited to, using inclusive language and respecting the gender pronouns of others.
Assignment Submission: All assignments are due on Canvas on Fridays at 5pm. Papers will be accepted until Monday at no penalty.
Email: I will respond to emails within 48 hours or less on business days. I do not make a practice of checking emails over the weekend or in the evening. The day before deadlines or exams, I stop responding to emails at 7:00PM.
Open Dialogue: If a student experiences serious academic difficulty, unexpected personal circumstances, or ongoing challenges with the material, flag me via email or office hours and a plan of action to support you will be made.
Plagiarism & The Art of the Shout Out: "Citation/quotation is 1) a political practice of naming, crediting, and resisting erasure of Black genius; and 2) an act of love, honoring, invocation and remembering." - @noscrubs_noshrubs.
Presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words – is a serious academic offense with serious consequences (e.g. failure of the assignment, course removal, academic discipline). Plus, it's a hater move of neocolonialism against those whose ideas inspire our thinking.
I use grading tools that detect plagiarism, so just don't do it. The way to prevent plagiarism is simply to use quotation marks and/or cite your sources. Downloading a free reference management system like Zotero makes proper citation, a.k.a. academic shoutouts, easy ;)
No recording: Please refrain from taking photographs or recording class activities without my permission. If you have permission to record, please refrain from sharing recordings with others.
Adherence: Students understand and agree to these expectations as signaled by their enrollment in the course.