CES 101.3 Introduction to Comparative Ethnic Studies
MWF 11:10-12:00 CUE 418
Spring 2015
Instructor: Nicholas D. Krebs
Office: Wilson-Short 115
Office Hours: 11-12 T/TH, or by appointment
E-mail: [email protected]
Course Description and Objectives
This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of Comparative
Ethnic Studies, and its placement of ethnicity and race at the center of intellectual
inquiry. In so doing, this course challenges the academic and cultural
understanding about a wide array of issues related to ethnic and racialized
systems of power that are deeply embedded in culture, economics, history, and
politics; basically every nook and cranny of society in both the United States and
around the world. Comparative Ethnic Studies, as perceived of in this course,
assesses and supplements student’s contemporary understanding of what
ethnicity and race, as well as ability, age, class, gender, sex and sexuality are,
while also interrogating what (if anything) they are supposed to be. Exposing
students to a wide range of theoretical principles that demonstrate the fragility of
social constructs, this course intends to expose the various ways in which ethnic
and racialized structures of power have been produced, naturalized, and
perpetuated to maintain certain social hierarchies in the modern world.
Specifically, we will explore the containment and movement of bodies under the
prison-industrial complex and global capitalism; geographical, historical,
political, and social movements such as hip-hop, immigration, and the
construction of global diasporas; contemporary critical theory on race and
education; and cultural practices including the aesthetics of class, ethnicity,
gender, race, and sexuality in the twenty-first century. This course will also
bring a critique to bear against the intrinsic privileges of dominant categories,
identities, and positions such as cisgendered heteronormative white masculinity
in order to supplement our understanding of how oppressive social systems
continue to flourish both domestically and abroad.
By the end of this course students will be able to:
o Describe the theory and methods of Comparative Ethnic Studies as an
interdisciplinary academic field ripe with ongoing research and
pedagogy.
o Identify dominant narratives surrounding ethnicity and race, and provide
concise counter-points regarding systemic inequalities ascribed to class,
ethnicity, gender, race, and sexuality in civil, cultural, and legal contexts.
o Chart the significance of cisgendered heterosexual white male privilege in
creating and maintaining social inequality across transnational contexts.
o Situate the challenges facing the domestic population of the Americas,
especially those marginalized and oppressed, within a wider global
context of ability, age, class, ethnicity, gender, race, and sexuality under
capitalism.
CES 101.3 Syllabus & Schedule
Spring 2015
Course Requirements
The required texts for this course are as follows:
o A reading packet available at Cougar Copies
o Select media available free online and/or provided by the instructor
-Required course activities include preparing for class appropriately by
completing assigned readings before the date listed on the course schedule,
faithfully attending lecture, actively participating in honest and frank discussion,
and accurate fulfillment of all assessments.
Grade Breakdown
100-98=A+ 97-93=A
79-78=C+
77-73=C
59-0=F
92-90=A72-70=C-
89-88=B+
69-68=D+
87-83=B
67-63=D
82-80=B62-60=D-
-All grades are calculated by point, not percentage; this means no rounding.
-All grades are final pending instructor miscalculations.
-You must wait twenty-four hours after receiving a grade to discuss it with the
instructor. Grades will only be discussed on a previous assignment up until you
turn in another assignment.
Your grade will be based on the following assessments:
o Five (5) short response papers worth 5 points each—total of 25 points
o Two (2) critical analysis papers worth 25 points each—total of 50 points
o Five (5) Reading Facilitations worth 3 points each—total of 15 points
o Course Engagement: Attendance and Q&Qs—10 points
o Total points possible—25+50+15+10=100 points*
*There is no extra credit available in this class
Assessment Details
-Assessment activities must be turned in on time at the beginning of the class
period due, late assignments will not be accepted; missed assignments cannot be
made up.
-All papers must be double-spaced, use 12pt font and black ink, have 1” margins,
and feature a uniform and consistent citation style.
o Short response papers must be a minimum of two (2) pages, but no longer
than 750 words. Short response paper topics and due dates will be
assigned in class.
o Critical analysis papers should be approximately five (5) to seven (7)
pages in length. Critical analysis paper topics shall be confirmed in office
hours a minimum of two (2) weeks before papers are due. Specific
assignment guidelines will be distributed.
o Reading facilitations will enable pods of students to take-charge of their
education and engagement with course materials and fellow classmates.
On assigned dates, each pod must be prepared to carry and lead class
discussion, with the assigned responsibility rotating equally throughout
the semester. This means coming to class with typed questions, quotes,
and reflections about the reading material, and overarching course
themes, in-order to assist in fostering class discussion throughout the
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CES 101.3 Syllabus & Schedule
Spring 2015
particular class session(s). Specific facilitation guidelines will be
distributed.
o Course engagement includes reading beforehand, attending class
regularly, and active participation in all class activities. To stimulate
discussion and indicate attendance, students must turn in one (1) question
and one (1) quote for every assigned reading. Questions and quotes must
be typed, single-spaced, and submitted in person as a hard copy. No
digital work. No exceptions.
Standard of Excellence and Academic Integrity
Students will be held to a high standard of performance at all times. To receive
an "A" in this course, writing must be significantly better than that which passes
for acceptable work. An "A" paper is one that shows originality, careful research,
tight reasoning, well thought out audience appeals, and skillful delivery. "A"
work will deal with non-trivial subject matter, and will constitute a genuine
contribution to the knowledge and beliefs of the audience (i.e. your peers). Do
not assume that you can do simply what is assigned to receive a high grade in
this course. Doing what is assigned gets you a "C." An "A" requires considerably
more work, both rigorous and time-consuming, for you to do well.
According to the WSU Student Handbook plagiarism or any form of academic dishonesty
will not be tolerated and will result in immediate failure of the assignment(s) in question
as well as possible further action per University regulations:
http://academicintegrity.wsu.edu.
Course Attendance
Due to our rigorous curriculum, regular attendance is essential for your success
in this class. You are expected to show up for class on time, and stay for the
entire period. I will take roll at the beginning of every class session. If you are
continuously absent—more than three (3) class sessions—you will forfeit your points for
engagement. Any student that demonstrates additional lack of interest will receive an
“F” after missing six (6) class periods. Frequent tardiness, or leaving early, is not
conducive to your learning, or the learning of other students in the course.
Tardiness begins once the door is closed, three (3) late entrances count as one (1) absence.
If you arrive after more than twenty (20) minutes have passed you, will be considered
absent for the day. You are responsible for obtaining any missed materials, and/or
class notes, that result from any absence. To prevent issues from arising, inform
the instructor upon sickness, family emergency, or prior to University related
travel (at least one week in advance).
Classroom Etiquette
Laptops, tablet devices, cell phones, music players, newspapers, and any other
non-course related materials are not to be seen or used during class time. If
distractions are found, you will be asked to leave class, and will receive an
absence for the day.
To Note
This course will be dealing with topics that may make some uncomfortable. To
engage this material adequately and appropriately, the classroom will function
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CES 101.3 Syllabus & Schedule
Spring 2015
as a safe space for all voices to participate within reason. Aggressive or
derogatory behavior and language of any manner will not be tolerated. Explicit
lyrics and images may accompany some of the readings and media assignments,
please be aware if you are sensitive to such forms of expression.
Student Access
Students with University documented disabilities are allowed reasonable
accommodations. However, all accommodations must be approved by the
Access Center (http://accesscenter.wsu.edu).
Campus Safety
Washington State University is committed to the safety of students, faculty, staff,
and visitors to the Pullman campus. As part of this commitment, the university
has prepared this Campus Safety Plan, containing a listing of university policies,
procedures, statistics and information relating to campus safety, emergency
management and the health and welfare of the campus community. See:
http://safetyplan.wsu.edu/ and http://oem.wsu.edu/.
Be Advised
The course schedule and syllabus are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
Your continued enrollment in this course signifies acceptance of all policies and
procedures. In case of a campus emergency, accommodations to course
requirements, deadlines, and grading percentages may be made. Be sure to check
your campus-affiliated e-mail regularly for periodic updates and reminders.
Thematic Schedule (All readings* to be completed before date listed)
*All readings in course packet, video readings readily accessible online or
from the instructor.
1) What is Comparative Ethnic Studies? Introducing the research methods,
terminology, and theoretical perspectives of the discipline.
WK 1 M 1/12 Introductions, course overview, syllabus distribution and review
-Madhubuti, Haki. (unknown). “Assassination.”
-Hughes, Langston. (1935). “Let America Be America Again.”
W 1/14 Mapping the field part I: social theory
-Mills, C. Wright. (1959). “The Promise,” The Sociological
Imagination. Oxford University Press, ps. 3-11.
F 1/16 Mapping the field part II: cultural theory
-Hall, Stuart. (1996). “Cultural studies and its theoretical legacies,”
Stuart Hall Critical Dialogues in Cultural Studies, ed. David
Morley and Kuan-Hsing Chen. Routledge, ps. 262-275.
-Film screening: Race: The Floating Signifier. Stuart Hall (1997).
Media Education Foundation.
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CES 101.3 Syllabus & Schedule
WK2 M 1/19
Spring 2015
No Class! – MLK Day
W 1/21 Mapping the field part III: intersectional theory
-Combahee River Collective. (1982). “A Black Feminist Statement,”
But Some of Us Are Brave, ed. Gloria T. Hull, Patricia Bell
Scott, and Barbara Smith. The Feminist Press at City
University of New York, ps. 13-22.
-Hill-Collins, Patricia. (2004). “Introduction: No Turning Back,” and
“Afterword: The Power Of A Free Mind,” Black Sexual
Politics. Routledge, ps. 4-8, 10-12, 303-307.
F 1/23 Keywords and terminology
-Yu, Henry. (2007). “Ethnicity,” Keywords for American Cultural
Studies, ed. Bruce Burgett and Glenn Hendler. New York
University Press, ps. 103-108.
-Somerville, Siobhan B. (2007). “Queer,” Keywords for American
Cultural Studies, ed. Bruce Burgett and Glenn Hendler. New
York University Press, ps. 187-191.
-Ferguson, Roderick A. (2007). “Race,” Keywords for American
Cultural Studies, ed. Bruce Burgett and Glenn Hendler. New
York University Press, ps. 191-196.
2) What do we do with Comparative Ethnic Studies? Investigating the
intersecting historical legacies of capital, ethnicity, and race.
WK3 M 1/26 What is race, and how has it survived?
-Coates, Ta-Nehisi. (15 May 2013). “What We Mean When We Say
'Race Is a Social Construct',” The Atlantic.
-Roediger, David. (2008). “Afterword: Will Race Survive?,” How
Race Survived U.S. History. Verso, ps. 212-230.
W 1/28 Colonial empires and race in the United States
-Dawdy, Shannon Lee. (2006). “Proper Caresses and Prudent
Distance: A How-To Manual from Colonial Louisiana,”
Haunted By Empire: Geographies of Intimacy in North American
History, ed. Ann Laura Stoler. Duke University Press, ps.
140-162.
F 1/30 The legacy of slavery in the Americas
-Bynum, Edward Bruce. (1997). “The Present Conflict in the
Americas,” The African Unconscious: Roots of Ancient
Mysticism and Modern Psychology. Teachers College Press, ps.
247-256, 268, 282.
WK4 M 2/02 Classifying ethnicity and race in the United States
-Hodes, Martha. “Fractions and Fictions in the United States
Census of 1890,”Haunted By Empire: Geographies of Intimacy in
North American History, ed. Ann Laura Stoler. Duke
University Press, ps. 240-270.
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CES 101.3 Syllabus & Schedule
Spring 2015
W 2/04 Reparations and Modern Slavery: How many slaves work for you?
-Coates, Ta-Nehisi. (June 2014). “The Case for Reparations,” The
Atlantic.
-http://slaveryfootprint.org, and http://madeinafreeworld.com
F 2/06 Intimate spaces within global financial places
-Rosenberg, Emily S. (2006). “Ordering Others: U.S. Financial
Advisers in the Early Twentieth Century,” Haunted By
Empire: Geographies of Intimacy in North American History, ed.
Ann Laura Stoler. Duke University Press, ps. 403-424.
WK5 M 2/09 Imperialism, post-colonialism, and neo-colonialism
-Parenti, Michael. (1995). “Imperialism 101,” excerpt from Against
Empire. City Light Books.
-Film Screening: Life and Debt. Stephanie Black (2001).
W 2/11 Globalization and neoliberal capitalism
-Wallerstein, Immanuel. (1 October 2004). “After
Developmentalism and Globalization, What?,” keynote
address, Cornell University.
-Film Screening: Life and Debt. Stephanie Black (2001).
F 2/13 Capital, ethnicity, and race in the twenty-first century marketplace
-“Cash for Gold,” South Park, Episode 1602. Parker-Stone Studios,
21 March 2012.
-“Diversity Hire,” Archer, Episode 01004. Floyd County
Productions, 14 January 2010.
3) Why do we do Comparative Ethnic Studies? Using Critical Race Theory to
examine structures of privilege and oppression in culture and education.
WK6 M 2/16
No Class! – President’s Day
W 2/18 Systems of privilege
-Johnson, Allan G. (2005). “Who Me?,” excerpt from Privilege,
Power, and Difference. McGraw-Hill, second edition.
-Johnson, Allan G. (2013). “What is a ‘system of privilege’?”
http://www.agjohnson.us/glad/what-is-a-system-ofprivilege/.
F 2/20 Cisgendered heteronormative white male supremacy
-Smith, Andrea. (2006). “Heteropatriarchy and the Three Pillars of
White Supremacy: Rethinking Women of Color Organizing”
Color of Violence: The Incite! Anthology, ed. Incite! Women of
Color Against Violence. South End Press, ps. 66-73.
WK7 M 2/23 Comprehending privileged positionalities
-McIntosh, Peggy. (1989). “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible
Knapsack,” excerpt from Working Paper No. 189, Wellesley
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CES 101.3 Syllabus & Schedule
Spring 2015
College Center for Research on Women, originally published
1988.
-Wise, Tim. (2008). “On White Privilege,” The Pathology of Privilege:
Racism, White Denial & the Costs of Inequality. Media
Education Foundation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Xe1kX7Wsc.
W 2/25 The social formation of durable inequalities
-Tilly, Charles. (1998). “Of Essences and Bonds,” Durable
Inequalities. University of California Press, ps. 6-15, 24-35.
F 2/27 Multifaceted forms of oppression
-Young, Iris Marion. (2011). “Five Faces of Oppression,” Justice and
the Politics of Difference. Princeton University Press, ps. 39-65.
WK8 M 3/02 Critical Analysis Paper 1 Due
-Film screening: Aisha Tyler is Lit: Live at the Fillmore. Aisha Tyler
(2009).
W 3/04 Structures of violence
-Farmer, Paul. (1996). “On Suffering and Structural Violence: A
View from Below,” Dædalus, Vol. 125, No. 1; ps. 261-283.
F 3/06 The matrix of meritocracy
-MacLeod, Jay. (2009). “Social Immobility In The Land Of
Opportunity,” and “Social Reproduction In Theoretical
Perspective,” Ain’t No Makin’ It. Westview Press, third
edition, ps. 3-24.
WK9 M 3/09 Educating the new elite part I: obscuring democratic inequality
-Khan, Shamus. (2011). “Introduction: Democratic Inequality,”
Privilege: The Making Of An Adolescent Elite At St. Paul’s
School. Princeton University Press, ps. 1-17.
W 3/11 Educating the new elite part II: the rights of acquired privilege
-Khan, Shamus. (2011). “The New Elite,” Privilege: The Making Of
An Adolescent Elite At St. Paul’s School. Princeton University
Press, ps. 18-40.
F 3/13 Education, ethnicity, and race, across the Americas
-Stern, Alexandra Minna. (2006). “An Empire of Tests:
Psychometrics and the Paradoxes of Nationalism in the
Americas,” Haunted By Empire: Geographies of Intimacy in
North American History, ed. Ann Laura Stoler. Duke
University Press, ps. 325-343.
WK10 M 3/16—F 3/20
No Class! – Spring Break
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CES 101.3 Syllabus & Schedule
Spring 2015
WK11 M 3/23 Education, imperialism, and indigenous Americans
-Smith, Andrea. (2005). “Boarding School Abuses and the Case for
Reparations,” Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian
Genocide. South End Press, ps. 35-54.
W 3/25 Critical Race Theory and indigenous ways of knowing
-Brayboy, Bryan McKinley Jones. (2005). “Toward a Tribal Critical
Race Theory in Education,” The Urban Review, Vol. 37, No. 5,
ps. 425-446.
F 3/27 Indigenous ways of knowing and global climate change
-Film Screening: Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change. Zacharias
Kunuk and Dr. Ian Mauro (2010).
4) What do we do with Comparative Ethnic Studies? Applying the field to the
prison-industrial complex, the war on drugs, and the culture industry.
WK12 M 3/30 American exceptionalism, the Cold War, and the war on terror
-Pease, Donald E. (2007). “Exceptionalism,” Keywords for American
Cultural Studies, ed. Bruce Burgett and Glenn Hendler. New
York University Press, ps. 108-112.
-“Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants,” South Park, Episode 509.
Braniff Productions, Novemeber 7, 2001.
W 4/01 Life within the prison-industrial complex
-Muntaqim, Jalil. (2005) “The Criminalization of Poverty in
Capitalist America (Abridged),” The New Abolitionists:
(Neo)Slave Narratives and Contemporary Prison Writings, ed.
Joy James. State University of New York Press, ps. 27-36.
-Baxter, Charles, Wayne Brown, Tony Chatman-Bey, H.B. Johnson
Jr., Mark Medley, Donald Thompson, Selvyn Tillet, and John
Woodland Jr. with Drew Leder. (2005) “Live from the
Panopticon: Architecture and Power Revisited,” The New
Abolitionists: (Neo)Slave Narratives and Contemporary Prison
Writings, ed. Joy James. State University of New York Press,
ps. 205-216.
-Davis, Angela with Leslie DiBenedetto. (2005). “On Prisons and
Prisoners,” The New Abolitionists: (Neo)Slave Narratives and
Contemporary Prison Writings, ed. Joy James. State University
of New York Press, ps. 217-226.
F 4/03 Prison abolition and re-envisioning the future
-Film Screening: Visions of Abolition: From Critical Resistance to a New
Way of Life. Setsu Shigematsu (2011).
WK13 M 4/06 Racialization and the war on drugs part I
-Alexander, Michelle. (2010). “Preface,” and “Introduction,” The
New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.
The New Press, ps. xiii, 1-19.
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CES 101.3 Syllabus & Schedule
Spring 2015
-“Mr. Medicinal,” The Boondocks, Episode 313. Rebel Base
Productions, 18 July 2010.
W 4/08 Racialization and the war on drugs part II:
-Alexander, Michelle. (2010). “The Rebirth of Caste,” The New Jim
Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. The New
Press, ps. 20-58.
F 4/10 Racialization and the war on drugs part III:
-Alexander, Michelle. (2010). “The New Jim Crow,” The New Jim
Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. The New
Press, ps. 173-208.
WK14 M 4/13 The culture industry and cultural representation
-Cook, Gil. (2011). “The Culture Industry: Mainstream Success and
Black Cultural Representation,” Jay-Z Essays on Hip Hop’s
Philosopher King, ed. Julius Bailey. McFarland, ps. 180-190.
W 4/15 Strategic ignorance as a method of critical resistance
-Bailey, Allison. (2007). “Strategic Ignorance,” Epistemologies of
Ignorance and Race, ed. Shannon Sullivan and Nancy Tuana.
State University of New York Press, ps. 77-94.
F 4/17 Heteronormative reactions to evolving social dynamics
-Carroll, Hamilton. (2011). “Introduction: White Masculinities and
the Politics of Representation,” Affirmative Reaction. Duke
University Press, ps. 1-18, 23.
WK15 M 4/20 Abolishing hegemonic formations of white masculinity
-Rose, Stephany. (2014). “Introduction Writing Whiteness: White
Authors and Hegemonic White Masculinities,” “2000 and
Late?: Passé Conversations on Race for a Post-Racial
Nation,” and “Conclusion Dreaming of Post-Racism in a
Racial Wonderland,” Abolishing White Masculinity From Mark
Twain to Hiphop. Lexington Books, ps. 4-7, 15-16, 21-40, 151167.
W 4/22 The production and maintenance of cultural commodities
-Rose, Stephany. (2011). “Black Marketing Whiteness: From Hustler
to HNIC,” Jay-Z Essays on Hip Hop’s Philosopher King, ed.
Julius Bailey. McFarland, ps. 117-131.
F 4/24 The Age of the Booty part I: from Hottentot Venus to video vixens
-Hill-Collins, Patricia. (2004). “Get Your Freak On: Sex, Babies, and
Images of Black Femininity,” and “Booty Call: Sex, Violence,
and Images of Black Masculinity,” Black Sexual Politics.
Routledge, ps. 119-148, 149-180.
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CES 101.3 Syllabus & Schedule
Spring 2015
WK16 M 4/27 The Age of the Booty part II: the booty as a standard of beauty
-Garcia, Patricia. “We’re Officially in the Era of the Big Booty,”
Vogue online: 9 September 2014.
-Meltzer, Marisa. “For Posteriors’ Sake,” The New York Times online:
17 September 2014.
-Brodesser-Anker, Taffy. “Nicki Minaj: Cheeky Genius,” GQ online:
November 2014.
W 4/29 Celebrity Studies and Kardashian kulture
-Guest Lecture: Lucia Soriano.
F 5/01 Final class session and semester wrap-up
-Film screening: Know Your History: Jesus Is Black; So Was Cleopatra.
Paul Mooney (2007).
Critical Analysis Paper 2 Due Monday of Finals Week 5/04
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