Course Description:  This seminar is an exploration of a longstanding concern of social psychology:  Prejudice and racism.  Using two texts as a stimulus, the seminar focuses on the critical interchange of students and faculty on this important social issue.

Texts:  James Jones, Prejudice and racism (2nd edition), NY:  McGraw Hill (1997); and Benjamin P. Bowser (Ed.), Racism and anti-racism in world perspective, Thousand Oaks:  Sage Publications (1995). Additional readings will be handed out in class.
 

Requirements and Grading:  As a seminar, this course emphasizes the critical oral interchange among students and faculty.  The readings are only a catalyst for this dialogue.  As such, attendance is extremely important.  To help us prepare for our discussions, daily thumbnail sketches and reaction statements of the readings should be prepared.  Thumbnail sketch:  an abstract of the reading (typically, one paragraph, no more than one page); Reaction statement:  a personal reaction to an aspect of the reading (typically, one paragraph, no more than one page).  For each day, a thumbnail sketch and reaction statement is required for each of the assigned readings.  Students earn up to 100 points for these.  In addition, students earn up to 100 points for each day’s discussion (70 is minimum for attending and active listening; absences count zero, regardless of excuse).  Thus, each day (except the first and last) contribute up to 200 points for a total of 5000 points.  A:  90%; AB: 88%; B: 80%; BC: 78%, etc.  The instructor reserves the right to use his subjective adjustment in the final grade determination (the point totals serve as a guide).