Race and Public Policy

Race and Racism in the Making of the United States as a Global Power

This course explores the social, historical, and legal construction of race and ethnic identity in the United States by considering how the concept of race has been systematically institutionalized in both the public and private spheres of American society. By emphasizing the value of a global analysis and focusing on cross-national comparisons and historical perspectives to evaluate the political implications of racial and ethnic identities in different parts of the world, this course is designed to contextualize and offer insight into the history, dynamics, and salience of racial inequality and political cleavage within the United States. The course takes an interdisciplinary approach to examining the relationship between race and public policy by drawing on history, political science, sociology, and legal theory. We will begin with an in-depth examination of the definition of — and meanings attached to — the term race within the U.S. context. We then shift to the contemporary moment to highlight the institutions of racial domination that have helped to produce durable racial hierarchies, with specific attention to the modes through which hierarchies have been created and maintained in wealth creation, labor force participation, immigration, civic life, as well as within cultural, legal, political, and social institutions. Theoretical treatments and case studies will be foundational to our discussion as we focus on the progress that has been made in dismantling racialized institutions and addressing racism.