Topic: Race and the 2012 Elections

Appropriate for First Year students.

TimeDaysLocationInstructorGERCreditOPUS Class NumberSyllabus (Tentative)
4:00pm-7:00pm
Tu
Ignatius Few Building_129
Gillespie, Andra. FSEM. 43414 TBA.

August 29, 2012- December 11, 2012

Crosslisted: AAS190-002.

Catalog Description: For first-year students only. Entry level seminar focusing on a specific topic. May be repeated for credit when topic varies.

Semester Details:

Barack Obama’s historic ascendance to the presidency brought renewed interest to studies of racial politics in the United States.  An examination of the previous four years allows students to understand the nature of racial backlash and to determine whether having a minority president yields any differences in the representation of racialized interests in the United States. 

In this course, students will learn the historical role of racial and ethnic minorities (blacks, Latinos and Asian Americans) in elections and apply their historical and theoretical knowledge to the current election cycle through collaborative assignments.

Required Textbooks, Articles, and Resources

  1. Crotty, William. 2012 (April). The Obama Presidency: Promise and Performance.
    ISBN: 9780739142346.
    Lexington Publishers.
  2. Glasrud, Bruce; & Wintz, Cary D. 2009. African Americans and the Presidency: The Road to the White House.
    ISBN: 9780415803922.
    Routledge.
  3. Kennedy, Randall. 2012 (April). The Persistence of the Color Line: Racial Politics and the Obama Presidency.
    ISBN: 9780307455550.
    Knopf Doubleday.
  4. Mayer, Jeremy D. 2002. Running on Race: Racial Politics in Presidential Campaigns, 1960-2000.
    ISBN: 9780375506253.
    Random House.
  5. Mendelberg, Tali. 2001. The Race Card: Campaign Strategy, Implicit Messages, and the Norm of Equality.
    ISBN: 9780691070711.
    Princeton University Press
  6. Steele, Shelby. 2007. A Bound Man: Why We are Excited about Obama and Why He Can't Win.
    ISBN: 9781416559177.
    Free Press.
  7. Tesler, Michael; & Sears, David O. 2010. Obama's Race: The 2008 Election and the Dream of a Post-Racial America.
    ISBN: 9780226793832.
    University of Chicago Press.
  8. Whitaker, Lois Duke. 2008. Voting the Gender Gap.
    ISBN: 9780252075254.
    University of Illinois Press.

Grading

Assignment/ExamDetails% of Total Grade
TBANA

The schedule of courses on O.P.U.S. is the official listing of courses, including days and times they meet and the General Education Requirements they satisfy. Students should use course descriptions as general guidelines. Course requirements, grading details, book lists, and syllabi are subject to change.