Online Writings and Discussions

Online writings and discussions (150 Points)

 

In order to advance our discussions, to push reflection and dialogue, and to otherwise foster engagement, this class will use our course blog space to expand upon course issues.  There will be a particular focus on diversity and the ways in which inequality, differential access to opportunity/privilege, and history defines diversity within the United States and globally.

Every two weeks, I will post a different question.  It will be your responsibility to respond to the question at hand and also respond to at least one peer comment. You will be responsible for participating in at least 3 conversations. The key to success here is both self-reflection and engagement with course materials.  The questions will, thus, connect to course materials but also push you to think about your own experiences.  Below you will see examples of types of questions you may find throughout the course

 

1. Is colorblindness the same as equality?
2. Are all “whites are born to privilege”?
3. If you identify as white, what does it mean to you to be white? If you do not identify as white, what does whiteness mean to you in this society and/or beyond it? Using readings, film, course discussions, and your own personal experiences, please focus on racialization and the connections between whiteness, privilege, and white supremacy.
4. Describe in detail the racial and ethnic make-up of either your hometown or your high school.
5. What are the important facts, historical events, legal and political issues, court cases, etc., that you think are important in the larger history of race in America?  Which of these events are still relevant today?
6. Do people of color in the United States have more in common with people of color from other parts of the world or with whites in America?
7. How does guilt function within conversations about race?
8. Who do you represent?
9. Do you have memories of family or friends challenging racism during your life?  Impact here?  What examples of anti-racist activist did you learn about in school?
10. What experiences have shaped and impacted your views about race and racism?
11. Is every person either a racist or anti-racist?  Can only whites be racist in the context of contemporary America?
12. The injustices and inequalities experienced in other parts of the world prove that things aren’t so bad in the United States
13. What is the global economy?  How do you fit into a global economy?
14. Do our dollars give approval to the business practices used around the world? So now the question is what can you do as a consumer?
15. What are the pictures, feelings, smells, sounds, and words that come to mind when you read the word “sweatshop”?
16. Are sweatshops a production or consumption problem? How does poverty and inequality contribute to the existence of sweatshops?
17. What is affirmative action?  What sorts of myths and stereotypes impact our conversation about affirmative action