ES 11: Introduction to Ethnic Studies

SPRING 2012

Professor: James Sobredo, Ph.D.
Lecture/Discussion: ETHN_011_34022_T.Thr. 9:00 – 10:15 am, ALP 232

Office Hours: Amador Hall 563A, Hours. Thurs.12:00 – 1:20 pm and 3-4:30 pm
*Every 2^nd Fri. of MONTH = Friday, 10:00 am - 1 pm
Telephone: (916) 278-7566 & Web Address: http://www.csus.edu/aas/sobredo

IMPORTANT ITEMS

*DROPPING Prof. Sobredo’s ETHN or any class at Sac State:
The Professor is NOT responsible for ADDING or DROPPING you from this course or any other course. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to file the appropriate paper work with the Registrar’s Office to add or drop Dr. Sobredo’s ETHN or any other class.
* For more INFO on dropping individual classes, see: http://www.csus.edu/acad/faq/drp.stm

Course Description

This interdisciplinary course will introduce students to the diverse institutional, cultural, and historical issues relating to the past and present life circumstances of Asian Americans, African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Native Americans. The course is designed so as to introduce students to the information presented in the upper-division courses having ethnic studies content. This course fulfills the GE requirements for D1A and Race & Ethnicity. No prerequisites. 3 units.

Course Learning Objectives.

• Students will be able to identify historical and cultural issues relating to the ethnic groups identified above (see Course Description)
• Students will analyze and discuss how social and economics forces affect the community formation experience of different ethnic groups
• Students will be introduced to basic social science theories
• Students will discuss, compare, and critique contemporary social and economic factors facing different ethnic groups

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Students are also required to attend all the class lectures, arrive at class on time, participate in class activities and discussions, and are responsible for all the readings and lectures. Students are required to have a CSUS e-mail account (free too all CSUS students) and participate in all the class assignments and discussions. Only medical and family emergencies will be considered by the instructor. The professor does not tolerate disruptive class behavior or academic dishonesty--consult the CSUS Student Handbook for policies governing student conduct and responsibilities. Late work will be assessed a reduction in grade points. The instructor does not give "make-up" exams or grade on a curve.   

No special materials needed other than the course textbook, notebook for notes, internet/computer access, your CSUS e-mail account, and your listening and thinking skills.

COURSE EVALUATION 

GRADING METHOD

2 Midterms	200 pts	2 Midterms (100 pts each): T or F, multiple-choice, SHORT ESSAY (500 words).
Final	50 pts	Final: T or F, multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blanks.
Class Discussions	50 pts	In-class discussion sessions & writing assignment
TOTAL	300 pts

GRADING SCALE   300 pts Total

300-282 points.... A, 281-270...A-, 269-260... B+, 259-250...B, 249-240... 

B-, 239-230...C+, 229-220...C, 219-210...C-, 209-179...D, 178 and below... "E" [not passing] 

HOW I GRADE: The Multiple-choice, T/F, Fill-in-the-blanks parts of the EXAM have only ONE answer and are graded accordingly as correct or incorrect. For the ESSAY part, I assign a letter grade to your essay, which is then converted to the corresponding number grade.

I use the grading standards set by the Sac State Policy on Letter grades. For more information see:

Sac State POLICY on Letter Grades: http://www.csus.edu/admbus/umanual/UMG05150.htm

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS

*TESTBOOK: None from Bookstore. NOTE: 2 of the online readings are BOOKS.

*Readings include articles online & in the CSUS Library Reserve

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF WEEKLY TOPICS AND READINGS [15 weeks]

1. Introduction
*No Readings

2. Basic Concepts & Theories

a.      Historical context: Race vs. Ethnicity

b.      Race, Class and Gender Analyses

c.      Theories of Race Relations

*Readings

· Rachel Caspari, “From Types to Population: A Century of Race, Physical Anthropology and the American Anthropological Association” in American Anthropologist (March 2003, Vol. 105: 1). *Available at CSUS Library database: http://db.lib.csus.edu/databases/. *See Librarian for assistance.

· SF Chronicle, 2-28-98, “What is Race?”—available at http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/kron/archive/1998/02/23/race_part1.dtl&type=special

· “Does Race Exist?” (PBS)—available at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/first/race.html

3. Race as a Social Construction

*Readings

· Omi & Winant, “Race and Ethnicity,” pp. 105-113 (in IES)

· Stephen J. Gould, “The Geometer of Race,” Discover, November 1994—available at http://discovermagazine.com/1994/nov/thegeometerofrac441 (as of 2/1/2008). *Also available at Library RESERVE. *See Librarian for assistance.

4. Ethnic Studies & the Third World Liberation Front

*Readings

· James Sobredo, Linda Revilla, Gregory Yee Mark, “Bridging Theory & Practice,” pp. 289-302. *Available at Library RESERVE. *See Librarian for assistance.

· Torri Minton, “Race Through Time,” SF Chronicle, 20 September 1998

· Neela Banerjee, “Back in the Day…” story about Richard Aoki, TWLF at UC-Berkeley & Black Panther member, AsianWeek, 27 April – 3 May 2001.

· Terry Norton, “In era when protest exploded, fuse was lit at Berkeley and S.F. State,” SF Examiner, 1 March 1998—available at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1998/03/01/SPECIAL804.dtl&hw=san+francisco+state+college+strike+hayakawa&sn=004&sc=573

5. When Europeans Didn’t Rule the World

*Readings

· New York Times, “1492: The Prequel.” *Available at Library RESERVE. *See Librarian for assistance.

· TIME Asia, 20-27 August 2001. *Available at Library RESERVE. *See Librarian for assistance.

6. European Migration & Colonization

*Readings

· “History of Jamestown” (PBS)—available at http://www.apva.org/history/

· “John Rolfe”—available at http://www.preservationvirginia.org/rediscovery/page.php?page_id=27

** * * Mid-term I (6^th week): 1 March, Thursday * * *

7. African Americans: Part I, European & American Racializations

*Readings

· “From Indentured Servitude to Racial Slavery”-- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1narr3.html

· “African Slave Trade”-- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1narr4.html

· Joe Wm Trotter, Jr., Chpt. 3, African American Experience
(Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001). *Available at Library RESERVE. *See Librarian for assistance.

8. African Americans: Part II, The Civil Rights Movement

*Readings

· E.R. Shipp, New York Times, “Rosa Parks: 1913-2005, Revered Icon of Civil Rights,” in SF Chronicle, 25 October 2005.

· Nia Malika-Henderson, “Deconstructing the Dream: Line-by-Line Analysis Illuminates King’s Timeless Speech,” SF Chronicle, 13 July 2003.

· Brown et al vs. Topeka (1954) (in IES). *Available at Library RESERVE. *See Librarian for assistance.

9.  SPRING BREAK: 19-25 March 2012

10. Native Americans: Part I, Contact & Conquest

*Readings

· Jared Diamond, “Collision at Cajamarca” in his book Guns, Germs and Steel (NY: WW Norton & Company, 1999). *Available at Library RESERVE. *See Librarian for assistance.

· Stephen J. Crum, “Native Americans,” pp.51-63 (in IES). *Available at Library RESERVE. *See Librarian for assistance.

11.  Native Americans: Part II, Resistance & Self-Identity

*Readings

· William S. Kowinski, “In 1860 Six Murderers Nearly Wiped Out the Wiyot Tribe,” 28 February 2004.

· Rick Del Vecchio, “Filmmaker tells story of forgotten Indian burial ground disputed by quest for retail,” SF Chronicle, 25 March 2005.

12.  Mexican Americans: Part I, Colonization & Migration

*Readings

· Jared Diamond, “Collision at Cajamarca” in his book Guns, Germs and Steel (NY: WW Norton & Company, 1999). *Available at Library RESERVE. *See Librarian for assistance.

· Jesus Velasco-Marquez, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, “A Mexican Point of View of the War With the United States.”

· Sam W. Haynes,
University of Texas at Arlington, “Manifest Destiny.”

· David M. Pletcher, Indiana University, “An Ideal or a Justification?”

* * * Mid-term II (12^th Week): 12 April, Thursday * * *

13.  Mexican Americans: Part II, California’s New Economy & Transnationalism

*Readings

· Sonia Nazario, LA Times (“Enriquez’s Journey”—available online and on the CSUS Library database).

14.  Asian Americans: Part I, Migration & Settlement

*Readings

· Timothy Fong, “History,” pp. 65-88 (in IES). *Available at Library RESERVE. *See Librarian for assistance.

· James Sobredo, “Two Brothers,” pp. 163-165 (in IES). *Available at Library RESERVE. *See Librarian for assistance.

15.  Asian Americans: Part II, 1965 Immigration Act & Globalization

*Readings

· Carolyn Lochhead, “A Legacy of the Unforeseen: Immigration Reform,” SF Chronicle, 7 May 2006—available at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/07/MNGELIN29I1.DTL&hw=1965+Immigration+act&sn=001&sc=1000

· Sunday, May 7, 2006

· SF Chronicle, “The New Gold Mountain” (Special Series 2004)

· SF Chronicle, “Deported Filipino Family,” 22 August 2004

16. Race and Ethnic Relations in the New Global Economy

*Readings

· SF Chronicle, “HK Maids,” 18 Nov. 2004

· Darfur: Genocide in Slow Motion (PBS)

CLASS ENDS: 11 May 2011

FINAL EXAM (as scheduled)

CLASSROOM POLICIES

1. Only medical and family emergencies will be considered as legitimate excuse by the instructor. Unless prior arrangement has been made with the class instructor, the professor does not accept late assignments.

2. The professor does not tolerate disruptive class behavior. For example, it is disruptive to come in fashionably late, hold private conversations, let your cell phone ring or have a cell phone conversation in class (turn off your cell phone, beeper, or put it on silent).

3. Inappropriate classroom behavior: It is disruptive to have a private conversation with other students, to walk in “fashionably” late to class (let me know ahead of time if you’re going to be late and go to the back of the class and quietly find a seat). It is disruptive to the instructor if you fall asleep in class (this particular instructor spends many long hours preparing for his class lessons)—let me know ahead of time if you work nights/evenings or have children and other pressing responsibilities.

4. Professional Ethics. Students are expected to behave and conduct themselves in a polite and professional manner. The course instructor is to be addressed as “Dr. Sobredo” or “Professor Sobredo.”

5. Plagiarism. The professor does not tolerate academic dishonesty--consult the CSUS Student Handbook (http://www.csus.edu/admbus/umanual/UMA00150.htm) for policies governing student conduct and responsibilities. It is the student’s responsibility to understand what plagiarism is and how to provide the appropriate and correct citation of ideas and sources that are not their own. An “F” grade will be given to any student who plagiarizes by (a) passing another person’s idea or work as theirs or (b) failing to provide to provide the appropriate citation for original theories/concepts, quotes or research data—I will also write a letter about the incident to the Dean of Student Affairs.

6. Unless prior arrangements has been made with the professor, late work will be assessed a 20 percent reduction in grade.

7. The instructor does not give "make-up" quizzes, exams or grade on a curve. 

9. Do not call or email the instructor regarding homework assignments. All homework assignments are available online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (24/7). Should any mistakes occur regarding online postings of assignments, the instructor will make the appropriate changes and adjustments.

10. EXTRA CREDIT: The professor will allow students no more than 1 (ONE) extra credit assignments (short paper, 2 pages minimum)—submit your work with your MIDTERM or on LAST DAY OF CLASS. [*Exceptions: no extra credit work is accepted during the shortened online and summer sessions.]

11. Your final grade will reflect your ability to follow these classroom policies, to follow and complete class assignments, and to follow professional ethics.