Political Science 29
Introduction to Minority
Politics
SSH 100
Professor Louis DeSipio Office Hours: Wednesdays 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
SSPB 5283
824-1420
LDESIPIO@UCI.EDU
Teaching Assistant:
Matt Barreto
SST 734
MBARRETO@UCI.EDU
Course Overview:
From its first days, the United States has faced the dilemma of how to incorporate populations different from the majority population. This dilemma continues today and appears in discussions of such issues as affirmative action, immigration and naturalization, language policy, and social welfare policy. In this course, we will examine the major theories that attempt to explain the roles of race and ethnicity in U.S. politics. We will examine the phenomenon of ethnicity and race in the political development of the United States. Finally, we will look at the political attitudes and behaviors of ethnic and racial populations in order to measure their contemporary political influence.
The course’s substantive focus is the politics and experiences of specific groups: African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. This examination and analysis will not only enhance our understanding of these groups' political roles, but will demonstrate that the U.S. political system cannot be fully understood without understanding the political dynamics of ethnicity and race.
Course Readings:
Readings are taken from three sources. I will ask that you read two books as well as a collection of articles that are available for purchase from Anteater Publishing (these are identified with a “**” in the list of readings). The books and many of the packet readings are available from local bookstores and are on reserve at the library.
The books are:
DeSipio, Louis, and Rodolfo O. de la Garza. 1998. Making Americans, Remaking America: Immigration and Immigrant Policy. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Reeves, Keith. 1997. Voting Hopes or Fears? White Voters, Black Candidates and Racial Politics in America. New York: Oxford University Press.
I will expect that you have read the assigned readings prior to the class in which they are assigned. Although I will not always make explicit reference to the assigned readings in my lectures, having read them in advance will help you understand that day’s topic. I welcome any questions about the readings during class and would encourage you to raise questions that you have. If you have questions, your classmates probably do as well. You will also have the opportunity to discuss class readings in discussion section.
Course Requirements and Grading
I will evaluate your performance in the class in four ways. These include: 1) two analytical essays on course readings; 2) two midterm exams; 3) a final exam; and 4) participation in discussion section.
Essays: I will assign two analytical essay questions during the semester. These essays will ask you to evaluate arguments made in course readings and, to a lesser degree, themes raised in class discussions. You will be able to answer the essay based on the course readings and I will not expect you to do additional research. Each essay should be between four and six pages. All essays must be completed by the due date indicated. The essays will be due on February 12 and March 7.
Each of the three essays will contribute 25 percent to your final grade for a total of 50 percent.
Midterm Exams: We have two midterms during the quarter, on January 31 and February 21. These exams will include a combination of objective and essay questions and will cover material from both the readings and the readings and class lectures/discussions.
The first midterm will count for 10 percent of your final grade and the second will count for 15 percent.
Final Exam: We will have a final exam during the period scheduled by the University. This exam will be comprehensive and will include both objective and essay questions.
The final exam will count for 15 percent of your final grade.
Discussion Section Participation: The final ten percent of your grade will be awarded by the class teaching assistant based on your participation in discussion section. He will indicate how these points will be awarded.
January 2—Introduction: Course Objectives and Expectations
Part One
Foundations
January 6—The Voting Rights Act of 1965
READING: Reeves, introduction and chapter 1 (pp. 3-24)
January 8—The Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965
READING: DeSipio and de la Garza, chapter 1 (pp. 1-11)
January 10—Large-scale immigration and pan-ethnicity
READING: DeSipio and de la Garza, chapter 2 (pp. 15-59)
Part Two
Citizenship:
Denial and Assertion
January 13—Race and ethnicity as analytical concepts
NO READING ASSIGNED
January 15—The 14th and 15th Amendments and their Abrogation
READING: Reeves, chapter 2 (pp. 25-42)
January 17—Chinese Exclusion and Immigration Restriction
READING: ** Gyory, Andrew. 1998. Closing the Gate: Race, Politics, and the Chinese Exclusion Act. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, chapter 12 (pp. 242-259).
January 20—no class
January 22—Native Americans and the Violation of Treaty Rights
READING: ** Deloria, Jr., Vine, and David E. Wilkins. 1999. Tribes, Treaties, and Constitutional Tribulations. Austin: University of Texas Press, chapter 7 (excerpt) and 8 (pp. 139-150 & 156-62).
January 24—The African American Civil Rights Movement and the Assertion of Equal Citizenship
READING: **Payne, Charles M. 1996. I've Got the Light of Freedom: The Organizing Tradition and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle. Berkeley: University of California Press, chapter 2 (pp. 29-66).
January 27—Mexican Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans: Lessons from the Black Civil Rights Movement
READING: El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán . Available on the web at: http://clnet.ucr.edu/research/docs/struggle/aztlan.htm or http://www.aztlannet.com/history/elplandeaztlan.html
January 29— Citizenship: Denial and Assertion
Exam Review
NO READING ASSIGNED
Part Three
Empowerment
February 3—Nationalism
READING: **DuBois, W. E. B. 1903. The Souls of Black Folk. New York: Signet, chapter 9 (pp. 187-209).
February 5—Participation
READING: **Verba, Sidney; Kay Lehman Schlozman; and Henry E. Brady. 1995. Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, chapter 8 (pp. 228-266).
February 7—Community Politics
READING: **Pardo, Mary. 1997. “Mexican American Women Grassroots Activists: ‘Mothers of East Los Angeles.’” In F. Chris García, ed. Pursuing Power: Latinos and the Political System. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, pp. 151-168.
February 10—Voting Rates and Barriers
READING: Reeves, chapter 3 (pp. 45-60)
February 12—White Voters/Minority Candidates
READING: Reeves, chapters 4 and 5 (pp. 61-90)
February 14—Gender and race/ethnic participation
READING: **Burns, Nancy; Kay Lehman Schlozman; and Sidney Verba. 2002. The Private Roots of Public Action: Gender, Equality, and Political Participation. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, chapter 11 (pp. 274-306).
February 17—no class
February 19— Naturalization
Exam Review
READING: DeSipio and de la Garza, chapter 3 (pp. 61-92).
Part Four
February 24—Identity
READING: **Waters, Mary C. 1990. Ethnic Options: Choosing Identities in America. Berkeley: University of California Press, chapter 2 (pp. 16-51).
February 26—Affirmative Action
READING: **Preston, Michael, and James S. Lai. 1998. “The Symbolic Politics of Affirmative Action.” In Michael B. Preston et. al, eds. Racial and Ethnic Politics in California. Berkeley: Institute of Governmental Studies Press, pp. 161-198.
February 28—Education
READING: **Lehman, Nicholas. 2000. “The Empathy Defense: Can the University of Michigan Save Affirmative Action?” The New Yorker (December 18): 46-51.
March 3—Urban Politics
READING: ** Sonenshein, Raphael J. 2003. “Post-Incorporation Politics in Los Angeles.” In Rufus Browning, Dale Rogers Marshall, and David H. Tabb, eds. Racial Politics in American Cities, Third Edition. New York: Longman Publishers (pp. 51-76).
March 5—Group Competition and Cooperation
READING: **McClain, Paula, and Albert K. Karnig. 1990. “Black and Hispanic Socioeconomic and Political Competition.” The American Political Science Review 84 (1) (June): 535-545. Article available on-line at JSTOR.
March 7—Immigrant Settlement
READING: DeSipio and de la Garza, chapter 4 (pp. 93-124).
March 10—Immigration and Demographic Change
READING: DeSipio and de la Garza, chapter 5 (pp. 125-134).
March 12—Language Policy and the Fluidity of Identity
READING: ** Santoro, Wayne A. 1999. “Conventional Politics Takes Center Stage: The Latino Struggle Against English-Only Laws.” Social Forces 77 (3) (March): 887-909. Available on-line from JSTOR.
March 14—Conclusions and Review
NO READING ASSIGNED