Cultures of Race, Ethnicity and Racism
Module title | Cultures of Race, Ethnicity and Racism |
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Module code | ANT2089 |
Academic year | 2024/5 |
Credits | 15 |
Module staff | Professor Katharine Tyler (Convenor) |
Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
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Duration: Weeks | 11 |
Number students taking module (anticipated) | 20 |
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Module description
This module will examine the ways in which anthropologists, sociologists and other scholars of critical race studies have explored and analysed how racial and ethnic identities are lived and experienced. It will argue that race and ethnicity are social constructs which have no biological foundations. You will focus on ethnographic studies which examine minority and majority racial and ethnic identities both cross-culturally and in different socio-historical contexts. You will critically examine the theories and concepts used by anthropologists and sociologists to study the formation of ethnic and racial identities and racism. You will complement this study with an exploration of social conditions where racism is challenged, and consider the possibility of a world beyond racial categorisation.
Module aims - intentions of the module
In this module we examine ways in which anthropologists, sociologists and other scholars from the interdisciplinary field of critical race studies, have explored and analysed how racial and ethnic identities are lived and experienced. The module focuses on ethnographic studies to examine the articulation of minority and majority racial and ethnic identities cross-culturally and in different socio-historical contexts. Central to this inquiry is an examination of the theories and concepts that anthropologists and sociologists have deployed to think about the formation of ethnic and racial identities and racism. Our emphasis upon the reproduction of various forms of racism will be complemented by an exploration of the social conditions in which racism is challenged. The module also considers the possibility of a world beyond racial thought and categorisation.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. demonstrate familiarity and some ability to critically engage with anthropological and sociological approaches to the study of race, ethnicity and racism
- 2. apply appropriate theories and concepts to facilitate an analysis of racism and identities
- 3. develop an appreciate of the significance socio-historical contexts in the formation of racial and ethnic identities
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. gain some appreciation of the role of theory in ethnography
- 5. develop an appreciation of the synergies and distinctions between anthropological approaches and other social scientific approaches
- 6. acquire some understanding of the ethical and theoretical issues involved in the representation of ethnic and racial differences
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. demonstrate transferable skills in formulating, researching and addressing focussed essay questions
- 8. prepare focussed and comprehensive oral presentations
- 9. work independently and in collaboration with others
- 10. develop a critical awareness of cross-cultural understanding and anti-racist values, values which increasingly feature in many professional settings
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus may cover some or all of the following topics:
- The social and historical construction of race, ethnicity and racism
- Racism and nationalism
- Black and white feminism
- Mixed-race, post-race
- Race, genealogy and genetics
- Far right politics
- Islamophobia
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
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22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
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Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 22 | Weekly 2-hour lectures/seminars or 1 hour lecture + 1 hour seminar |
Guided independent study | 128 | Private study |
Formative assessment
Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
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Essay Plan | 750 words | 1-7, 9, 10 | Written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
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100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
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Essay | 100 | 3,000 words | 1-10 | Written |
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0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
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Essay | Essay (3,000 words) | 1-7, 9-10 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Back, L. (1996) New Ethnicities and Urban Culture: Racism and MultiCulture in Young Lives (London: UCL Press).
- Banks, M. (1996) Ethnicity: Anthropological Constructions (London: Routledge)
- Frankenberg, Ruth (1993) White Women, Race Matters (London: Routledge).
- Gilroy, P. (1987) There Aint No Black in the Union Jack: Cultural Politics of Race and Nation (London: Hutchinson).
- Hall, C. and Rose, S. (eds) (2006) At Home with the Empire: Metropolitan Culture and the Imperial World (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
- Haritgan, J. (1999) Racial Situations: Class Predicaments of Whiteness in Detroit (Princeton: Princeton University
Press).
- Hill, J. (2008) The Everyday Language of White Racism (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell).
- Said, E. W. (1978) Orientalism: Western Conceptions of the Orient (London: Penguin Press).
- Wade, P., (2002), Race, Nature and Culture: An Anthropological Perspective (London: Pluto Press).
- Werbner, P. and Modood, T. (eds) (1997) Debating Cultural Hybridity: Multi-cultural Identities and the Politics of Anti-racism (London: Zed books).
Credit value | 15 |
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Module ECTS | 7.5 |
Module pre-requisites | None |
Module co-requisites | None |
NQF level (module) | 5 |
Available as distance learning? | No |
Origin date | 01/10/2011 |
Last revision date | 22/01/2022 |