Political Science
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101 Gowen Hall, Box 353530 University of Washington Seattle, WA 98195-3530 |
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Ph: 206-616-3584 |
POL S 555: Am Pol Graduate Seminar
Minority Political Behavior
Tuesday 1:30 pm - 4:20 pm, Savery Hall 155
Professor: Matt A. Barreto
Email: mbarreto@washington.edu
Office: Gowen 148
Office Hours: Thurs 10:00am
Course Description:
This is a graduate seminar for students interested in how minority group identity influences political behavior. We will define minority group identity broadly, covering race, ethnicity, immigrant status, religion, gender, sexual orientation. While a majority of the existing scholarship has tended to focus on African American, Latino, Asian American, and White political participation, the course will not be limited to only these topics. We will take up the role of gender, sexuality, and religion as each impacts the political development, attitudes, and behavior in American politics.
This seminar will examine the history and contemporary role of minority groups in the U.S. political system. We will focus on political relationships between Whites, African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans as they relate to political participation, party affiliation, voting coalitions, and public opinion, in addition to other groups referenced above. For the first 200 years of its history, the United States passed laws to restrict the rights of racial and ethnic minorities to purposely keep them outside the political system. In recent years, there has been a growing trend by political parties and politicians to court minority voters and promote diversity. Why is this the case? Is this real outreach or symbolic politics? During this quarter we will take up this debate and explore the current state of racial and ethnic politics in the U.S.
Books / Articles:
Each week there will be required readings from one or more of these books and scholarly journals. Readings should be done for the day they are assigned. Readings from journal articles will be accessible online via JSTOR, Google Scholar, or the course website. The complete, week-by-week reading list is posted on the course website.
Grading:
Research outline (1 page) Cr/NC Research prospectus (5 pages) Cr/NC Research paper presentation 30 points Final Paper (20 pages +/-) 70 points -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL 100 pointsCourse Outline: (subject to change)
TODAY Sept 28 First Day of Class Week 1 Oct 5 Historical exclusion of minorities Week 2 Oct 12 1 page research outline due / discuss in class Early research on minority/ethnic politics Week 3 Oct 19 Black Politics 1 Week 4 Oct 26 Black Politics 2 Week 5 Nov 2 Latino Politics 1 Week 6 Nov 9 5 page research outline due / discuss in class Latino Politics 2 Week 7 Nov 16 Asian American Politics Week 8 Nov 23 Gender / Sexuality as minority politics Week 9 Nov 30 Religion and Politics Week 10 Dec 7 15 minute presentation of research findings Finals Dec 14 15 minute presentation of research findings Final paper due Friday, Dec 16 by 5:00pm