Course Syllabus
Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination
Psychology 34 (Section 0310)
Fall 2017 Semester Syllabus
Josephine McKay, MSW jmckay@santarosa.edu
Office: Emeritus 1689 (or in Emeritus 1592 before class)
Office Hours: Wednesday 5pm to 6pm (additional days/times as scheduled)
Course Description: The Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination examines systems of privilege, oppression, and institutionalized discrimination that influence and help maintain racism, sexism, heterosexism, and classism and their psychological consequences on the individual and society. Major emphasis of study will be on Native American, African American, Latino/a Americans, Asian American, and Middle-Eastern American populations.
Student Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Explain the historical and current realities of privilege and oppression, with members of the dominant culture and with members of oppressed groups, in order to demonstrate an understanding of the psychological consequences of both.
- Analyze the theoretical concepts of social construction and social dominance as an explanation for discrimination and oppression.
- Utilize empathic listening, open-ended questions, genuine and authentic curiosity in building a better understanding of the cultural realities and life experiences of those from different and similar cultures.
- Illustrate greater awareness about one’s own culture-bound perceptions, assumptions, and experiences, including the effects of privilege and oppression.
Diversity: Human diversity is what makes the science of psychology so fun and interesting, therefore we will use the diversity of the class to enrich the student’s understanding of basic psychology concepts. Having mutual respect, empathy, and understanding of our differences is a core foundation in psychology. Learning and applauding what makes each individual unique will be a constant conversation throughout the course.
Required Textbook: “Race, Class, and Gender in the United States,” 10th Edition by Paula Rothenberg. Printed text books are available for purchase in the SRJC Bookstore or online. A printed copy is also available on reserve in the Doyle Library (call#: HT1521.R335 2016). Please remember to bring your student identification to check-out the book.
Class Expectations: Students are expected to come to every class prepared, which means all required reading and assignments are completed prior to class and students are ready to participate in active class discussion. Student questions and comments are always encouraged, and as time permits, I will ensure lively class conversations. Class attendance is expected and grading will incorporate attendance. Any student who receives 4 unexcused absences may be dropped from the course. Students experiencing illness, injury, or legitimate family crisis or loss, with appropriate documentation, may receive an excused absence. Every student is expected to practice academic integrity and honesty, and while it may be tempting to cheat, plagiarize, or impersonate, it is not worth it! All students will be held to the SRJC Student Conduct Standards and may face disciplinary actions if found guilty, which could jeopardize your future academic opportunities.
Classroom Behavior Agreements:
- Respect- Treat your fellow classmates as you want to be treated and this includes verbal language, tone of voice, body language, and facial expressions
- Cell Phones- Absolutely no use! All electronics are to be turned to silent during class hours (except for devices to assist students with disabilities)- May be used during breaks ONLY
- Timeliness- Arrive to class on time and remain for the duration of the class. If you must leave early, notify the Instructor before class and sit near the door. Students needing to leave class early on a regular basis may earn an unexcused absence
- Active Participation- Be willing to take a risk and raise your hand to participate in relevant class discussions. Participation also includes active listening- it’s amazing what you can learn from listening to others before you speak!
Class Attendance and Participation: Students have the opportunity to earn 20 points for class attendance and participation and can earn full points with 4 absences. More than 4 absences will result in loss of the full 20 points. Perfect attendance will result in earning 10 extra credit points- you paid for the class, why not show up! Students arriving tardy 2 or more times or leaving class early 2 or more times will accrue 1 absence.
Accommodation Needs: Students needing disability related accommodations for this class must provide the Authorization for Academic Accommodations (AAA letter) from the Disability Resources Department before the first scheduled assignment, quiz, or exam.
Weekly Reading Assignments: It is expected that weekly reading assignments will be read and completed before the weekly class meeting.
Journal Entries: There will be a total of 12 journal entries that will be worth 5 points per entry. Journal entries will be written during class, compiled in a separate notebook, and will be handed in to the Instructor as requested.
Current Event Group Presentation: There will be a total of 6 group presentations and focus of the presentations will be incorporating class material with current events. Current Event Group Presentation outline will be handed out by Instructor.
Quizzes: There will be 5 total quizzes. Each quiz will consist of 5 questions (2 points each), and will be a combination of fill-in the blank, true/false, and/or matching. All quizzes are submitted to the Instructor by 11:59pm on the Sunday following class meeting date using Canvas.
Article Response Papers: There will be a total of 5 article response papers written to give students an opportunity to incorporate course material with personal experiences and life events to enhance understanding of the material. Papers will be written in essay style and 750-word maximum (one full page minimum). Papers will be submitted to the Instructor by 11:59pm on the Sunday following class meeting date using Canvas.
Exams: There will be a total of 2 exams. Exams will consist of 5 questions (15 points each) and answers will be short narratives, 4 pages maximum in length. Exams are due submitted to Canvas by 9:00pm on due date. NO late submissions will be accepted; NO make-ups.
Final Paper/Presentation: Personal Exploration of Prejudice & Discrimination Final Paper. Paper length will be 3-pages minimum and 5-pages maximum. Paper format will be in APA. Student will use a minimum of 3 references (separate from textbook) including an interview of someone from your family of origin or personal network. Paper will be due submitted into Canvas by 5:30pm on due date. A detailed outline will be provided by Instructor. A presentation of your final paper will be 3-5 minutes in length and will include use of a visual to demonstrate your information: PowerPoint, photo collage, self-made video, music, hand-made crafts, poster boards, video of your interview, etc. A detailed outline will be provided by Instructor.
American Psychological Association (APA) Writing Requirements
- Typed, 12-point font (Times New Roman), double-spaced, one-inch margins
- Running header and page numbers in the upper right-hand corner on each page
- Title page (Centered: Paper Title, Student Name, Semester, Instructor Name)
Extra Credit: Students will have the option of earning up to 20 extra credit points throughout the semester by attending events and writing a one-page response paper. Details for extra credit will be announced by the instructor.
Grading:
Attendance and Participation 20 points
Quizzes (5 @ 10 points each) 50 points
Journal Entries (12 @ 5 points each) 60 points
Article Response Papers (5 @ 20 points each) 100 points
Current Event Group Presentation 20 points
Exams (2 @ 75 points each) 150 points
Final Paper (75points)/Presentation (25points) 100 points
Total Points Available 500 points
Final class grade is based on the percentage of points you earn divided by 500 points.
A=90%-100%, B=80%-89%, C=70%-79%, D=60%-69%, F=0-59%
Lecture and Reading Outline:
Week 1 August 23rd
Introduction to Social Construction
Introductions, class learning agreements, and class expectations
“The Social Construction of Difference” Pgs. 5-10
“Racial Formations”- Omni & Winant Pgs. 11-20
Week 2 August 30th
Social Construction (continued)
Review class learning agreements, Name game, and Campus resources
“Constructing Race, Creating White Privilege”- Buck Pgs. 21-26
“Self-Fulfilling Stereotypes”- Snyder Pgs. 541-546
Journal Entry (1)
Week 3 September 6th
Domination, Subordination, and Oppression
“Domination and Subordination”- Miller Pgs. 91-97
“Oppression”- Frye Pgs. 130-133
“My class didn’t trump my race”- DiAngelo Pgs. 181-189
Journal Entry (2)
Quiz (1)
Week 4 September 13th White Privilege and Racism
“White Privilege”- McIntosh Pgs. 176-180
“This Person doesn’t sound White”- Kashef Pgs. 428-431
“Color-Blind Racism”- Bonilla Silva Pgs. 113-119
“Defining Racism”- Tatum Pgs. 105-112
Journal Entry (3)
Article Response Paper (1)
Current Event Group Presentation (1)
Week 5 September 20th
Social Psychology
Schemas, attitudes, group behavior, and micro-aggression
Implicit bias in stereotyping and prejudice
Journal Entry (4)
Week 6 September 27th
Class and Inequity
“Imagine a Country”- Sklar Pgs. 329-339
“Inequality Undermines Democracy”- Porter Pgs. 398-401
“Class in America”- Mantsios Pgs. 144-161
“The Economics of Race, Class, and Gender” Pgs. 327-328
“The Making of the American 99%”- Ehrenreich Pgs. 344-347
Journal Entry (5)
Quiz (2)
Current Event Group Presentation (2)
Week 7 October 4th
Patriarchy and Sexism
“Night to his day”- Lorber Pgs. 38-46
“Age, Race, Class, and Sex”- Lorde Pgs. 609-615
“Feminism”- Hooks Pgs. 616-622
“A New Vision of Masculinity”- Thompson Pgs. 623-628
Journal Entry (6)
Article Response Paper (2)
Week 8 CAMPUS CLOSED October 11th
Week 9 CAMPUS CLOSED October 18th
Week 10 October 25th
****** NO FACE-TO-FACE CLASS MEETING ******
Exam 1 DUE SUBMITTED INTO CANVAS BY 9PM
Week 11 November 1st
Heterosexism and Homophobia
“The Invention of Heterosexuality”- Katz Pgs. 47-58
“Masculinity as Homophobia”- Kimmel Pgs. 59-70
“Transgender Feminism”-Stryker Pgs. 71-77
“The Ghosts of Stonewall”- Mogul, Ritchie, & Whitlak Pgs. 270-275
“The Transgender Crucible”- Erdely Pgs. 276-284
Journal (7)
Current Event Group Presentation (3)
Article Response Paper (3) (DUE 11/5/17)
Week 12 November 8th
Native Americans
“Indian Tribes- A Quest for Survival” Pgs. 477-481
“Civilize Them with a Stick”- Brave Bird & Erdoes Pgs. 407-410
“Pollution, Poverty, & People of Color”- Bienkowski Pgs. 316-321
“The Florida State Seminoles”- Zirin Pgs. 596-598
History- Federal Policies and California
Indigenous Geographic Map/California Native Map
Journal Entry (8)
Quiz (3) (DUE 11/12/17)
Week 13 November 15th
Latino/a Americans
“Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens”- Ngai Pgs. 207-217
“For Many Latinos, Racial Identity is More Culture”- Navarro Pgs. 220-223
“Crossing the Border Without Losing Your Past”- Casares Pgs. 419-420
“Los Intersticios”- Alsultany Pgs. 218-219
Journal Entry (9)
Current Event Group Presentation (4)
Article Response Paper (4) (DUE 11/19/17)
Week 14 November 22nd
African Americans
“Black Ethnics”- Greer Pgs. 224-229
“The Emancipation Proclamation”- Lincoln Pgs. 499-500
“The Black Codes”- DuBois Pgs. 503-510
“My Black Skin Makes my White Coat Vanish”- Lumumba-Kasongo Pgs. 288-289
“The Segregated Classrooms of a Proudly Diverse School”- Gettleman Pgs. 304-306
“More Black Lives with Pollution”- AP Pgs. 313-315
Journal Entry (10)
Current Event Group Presentation (5)
Quiz (4) (DUE 11/28/17)
Week 15 November 29th
Asian Americans & Middle Eastern Americans
“The Myth of the Model Minority”- Thrupkaew Pgs. 230-236
“For Asian Americans…”- Wessler Pgs. 361-363
“Then Came the War”- Kochiyama Pgs. 411-418
“Muslim American Running Back…”- Rothschild Pgs. 294-295
“How Does it Feel to be a Problem?”- Bayoumi Pgs. 237-241
“Testimony”- Singh Pgs. 322-325
“For Asian Americans”- Wessler Pgs. 361-363
Journal Entry (11)-
Article Response Paper (5) (DUE 12/3/17)
Current Event Group Presentation (6)
Week 16 December 6th
**** NO FACE-TO-FACE CLASS MEETING ****
Exam 2 DUE SUBMITTED INTO CANVAS BY 9PM
Week 17 December 13th
Social Change and Being Change Agents
“Social Change- Revisioning the Future…” Pgs. 605-608
“Interrupting the Cycle of Oppression”- Ayvazian Pgs. 629-635
“Demand the Impossible”- Rothschild Pgs. 636-638
“The Motivating Forces Behind Black Lives Matter”- Herwees Pgs. 639-641
“On Solidarity…”- Nakagawa Pgs. 642-643
Journal Entry (12)- ****ALL JOURNAL ENTRIES DUE****
Quiz (5) (DUE 12/17/17)
Week 18 December 20th
Final Paper Submitted into Canvas by 5:30pm
Final Paper Presentations During Class
This syllabus is an agreement between the student and Instructor and by enrolling in this course, the student agrees to everything outlined in this syllabus. This syllabus is intended to be a guideline for this particular course so the student is aware of expectations for the course, in the classroom and by the Instructor.
The Instructor reserves the right to modify this syllabus at the Instructor’s discretion.
Course Summary:
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