SOC 3 (Hirose) - Cultural and Racial Minorities: Welcome

Conduct library research and write a critical analysis of a topic supported by empirical evidence.

Goal: To demonstrate comprehension of relevant concepts and theoretical ideas and apply them effectively to your topic. 

1. Select a topic from the list below. Explain the theories and/or concepts that are significantly related to the topic. Follow the instructions, integrating questions listed under your topic. You may use these questions to form and develop your thesis further.

A. Theories of racism

• What are the major sociological theories explaining racism?
• Choose two perspectives from the readings and discuss their approaches to racism and race.
• How do they explain structural racism?
• Find evidence to support your discussion.

B. The social construction of race

• What does the social construction of racism mean?
• How has race been historically and socially constructed?
• How does the social construction race matter for structural racism?
• Find evidence to support your discussion.

C. Colorblindness and the new racism

• What is colorblindness?
• How is colorblindness important in analyzing the so-called new racism?
• How does colorblindness contribute to structural racism?
• Find evidence to support your discussion.

D. Race and consumption

• What are the specific ways n which consumption is racialized?
• How are racialized images represented and consumed?
• In what ways do those images contribute to structural racism?
• Find your own evidence to support your discussion.

E. Whiteness and white privilege

• What is whiteness?
• Why is it important to examine the concept?
• How is whiteness produced and reproduced?
• How is it related to white privilege and structural racism?
• Refer to evidence for your discussion.

2. Find empirical support to answer the questions below your chosen topic. Empirical support may include the following:

• quantitative data (examples: US Census data, CDC reports)
• research findings (example: academic journal articles)
• social trend reports (example: Pew Research Center)
• historical events

3. Find at least four scholarly supports for your analysis or discussion.

• minimum of two sources must be provided from Rethinking the Color Line to support your analysis
• minimum of two more outside sources must be included to support your analysis

4. Form and develop a thesis for your paper.

5. Write and submit a scholarly paper.

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• Read and understand your research assignment.
• Think about what you already know; review lecture notes and course textbook
• Do some preliminary research to get a sense of what resources are available for possible topics.
• Get more background information using reference books
• Use books for detailed in-depth analysis and history of issue
• Use magazine and journal articles for current reporting of issue
• Use the Internet for additional information (don't forget to evaluate your sources!)
• Cite your sources (create a reference list or works cited page)