Instructor: Stephen Sills Email: Stephen.Sills@asu.

edu
Section: 1684 Required Text: Ferrante & Brown (2001) The
Location: 17N Social Construction of Race and Ethnicity in
Class Times: TR 07:10 PM - 09:50 PM the United States 2ed 1

SOC 140

Course Description:
Contemporary racial and ethnic intergroup relations emphasizing cultural origins,
developments, and problems of minority groups in the United States.
Prerequisites: None.

Goals and Objectives:

Evaluating what you understand will happen in daily assignments, exams and
your reaction papers. There are 1000 pts available. Grades are will be calculated
as the sum of:
• Short Assignments 20% (200 pts)
• Midterm & Final Exam 30% (300 pts)
• Reaction Papers 40% (400 pts)
• Attendance and Participation 10% (100 pts)
• Attendance Bonus and Extra Credit +5% (50 pts)

Grading Scale:
The final course grades will be determined by the following scale:
• 895-1000 points = A (90%-100%)
• 795-894 points = B (80%-89%)
• 695-794 points = C (70%-79%)
• 595-694 points = D (60%-69%)
• 0-594 points = F (0%-59%)

Short Assignments
On a weekly basis students will have short assignments based in part on the
reading materials, handouts and class discussions. Students are expected to
complete the assignments before class as they will be used for the basis of in
class collaborative work and debate.

Exams:
There will be two exams, a midterm (150 pts) and a final exam (150 pts). Exams
will cover the information from readings, lectures, discussions, and in-class
assignments. Attendance is imperative to success on exams! Exam format
includes true/false, multiple choice, short answer, and short essay questions. An
exam study-guide will be provided the class before the exam to help you focus

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your studies. Missed exams must be completed within one week of the missed
exam. Missed exams must be scheduled prior and taken in the Testing Center
during non-lecture hours. Ability to take a missed exam relies on a documented
excuse.

Reaction Papers:
A central component of this course is the ability to apply what you have learned
to a social concern of personal relevance to you. There will be four short papers
(100 pts. each) that take the form of short essays covering topics presented in
class and in the readings. Instructions for each paper will be provided in class.
Each paper will require thoughtful application of the concepts you have learned.
Papers will be typed, double-spaced, and no more than 3 pages in length
depending on the assignment.

Attendance:
Attendance is required. Attendance is vitally important for the understanding of
the material and participation in the group discussions Attendance will be taken
on five random occasions throughout the semester. Four of these attendance
checks will count for 25 pts each for a total of 100 pts (10% of the final grade).
Thus, if you are present for four of the five random checks, you will receive full
credit for attendance. The fifth will count as an extra 10 pt bonus for perfect
attendance. If you are out for official reasons, sick, or absent for any other
prearranged reasons, you will be given an attendance make-up assignment
worth 25 pts. If you are absent for any other reason, you will not receive credit for
that day and no make-up will be provided.

Official absences are those, which occur when you are involved in an official
activity of the college, i.e., field trips, tournaments, athletic events, and present
an official absence excuse. If you must miss a class for an official reason present
the written excuse to me before the absence. Other official absences include jury
duty and subpoenas. Appropriate documentation will be required. If prior
arrangements have been made, you will not be penalized.

Religious/Cultural Holidays:
You have the right to observe major religious/cultural holidays without penalty. At
least one week before the holiday, you should submit a written statement that
includes both the date of the holiday and the reason why class attendance is
impossible. Prior arrangements must be made. If prior arrangements have been
made, you will not be penalized.

Illness:
If you are absent due to personal illness, or illness of a dependent, you must
provide written documentation to that effect. Acceptable documentation includes
doctor’s note (on office letterhead), hospital record, or records from a recognized
medical/healthcare agency.

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Extra Credit:
You will be given the option of up to four 10 pts extra credit assignments (40 pts
total or 4% of final grade). Throughout the semester there will be the possibility of
writing 2-3 page (typed) reaction papers for outside lectures and presentations,
special TV programs, and other events that will be announced in-class.

Disabled Students:
Please let me know at the beginning of the semester if you have a physical or
learning disability that may need accommodations. The college will make
reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Students
should also notify Student Services of any special needs.

Cell phones & Pagers

I understand the importance of staying connected with family and others for
emergencies, etc. Please turn all communications devices to vibrate mode. If an
emergency arises and you must answer a call, please step outside of the class
discreetly and without disturbing your fellow students. Emergencies are not calls
from friends or family to find out what time you will be finished with class or what
you would like for dinner.

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 OVERVIEW OF COURSE SCHEDULE
Course content may vary from this outline to meet the needs of this particular
group. All dates are tentative; we may need to make adjustments to the schedule
as the course progresses. All readings from Ferraant & Brown unless otherwise
indicated. Additional information about weekly topics/assignments will be
available in class and from the course website.

Class Date Topics (Active Links in Web Readings Assignments

Version)
1 21-Jan Introductions – Who am I? E-mail introduction
2 23-Jan Exploring Race, Ethnicity and Pg 1-12; 13-28 Assignment 1
Nationality
3 26-Jan Theories of Race/ethnicity Pg 257-263
4 28-Jan Census Handout ; pg Assignment 1
The Legal Construction of Race 176-188; 230-236
5 30-Jan Pg 144-148; 409-414 Assignment 1
Additional Genetically
The myth of Biology Speaking;
6 2-Feb Pg 332-336 Assignment 1
Additional The
Biology of Race;
Race: Is It a Valid
The myth of Biology Issue?
7 4-Feb NONE Assignment
Ethnic Groups in AZ 1 DUE
8 6-Feb Hyphen Americans: Racial/Ethnic Pg 246-248; 249-254 Assignment 2
Groups in the USA Additional American
Factfinder
Race/Ethnicity
9 9-Feb Pg 29-32;427-428 Assignment 2
Additional American
Factfinder Native
Native Americans. Americans
10 11-Feb Pg 50-51 ; Additional Assignment 2
American Factfinder
African Americans African-Americans
11 13-Feb Additional American Assignment
Factfinder Hispanic
Latino/ Hispanic Americans. Oorigin
12 18-Feb Pg 39-42; 43-49 Assignment
Additional American
Asian Americans Factfinder Asians
13 20-Feb Pg 264-271 Assignment
Additional American
Factfinder White
On becoming “white” Americans
14 23-Feb None of the above: Multi-racial Pg 52-54; Additional Assignment 2 DUE
categories American Factfinder
Multiracial
15 25-Feb Film TBA NONE Reaction paper 1
DUE Assignment 3
16 27-Feb Socialization & Solidarity: Pg 274-287 Assignment 3 DUE
Creating Ethnic Identity

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17 1-Mar Pros & Cons of Ethnic Identity Pg 33-38 Assignment 5
18 3-Mar Additional Latino Assignment 5
Reactive ethnicity Cultural Identity
19 5-Mar Racial Supremacy & Hate Groups Pg 98-104 Assignment 5 DUE
20 8-Mar Review
21 10-Mar Midterm Exam
22 12-Mar Intergroup relations Pg 55-62
23 22-Mar de facto & de Jure Discrimination Assignment 7
24 24-Mar More on Institutional Racism Assignment 7
25 26-Mar Social Distance Theory Assignment 7 DUE
26 29-Mar Reaction Paper 2
Stratification DUE
27 31-Mar Assignment 8
28 2-Apr Race, Ethnicity & Education Assignment 8
29 5-Apr Race, Ethnicity & Health Assignment 8 DUE
30 7-Apr Race, Ethnicity & Crime Assignment 9
31 9-Apr Race, Ethnicity & Law Assignment 9
32 12-Apr Race, Ethnicity & Justice Assignment 9 DUE
33 14-Apr Shaping the Future Immigration and
the United States.
34 16-Apr
35 19-Apr
36 21-Apr
37 23-Apr
38 26-Apr
39 28-Apr
40 30-Apr
41 3-May
42 5-May 15. Beyond the United States: The
Comparative Perspective.
43 7-May 16. Overcoming Exclusion.
44 10-May
45 12-May
Final Exam