Discipline: Sociology Degree Credit  [X]
Non Credit  [ ]
Nondegree Credit  [ ]
Comm Service  [ ]
 

Riverside Community College District
Integrated Course Outline of Record

Sociology 35


COURSE DESCRIPTION
35 Sociology Of The Black Community Units: 3.00
 
Prerequisite: None.
 
Identification and analysis of the sociology of Black people in today’s society 54 hours lecture.
 
SHORT DESCRIPTION FOR CLASS SCHEDULE
The study of the Black community: class, economic and political power, leadership, and conditions for social development.
 
ADVISORY ENTRY SKILLS
None.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
 Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

1.   Comprehend the historical and contemporary social conditions contributing
      to the status of Blacks in America.

2.   Understand and apply sociological theories to issues of race and ethnicity.

3.   Apply the basic principles of social inequality based on race and ethnicity
      within contemporary social institutions.

4.   Recognize and identify patterns of prejudice and discrimination in society.
 
COURSE CONTENT
  TOPICS
 

1.   Sociological theories of race and ethnicity, including, but not limited to: 
      Functionalism, Conflict Theory, Critical Race Theory, Interactionism.
2.   The social construction of race and ethnicity.
      a.    Biology, genetics, and socialization
      b.    Majority and minority status
3.   The impact of slavery
      a.    African slaves arrive in the American colonies
      b.    Emergence of slave culture
      c.    U.S. legislation on slavery
      d.    Emancipation
4.   Migration patterns of free Blacks and freed slaves after abolition 
      of slavery
5.   Economic, political, and social ramifications
      a.   The emergence of Black class structure:  The Northern rich and the
            Southern Poor
      b.   Segregation:  Jim Crow laws
      c.   African American culture
            1.  Religion:  Black theology, spirituality and gospel music
            2.  Music:  Negro gospel music, the blues, rap
            3.  Oral histories:  Cultural continuity, mythology, and urban legend
            4.  Education:  From segregation to inclusion
            5.  Art:  The Black Art Movement
            6.  Media representation of Black Americans
6.   Social movements and grassroots efforts
      a.   Civil rights leaders, e.g., W. E. B. DuBois, Martin Luther King, Jr.,
            Malcom X
      b.   Civil rights and civil disobedience:  Sit-ins, freedom rides, riots, Bloody
            Sunday
7.   Legislation and policy:  Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. The Board of
      Education of Topeka,  Kansas, The Civil Rights Act of 1964
8.   Black status in social institutions:  discrimination and opportunity
      a.   The Black family
      b.   The economic sphere 
            1.   Job competition, exploitation, and unemployment
            2.   Economic success in Black America
      c.   Health care
      d.   The criminal justice system:  police, courts, and corrections
      e.   Politics:  Participation in the political process
 
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
 Methods of instruction used to achieve student learning outcomes may include, but are not limited to:

  • Classroom lecture and visual aids (docudramas such as “Roots”, movies such as “Amistad”) designed to give students a comprehension of the historical and contemporary social conditions contributing to the status of Blacks in America.
  • Small group activities and reading designed to give students knowledge of sociological theories of social inequality.
  • Writing assignments designed to educate students how to apply the basic principles of social inequality based on race and ethnicity within contemporary social institutions.
  • Out-of-class projects and classroom discussion designed to give students the ability to recognize and identify patterns of prejudice and discrimination.
 
METHODS OF EVALUATION
 Students will be evaluated for progress in and/or mastery of learning outcomes by methods of evaluation which may include, but are not limited to:

  • Class participation/demonstrations/oral reports designed to assess the students’ grasp of historical and contemporary social conditions contributing to the status of Blacks in America.
  • Written and/or oral examination, both objective and subjective methods, designed to assess students’ knowledge of sociological theories of social inequality.
  • Library, on-line, and internet research assignments designed to assess students’ ability to apply the basic principles of social inequality based on race and ethnicity within contemporary social institutions.
  • Small group activities designed to assess students’ ability to recognize and identify patterns of prejudice and discrimination .

 
ASSIGNMENTS

Required Reading Assignments


Required Writing Assignments


Other Outside-of-Class Assignments
 
COURSE MATERIALS
 All materials used in this course will be periodically reviewed to ensure that they are appropriate for college level instruction. Possible texts include:

  • Dodson, Howard and Sylviane A. Diouf. In Motion: The African American Migration Experience. any: National Geographic, 2005.
  • Doy, Gen. Black Visual Culture: Modernity and Post-Modernity. any: I. B. Tauris & Company, Ltd., 2000.
  • Gates, Henry Louis, Jr. . America Behind the Color Line: Dialogues with African Americans. any: Warner Books, Inc. , 2004.
  • Shapiro, Thomas. The Hidden Cost of Being African American: How Wealth Perpetuates Inequality. any: Oxford Press, 2004.
  • Williams, Jerelyn Castleberry. The Brakenridge Colored School: A Legacy of Empowerment Through Agency and Cultural Capital Inside an African American Community. any: AuthorHouse, 2006.
10/06
1770