I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Race, Ethnicity & Oppression

2. Course Prefix & Number:
SOCL 2481

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

4. Course Description:

Students will investigate the historical factors and events that explain oppressive acts and ideas in the present. Positive contributions of oppressed groups to modern culture and everyday life will be noted. Students will debate solutions to issues which have proven to be very controversial.

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

Reading College Level CLC or Reading College Level

Score:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

Bemidji State University, SOC 2230 Race and Ethnic, 3 credits
St. Cloud Technical and Community College, SOC 268 Race & Ethnicity, 3 credits
Minnesota State University - Mankato, SOC 446 Race, Culture and Ethnicity, 3 credits

III. Course Purpose

1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course fulfills a requirement for the following program(s):

Conservation Officer Preparation A.A.S.
Criminal Justice A.A.S.
Early Childhood Education Transfer Pathway A.S.
Pre-Social Work Transfer Pathway A.S.
Sociology Transfer Pathway A.A.

2. MN Transfer Curriculum (General Education) Courses - This course fulfills the following goal area(s) of the MN Transfer Curriculum:

• Goal 5 – History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Goal 7B - Race, Power and Justice

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate reading and listening skills	Students will read assigned materials in textbooks
Apply abstract ideas to concrete situations	Students will debate relevant issues in class
Discuss/compare characteristics of diverse cultures and environments	Students will apply sociological concepts to help understand themselves and the world around them.

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Apply founding theoretical traditions and concepts in sociology to specific processes of social inequality MnTC Goal 5;
• Identify empirical patterns and effects of oppression MnTC Goal 5;
• Develop the ability to use the scientific method and the knowledge and understanding that result from its use in the study of race, ethnicity and oppression  MnTC Goal 5;
• Examine social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods and cultures MnTC Goal 5;
• Understand historical and comtemporary systemic structures of racism that sustain political, economic, and/or environmental inequities, particularly for Black, Indigenous lands and people, and other communities of color MnTC Goal 7B; 
• Describe individual and institutional dynamics of unequl power relations among racial groups in the United States and how inequality is maintained by redefining race and other social identities and structures MnTC Goal 7B; and
•  Identify socially just and antiracist practices that increase equitable outcomes and inclusion in the United States MnTC Goal 7B.

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. Social System Orientation
• The cultural roots of oppression
• Marx on alienation; Weber on legitimacy
2. The Structure and Terminology of Oppression
• Inequality
• Race and ethnicity
3. The History of European Settlement in the Americas
• Institutional support for slavery
• Indian “Rrmoval”
4. The Evolution of Slavery
• Indentured servitude
• The rise of Jim Crow
5. Colonialism and Neo-Colonialism   
• Hegemony over Central and South America
• International comparisons
6. The Civil Rights Movement in the USA
• Statistics regarding racial minorities today
• Africa today
7. Positive Contributions of Minorities
• Agriculture, art, music, sports, politics, unity, non-violence
8. Ethnic Histories
• Latinos, Asians, Laotians
• Case studies of various nations
9. Discrimination by Status
• Women, gays and lesbians, people with disabilities
10. Tracing the Institutional Creation and Evolution of Oppressive Ideas
• Religious: The Tora, the Bible, the Quir’an
• Political
• Economic