Who's White Now? An Examination of The Social Construction of Race

Abstract

The purpose of this activity is to help students in survey (Introduction to Sociology, Social Problems) or Race and Ethnicity courses understand that racial classifications are socially and legally constructed. This activity begins by outlining how students perceive race initially and then demonstrates how understandings of race in the United States have...

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Details

Subject Area(s):

Racial and Ethnic Relations

Resource Type(s):

Class Activity

Class Level(s):

Any Level

Class Size(s):

Any

Usage Notes

This activity begins with an informal journal where students define their everyday understanding of race. Students will then provide examples of their definitions. My experience suggests that most definitions will be based on biology. Once students have defined race in their own terms, the instructor should provide the specific definition of race as a...

Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

1. Students define race through their everyday understanding.
2. Students demonstrate how race has been defined legally.
3. Students break down the definitions of White and non-White using the reasonings of the court.

Goal Assessment(s):

1. Students will journal their definitions of race and share these definitions with the class.
2. Students will sort individual photographs into categories defined by the census and legal cases.
3. Students will journal responses discussing whether their definitions of race have changed and teased apart the reasoning of the Supreme Court in their decisions.