Sylabus
Race and Global Politics (JPM080)
Course Site: https://dl1.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=14148
Instructor: Dr. Hana Kubatova
Email: hana.kubatova@fsv.cuni.cz
Office Hours: konzultace.fsv.cuni.cz, and by appointment
Office Location: 516 Jinonice
Course Description
This course examines the political implications of racial and ethnic identities. It begins with raising the essential question–what is race and what is racism–and proceeds with examining how racial identities are mobilized across groups, actors but also time. It seeks to be a global and comparative course on ethnic inequality and as such, also considers how race intersects with gender and class. These questions are discussed in the context of current events across Europe and North America, but also in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Please note this course aims to attract demanding students who enjoy interactive teaching methods and are also willing to work continuously throughout the semester on individual assignments. This is a combined lecture and seminar course. It is essential that students read the required readings for each class.
*This is a graduate course––and while undergraduate (BA level) students are welcome to attend, they need to be ready to fulfill all requirements.
Course Outline
Class I (October 5): Introduction, Course Aims and Objectives
Please choose your date and group for your class discussion by the end of week III (October 22).
Class II (October 12): Ethnic and Racial Identities
Required Readings o Donald L. Horowitz, Ethnic Groups in Conflict (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2000): 3–94. o Kanchan Chandra, What Is Ethnic Identity and Does it Matter? Annual Review of Political Science 9 (2006): 397–424.
Class III (October 19): Intersectionality. Race, Class, Gender, Religion
Required Readings o Evelyn M. Simien, Doing Intersectionality Research: From Conceptual Issues to Practical Examples, Politics & Gender 3.2 (2007): 264–271. o Wilson, William Julius, When Work Disappears, Political Science Quarterly 111. 4 (1996): 567–95.
Class IV (October 26): Ethnic Mobilization, Ethnic Parties and Voting
Required Readings o Raymond E. Wolfinger, The Development and Persistence of Ethnic Voting, American Political Science Review 59.4 (1965): 896–908. o Guillermo Trejo, Religious Competition and Ethnic Mobilization in Latin America. Why the Catholic Church Promotes Indigenous Movements in Mexico, American Political Science Review 103.3 (2009): 323–342.
Class V (November 2): Ethnic and Nationalist Violence
Required Readings o Rogers Brubaker and David D. Laitin, Ethnic and Nationalist Violence, Annual Review of Sociology (1998): 423–452. o Donald P. Green and Rachel L. Seher, What Role Does Prejudice Play in Ethnic Conflict?, Annual Review of Political Science 6(2003): 509–532.
November 9: no class
Class VI (November 16): Colonization and Decolonization
Required Readings o Robert T. Blanton, Robert, David Mason and Brian Athow, Colonial Style and Post-Colonial Ethnic Conflict in Africa, Journal of Peace Research 38.4 (2001): 473–91. o Andreas Wimmer, Who Owns the State? Understanding Ethnic Conflict in Post‐Colonial Societies, Nations and nationalism 3.4 (1997): 631–666.
Class VII (November 23): National and International Interventions
Required Readings o Jack Donnelly, Genocide and Humanitarian Intervention, Journal of Human Rights 1:1(2002): 93–109. o Gregory Stanton, Could the Rwandan genocide have been prevented?, Journal of Genocide Research 6.2 (2004): 211–228.
Class VIII (November 30): Diasporas and Transnationalism
Required Readings o Charles Taylor, The Dynamics of Democratic Exclusion, Journal of Democracy 9. 4(1998): 143–156. o Fiona B. Adamson, Globalisation, Transnational Political Mobilisation, and Networks of Violence, Cambridge Review of International Affairs 18:1(2005): 31–49.
Class IX (December 7): Video Group Presentations
No required readings. Please upload your videos three days prior.
Class X (December 14): Video Group Presentations
No required readings. Please upload your videos three days prior.
Class XI (December 21): Video Group Presentations
No required readings. Please upload your videos three days prior.
Attendance
Regular attendance is mandatory. Most classes will take the form of a lecture/seminar, in which I will summarize current academic debates, place our conversations into a larger framework, but it is you––the students––who will do much of the talking.
Up to two abstentions are allowed without any penalty. You do not need to disclose the reasons for your absence.
Requirements and Evaluation
Attendance, preparation, and participation. You are expected to come to every class prepared, and to participate. You are allowed two absences––no doctor’s note is necessary.
Participation (20% or 20 points): Regular attendance and active class participation are expected.
Group Video Presentation (40% or 40 points): You will form groups of a maximum of three students and collectively produce a video that will critically assess one or more debates on race and ethnicity in politics. You can use any basic and free editing software, you are welcome to make the video on your phone, Zoom, or any other device really. This video can take the form of a movie, presentation, debate, again, the form is up to you. You will not be assessed on the technical issues of the video, but rather:
Þ on your engagement with sources, placing the sources in contexts, expressing your arguments.
Your video should be 10 minutes long max. You are asked to upload the video on Google Drive (link provided) three days prior to when you are presenting. You are expected to be able to participate in the class conversations after the presentation.
Final (Individual) Project (40% or 40 points): You are expected to submit a final research paper that builds on a topic discussed with the instructor. Your research paper should be in Word processor file format. Each paper must be between 10 and 12 pages (1.5 spacing, 11 Font, New Times Roman). I will grade your paper based on the originality of the research, logic of your argument, review of relevant academic literature, organization, and format of your paper. Research papers need to be submitted via Moodle by January 31, 2024.
(Final) Grade Calculation. Your grades will be calculated based on Charles University regulations (100-91 points constitute an A grade, 90-81 points a B grade, 80-71 points a C grade, 70-61 points a D grade, 60-51 points an E grade, less than 50 points means failing the course).
General Yet Important Points
If for any reason you feel worried by any element of your grade, please get in touch with me. I understand that some situations might make participation hard for some students. Should you need accommodations, or if there is anything else that I can do to help you to thrive in this class, please talk to me early in the semester.
It is important you are aware of issues of academic integrity. Note that I take plagiarism, whether intentional or not, as a serious academic offense. I report all issues of academic integrity to the Disciplinary Committee––and I also take them as a breach of trust.
Most importantly, I seek to cultivate a classroom of mutual respect, seriousness, and inclusiveness. Let us be mindful and inclusive in our language, in how we approach each other as well as the subject.
My classes observe a no-electronic devices policy. Students are not to use computers, tablets, or phones in class. I have struggled a lot with this––but became convinced this provides the best setting for you to thrive in the class. Do not worry, there is no need for you to take notes during my classes––I will post everything you need on the Moodle site.