Dr. Shelley Rigger Spring 1997

Chambers 324 Tues./Thurs. 1:00-2:15

ext. 2280 (e-mail: ShRigger) Office Hours: Tu/Th 2:30-5:00;Wed. 9-11

home phone: 896-0569

"Today everyone is a pluralist. In principle no one opposes tolerance, diversity, and multiculturalism. Heated adversaries challenge its exact dimensions, but not the pluralistic framework. The widespread concurrence should stir a suspicion that the words 'diversity' and 'pluralism' have surrendered all precision. A general agreement rests on a general confusion." Russell Jacoby, Dogmatic Wisdom

Tolerance stands beside motherhood and apple pie in the Pantheon of American virtues. How could anyone be against it? Yet principles like this one, which enjoy nearly universal acceptance in the United States, paradoxically are the ones which inspire the most divisive debates. The same words (democracy, equality, freedom, diversity) may have very different meanings for different people. And that causes lacerating conflicts in our society. We cannot escape these conflicts, because diversity is the defining quality of American society. With diversity at our core, each generation must fight to define basic values.

In this course, we will engage some of the contemporary debates that have arisen in the US because of the diversity of our population. We will look for underlying conflicts and objectives that drive debates over multiculturalism and minority rights, and try to understand why these issues resonate so deeply with many Americans. We will try to avoid the 'general confusion' Jacoby describes by creating a common vocabulary for discussing these issues.

Structure

In the weeks before spring break, we address the problem of forging a national identity in a nation of immigrants. Three major texts will guide our discussion. The Disuniting of America by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. looks at the historical formation of an American identity; he expresses concern at Americans' tendency to identify with subgroups rather than with the nation as a whole. Todd Gitlin, in The Twilight of Common Dreams, sees this history from a different perspective, one in which threats to American unity have been exaggerated, and the advantages of multiple identities underestimated. David Hollinger seeks to take us beyond these "culture wars" to a Postethnic America. In this part of the course we will focus on the development of what W.E.B. DuBois called the "problem of the Twentieth Century": the gulf between black and white America. We will read from DuBois's classic testament, The Souls of Black Folk, and from an anthology of writings on race relations, Color, Class, Identity.

After spring break we will turn to specific issues facing our diverse society. We will begin with a study of the "culture wars" in the academy. We will discuss the issues of economic inequality among the races, affirmative action, and efforts to provide better political representation for minorities. We then will turn to another important minority demanding attention in the US: the homosexual community. The collection of essays edited by Baird and Baird entitled Homosexuality will be our major text for these sessions. Yet another interesting and significant minority consists of people with disabilities. Joseph Shapiro recounts their struggle in No Pity. Finally, we will look ahead: Given the strains diversity places on our society, should we continue to allow the immigration of new Americans? Is continued immigration a source of strength, or conflict? Or both? Can we escape the turmoil diversity creates by closing our doors? Do we want to do so?

Requirements

1. You must keep up with the readings and participate in discussion. The primary format for this course will be discussion, and your participation in class discussions and the notes conference will comprise 20 percent of your grade. Many of us already have strong opinions about the issues we will be discussing; however, simply voicing your opinion is not enough. You will need to be able to support your views with evidence and arguments from the texts we are reading. You cannot expect to succeed in this course without reading.

2. You are expected to contribute to the notes conference at least once each week. We will have a training session early in the semester to introduce you to this mode of communication. Your contribution must be posted before 9 AM on Thursday.

3. Early in the semester, I will meet with each of you to identify a diversity-related issue of particular interest to you. I will help you find an organization that works in that issue area. During the semester you must contribute at least ten hours to that organization, becoming familiar with its work and experiencing "your" issue first-hand. Based on this service experience, you will write four journal entries during the semester (3 to 5 pages each). I also encourage you to use your journal as a scrapbook. Collect articles and other items you encounter that deal with your issue. These will be helpful in writing your journal entries, and you may decide to share some of them with the class.

The first journal entry (due February 7) will explain the problem or issue you are interested in addressing. What are the basic issues at stake? Why is this problem interesting to you? What action do you think an organization could take to help solve this problem? The second journal entry (due March 14), will introduce your organization. What problems is it seeking to solve? What methods does it use? Is it directed toward immediate problems, underlying causes, or both? The third journal entry (due April 11), will review the political debates that exist about your issue, looking at the issue from all sides. The fourth (due May 2), will be your opportunity to give your own views on the issue: what solutions do you think would be most likely to solve the problems facing your organization? The journal entries will constitute 40 percent of your grade, the service experience, 10 percent. If you complete the ten hours of service, you will receive full credit. If you do not, you will lose 10 percent from your grade.

4. The final assignment for the course will be a take-home exam. I will hand out the exam on May 1, and it will be due on May 8. The take-home exam will constitute 30 percent of your grade. All journal entries and the take-home exam will be due at 5 PM.

Please note: Whenever you hand in written work, please use a cover sheet with your name, the name of the course, the title of the paper or assignment and your telephone number. Staple the title page to the rest of the essay or exam. Please do not put your name on the other pages. Anything you hand in is pledged work. But as a reminder of the honor code's importance, I would like you to write out and sign the honor code in full on the cover sheet. Please make sure you understand the honor code, especially the definition of plagiarism. If you have any questions, doubts or concerns about any aspect of the honor code, please speak to me. This includes questions about proper citations.

Lateness Policy: Work that is handed in after 5:00 PM on the day an assignment is due will be penalized 1/3 of a grade for each day it is late. That means that if you hand in an A+ paper at 5:15 on the day it is due, you will receive an A. But no matter how late a paper is, it is always to your advantage to hand it in.

Please be advised that computer failure is not an acceptable excuse for lateness. Back up your work. If you are having printer trouble, and your work is in an IBM format, you may bring me your disk and I will read your paper on screen. Also, leaving a voice or email message will not get you off the hook. Do not assume you have secured my permission for something unless you have spoken to me in person or received an email or voice mail message from me.

1/4: Introduction

1/6: Identity in America

Gitlin, The Twilight of Common Dreams 7-36

Schlesinger, The Disuniting of America 9-43

1/21: The Melting Pot

Gitlin 39-83

1/23: Identity Politics

Hollinger, Postethnic America 19-77

1/28: Identity Politics

Gitlin 107-150

Arthur, Color, Class Identity 213-224

1/30: Identity Politics

Hollinger 79-129

Arthur 191-198

2/4: Identity Politics

Hollinger 131-172

2/6: Identity: A Tough Case

Shapiro, No Pity 74-104

first journal entry due February 7

2/11: NO CLASS: Solidarity Week

You should attend at least 2 of the following Solidarity Week events:

SERCH Teleconference, Monday 2/10, 7:30, 900 Room

Lecture by Elaine Chao, Tuesday 2/11, 7:30, Love Auditorium

"Get on the Bus" (film by Spike Lee), Wednesday 2/12, 7:30, 900 Room

(if you cannot attend two of the scheduled events, you may view

this film on your own time , it is available for rent)

"Mountains, Mist and Mexico" (film), Thursday 2/13, 7:30, 900 Room

2/13: The Formation of African American Identity

DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk 7-35, 119-136, 150-155

2/18: Two Nations

DuBois 165-179

Hacker, Two Nations 3-30

2/20: Reflections of Black Americans

Arthur 11-23, 73-97, 105-108, 169-178

2/25: Black and White, looking across the color-line

Hacker 31-49, 50-64

2/27: More perspectives from across the color line

Arthur 24-64, 98-104

3/1- 3/9: Spring Break

3/11: Talking About Race

continue with reading from 2/27

3/13: Gay Rights

Baird and Baird, Homosexuality 23-48, 62-94

second journal entry due March 14

3/18: Gay Rights

Baird and Baird 97-125

3/20: Gays and Religion

Baird and Baird 203-210, 218-224, 231-242, 243-253, 254-277

3/25: Culture Wars on Campus

Schlesinger 45-99

Gitlin 151-199

3/27: Educating a Diverse Society

DuBois 68-82

Hacker 134-146, 161-178

4/1: No Class: Easter Break

4/3: Race Relations on Campus

Hacker 147-160

Ike Bailey, in Davidson Journal

4/8: Affirmative Action

Hacker 93-133

Arthur 133-136, supplementary reading

4/10: Representing Minorities

supplementary reading

third journal entry due April 11

4/15: People With Disabilities

Shapiro, No Pity 3-40

4/17: People With Disabilities

Shapiro 41-73, 142-183

4/22: Civil Rights for People with Disabilities

Shapiro 105-141, 322-332

4/24: Immigration

supplementary reading

4/29: Immigration

supplementary reading

5/1: Conclusions

Schlesinger 101-138

Gitlin 223-237

DuBois 180-190

fourth journal entry due 5/2

5/8: take-home examination due at 5:00 PM