85-357 Navigating Race and Identity in America: The Role of Psychology in Racial Intera
9 units, Carnegie Mellon University
How have social institutions and historical factors led to the belief systems and stereotypes that shape how race is experienced in American society, and how do these belief systems affect the way individuals within racial groups come to view and define themselves This course will serve as an introduction to how peoples psychologyhow they think, feel, and actshapes their experience of race and identity in America. After a brief discussion about the structural and systemic origins of the racial status quo, we will examine the way that individuals navigate the social and racial landscape of modernday America. Complementing courses that take sociological approaches to race in America, this course will focus on how individuals perceptions and thoughts about the world affect how they interpret and respond to social situations. For example, the course will address how stereotypes about ones race or identity can cause individuals to feel threatened, and can undermine health, feelings of belonging, and academic performance how an individuals concerns about the thoughts and beliefs of others can radically affect identity formation, particularly during adolescence how individuals have to navigate multiple cultural identities, especially as minority group members contending with mainstream ideas that differ from their own how majority group members e.g., Whites view their role in racial systems, and how they deal with concerns about being or appearing prejudiced how interventions can use social psychological concepts to mitigate negative outcomes of racial inequality We will then use our understanding of these concepts to examine and consider different racial situations thoughout American society and to understand how individuals navigate and experience race and identity. Throughout the course, we will watch films, read literature, and analyze music and art that reflect the experience of race and identity.
Prerequisites: none listed
Courseweave needs JavaScript to show sections, workloads and planning tools.