90-785 Race, Citizenship and Voting Policy in America

3 units, Carnegie Mellon University

Course dates: Saturday 9/26 and Sunday 9/27, 9am - 4:30 pm both days, in-person, HBH 1007 This course is designed to provide an in-depth look at the role of racialization in the construction and destruction of American democracy; equipping students to evaluate modern changes in electoral policy amid complex socio-political debates. The course will overview the historic struggle for minority voting rights and detail the implicit and explicit barriers to voting that contemporary laws have introduced. The course will challenge students to critically analyze how race, demographic changes, and partisanship have shaped access to the ballot and fair political representation. Conversely, students will analyze the role of electoral policies in codifying structural racism and xenophobia. Students will complete the course having had a rich exchange of opinions on the boundaries of American citizenship, the limitations of federal and state leadership, and the role of precise data analysis in the electoral policymaking process.

Prerequisites: none listed

Offered: Fall 2026

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