Minority Studies (SOCI 2319-057 (13861) Online)

In this course we will explore the minority experience in the U.S. as an object of academic study. Our main approaches will be sociological and historical. We will also be exploring other forms of expression and documentation that provide insights into experiences of American minorities. The course will work through different types of minority groups. We will also examine the intersections between the experiences of these varied minority groups as well as the difficulty that arises when we try to articulate a collective “minority” experience. These explorations will be further complicated by the facts that one doesn’t always belong to only one minority group and that one’s belonging to a minority group is usually not voluntary. All this will be done in an attempt to foster critical analysis of the issue of difference in our society and to develop a more nuanced and informed perspective on the life experiences (emphasis on the plural) of non-dominant groups in the United States.