Political Science 695; Fall, 2008 Office: 413 North Hall
Race and Politics in the United States Email: dcanon@polisci.wisc.edu
Professor David Canon Telephone: 263-2283
F 9:55 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. Van Hise 144 Office Hours: M+W 1-2 p.m. and by appt.
Course Description:
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Race is one of United States= most enduring problems. With a history that is rooted in slavery and then the Civil War, race relations have never been entirely Anormalized@ despite the tremendous progress of the past two generations. Well publicized public opinion surveys provided ample evidence of the racial divide in the early 21st century. For example, racially divergent assessments of the fairness and legitimacy of law enforcement and the judicial system routinely produce polls showing that African Americans are much more likely to believe that a black suspect is innocent, while whites are more likely to believe he or she is guilty. George W. Bush=s victory in the 2000 presidential elections was viewed as tainted by a much larger percentage of African Americans than of whites, partly because of the allegations of discrimination in the voting process in Florida. Similar allegations were made, especially in Ohio, in the 2004 election. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign has raised many more questions about race and electoral politics, some of which will be answered this November, others that will not.
This course examines the sources and policy implications of the racial divide by analyzing a range of issues. We will examine the historical background of race relations and the current policy debates, with a focus on trying to find common-ground solutions. We will examine issues such as affirmative action in the workplace and in higher education, the use of black majority districts as a tool of enhancing the representation of minority interests in Congress, differences in public opinion between whites and blacks, and issues concerning multi-racial and ethnic tensions. The goal of this seminar is to stimulate critical thinking on this critical issue and get you think about race and politics in new ways.
Course Evaluation:
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The grades for the course will be based on seminar attendance and participation (22%), seven short (2-page) reaction papers (4% each for 28%) a paper (25%), and a final exam (25%). The format of the exam will be short essays. All reading material and seminar discussions will be fair game on the exam. I will pass out a handout on the paper assignment in a few weeks. Briefly, it will be a 10-12 page paper on a topic that interests you from the seminar. The class participation grade will be based on the following expectations:
(1) That you will attend each seminar.
(2) That you read the assigned readings before coming to seminar. I expect a critical reading of the material. You certainly will not agree with everything you are presented with in this class – indeed, I always try to present at least two points of view on every topic.
(3) That you come to class prepared to make a meaningful contribution to seminar discussion.
(4) Each of you will be responsible for one class presentation of five minutes in length that will highlight a current event that is relevant for the topic we are discussing that week (if you can’t find something on the specific topic, something generally related to race and politics would be fine).
The reaction papers should be critiques rather than summaries of the readings for that week. You will not be able to discuss all of the issues raised in a given week’s readings, so pick three or four topics for each two-page paper. Challenge a claim made by an author, question their use of evidence, integrate and synthesize the various arguments presented by the authors and show how they relate to one another. These papers are good preparation for the seminar discussion, because this is the type of critical discussion we will be engaging in.
Books and Readings:
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The following books are required for the course and are available for purchase at the University of Wisconsin Bookstore on State Street, the Underground Textbook Exchange, and a Room of One’s Own. There is also a required course pack of readings at Printex Graphics at 627 State Street.
Race, Redistricting, and Representation: The Unintended Consequences of Black Majority Districts, by David T. Canon, University of Chicago Press, 1999.
Whitewashing Race: The Myth of a Color-Blind Society, Michael K. Brown, Martin Carnoy, Elliott Currie, Troy Duster, David B. Oppenheimer, Marjorie M. Schultz, and David Wellman, University of California Press, 2005.
Beyond the Color Line: New Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity in America, Abigail M. Thernstrom and Stephan Thernstrom editors, Hoover Institution Press, 2002.
The Covenant with Black America, Tavis Smiley (Editor), Third World Press, 2006.
Seminar Schedule and Reading Assignments:
Part 1 – The Context of Race and Politics
September 5th – Identity, Discrimination, and Privilege
This introductory seminar will start our conversation on race and politics by examining some basic data on racial groups in the United States and their economic status. We also will consider some of the basic questions concerning racial identity.
Stephan Thernstrom, “The Demography of Racial and Ethnic Groups,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 13-36.
Shelby Steele, “Wrestling with Stigma,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 69–82.
Introduction and Chapter 1 in Whitewashing Race.
David A. Hollinger, “Race, Politics, and the Census,” The Chronicle of Higher Education. Washington: Mar 17, 2006. Vol. 52:28; pp. B6-8, in readings packet.
Brent Staples, “On Race and the Census: Struggling With Categories That No Longer Apply,” New York Times, Feb 5, 2007. p. A20, in readings packet.
Emma Daly, “Are You Who You Think You Are?,” New York Times, Dec. 12, 2005, in readings packet.
Huston Diehl, “We’re All Colored,” The Massachusetts Review, Summer, 2006, in readings packet.
Samhita Mukhopadhyay, “The White Stuff,” American Prospect, July/August, 2008, 33-35, in readings packet.
The Covenant with Black America, Introduction and Statement of Purpose.
September 12th – Historical background and the law
This discussion will focus on the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, different techniques used in the South to disenfranchise blacks, civil rights legislation aimed at reversing those restrictions, and the current status of racial classification in the law (with a focus on racial redistricting).
Michael Barone, “Race, Ethnicity, and Politics in American History,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 343-358.
V.O. Key, Chapter 25, “Southern Suffrage Restrictions,” in Southern Politics (1949), in readings packet.
Abraham Lincoln, AThe Perpetuation of our Political Institutions,” in readings packet.
Martin Luther King, Jr., ALetter from the Birmingham Jail,” in readings packet.
Chapter 2 in Race, Redistricting, and Representation.
Nelson Lund, “Illusions of Anti-Discrimination Law,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 319–342.
Lyndon B. Johnson, Executive Order #11246.
September 19th – Affirmative action and Racial Discrimination
What is the nature of racial discrimination today? Does affirmative action provide a necessary remedy for past discrimination and help produce a path out of poverty? Or does affirmative action constitute unfair reverse discrimination while producing no real benefits for minorities? These questions continue to be debated on our nation=s campuses as affirmative action in college admissions was recently upheld by the Supreme Court. We will examine how these debates may have an impact on University of Wisconsin policies.
George R. La Noue, “Discrimination in Public Contracting,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 201-218.
Eugene Volokh, “Racial and Ethnic Classifications in American Law,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 309-318.
David Brady, “The Politics of Racial Preferences,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 359-368.
Chapter 5, “Civil Rights and Racial Equality” in Whitewashing Race.
Thomas Sowell, “Discrimination, Economics, and Culture,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 167-180.
Marianee Bertrand and Senhil Mullainathan, “Are Emily and Brendan More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination,”in readings packet.
Excerpts from the “Diversity Update,” University of Wisconsin, Madison, in readings packet.
Lee Hansen, “Confusion persists in campus diversity efforts,” Wisconsin State Journal, April 6, 2003 in readings packet.
Martin Trow, “Preferential Admissions in Higher Education,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 293-308.
Part 2 – Race and Politics at the Individual Level
September 26th – Public opinion and race
What is the nature of the racial divide in public opinion? Are racial minorities and whites divided on all issues, or just some subset of issues? How firmly entrenched are racist opinions among white? Can they be changed with new information? How are racial considerations playing a role in Obama’s campaign?
Chapter 1 in Race, Redistricting, and Representation.
Everett C. Ladd, “What Americans Think about Race and Ethnicity,” in Beyond the Color Line, in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 53-68
Paul Sniderman, Gretchen Crosby, and William Howell, “The Politics of Race,” in Racialized Politics: The Debate about Racism in America (University of Chicago Press, 2000), in readings packet.
R. Michael Alvarez and John Brehm, “Uncertainty and Racial Attitudes,” in Hard Choices, Each Answers (Princeton University Press, 2002), in readings packet.
Luiza Ch Savage, “Black Enough?” Maclean's. Toronto, Dec 4, 2006. Vol. 119:48; pp. 36-37, in readings packet.
Richard Carter, “Once again, is Obama really Black enough for Black voters?,” New York Amsterdam News, May 3-May 9, 2007. Vol. 98:19; p. 10, in readings packet.
Clarence Page, “Obama's drama and the race dilemma,” Philadelphia Tribune, July 15, 2007. Vol. 4, Iss. 35; pg. 6A, in readings packet.
Leonard Pitts, Jr., “Enough already with Obama's blackness,” Columbia Daily Tribune. Columbia, Mo.: Aug 20, 2007, in readings packet.
Jesse Washington, “Race questions cast doubt on presidential polls, Associated Press, August 13, 2008, in readings packet.
Juan Williams, “The Race Issue Isn’t Going Away,” Wall Street Journal, August 4, 2008, A13, in readings packet.
October 3rd – Voting, political parties, and race
This seminar will examine the racial divide in public opinion discussed in the previous week and examine how these differences play out in partisan politics. We will examine the basic contours of the racial divide in electoral politics, whether the Democratic party is an adequate vehicle for representing racial interests, how the media covers race in elections, and the impact of race and gender in the 2008 presidential primaries.
Kate Kenski and Russell Tisinger, “Hispanic Voters in the 2000 and 2004 Presidential General Elections,” Presidential Studies Quarterly. June, 2006, readings packet.
Laura Olson and John Green, “Introduction – Gapology and the presidential Vote,” PS: Political Science and Politics, July 2006, in reading packet.
Paul Frymer, “Race, Parties and Democratic Inclusion,” in The Politics of Democratic Inclusion (2005), in reading packet.
Marcellus Andrews, “No Exit in Black: Trapped by the Economy and Politics,” The Black Commentator, November 4, 2004, in readings packet.
Keith Reeves, “The Print Press: Making an Issue of Race,@ in Voting Hopes or Fears: White Voters, Black Candidates, and Racial Politics in America. New York: Oxford University Press, 45-60 in readings packet.
Michael Parkin and Rachel Welsh, “Minority Voters, Minority Candidate: Race and Gender in the 2008 Democratic Primary”, Paper Presented at the International Society of Political Psychology, Paris, France, July 10-13, 2008, in readings packet.
Nicholas Kristoff, “Our Racist, Sexist Selves,” New York Times, April 6, 2008, in readings packet.
Chapter 6, “Color-Blindness as Color Consciousness,” in Whitewashing Race.
Part 3 – Race and Politics in Institutions
October 10th – Black majority districts and Representation in Congress
The black-majority districts that were created in 1992 to provide more representation for African Americans in Congress have come under attack. In a series of cases starting in 1993 with Shaw v. Reno, the Supreme Court has questioned the constitutionality of these districts, arguing that race cannot be the predominant factor in their creation. Do these amount to affirmative action for black politicians, or are they a necessary remedy to make up for a legacy of discrimination in the South? Are there alternative electoral arrangements that would better represent minority interests? What determines the type of racial representation that will be provided in black majority districts?
Preface, Introduction, and Chapter 3 in Race, Redistricting, and Representation.
Carol M. Swain, “The Future of Black Congressional representation,” in Black Faces, Black Interests: The Representation of African Americans In Congress (1993), in readings packet.
Lani Guinier, “The Representation of Minority Interests,” in Classifying by Race, 1995, in readings packet.
Kenneth Benoit and Kenneth Shepsle, “Electoral Systems and Minority Representation,” in Classifying by Race, 1995, in readings packet.
October 17th – Representation and race in the policy-making process
This seminar will examine racial representation in the political process. I argue that both sides of the debate on this topic are using the same stereotype – that black politicians only represent black constituents – while reaching different normative conclusions about the value of that type of representation. Both sides of the debate are wrong: a careful assessment of the nature of representation in these districts shows that most black House members represent their entire district, not just the African American voters. I also present an alternative view on the impact of black-majority districts on racial representation.
Chapters 4-6 in Race, Redistricting, and Representation.
Kenneth Shotts, “Does Racial Redistricting Cause Conservative Policy Outcomes?” JOP 65:1 (February, 2003): 216-226. Reply from David Lublin and Stephen Voss, “The Missing Middle,” same issue of JOP, 227-237. Rejoinder from Shotts, pp. 238-43 in readings packet.
Kathleen A. Bratton, “The Behavior and Success of Latino Legislators: Evidence from the States,” Social Science Quarterly, Vol.87:5, December 2006, 11-36-57, in readings packet.
Tamar Jacoby, “From Protests to Politics: Still an Issue for Black Leadership,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 369-382.
Matt Bai, “Is Obama the End of Black Politics?” New York Times, August 10, 2008, in readings packet.
October 24th – Voting Rights
Important sections of the Voting Rights Act were set to expire in 2007. Faced with the label of a “do-nothing Congress,” the Republican leadership in the House and Senate was eager to extend the VRA before the midterm elections (this was also an effort to expand the base of the Republican party). Some provisions of the law were controversial. We will examine the debate over VRA renewal from the summer of 2006 (the extension was signed into law in July, 2006). Debate over voting rights has also touched in the issue of voter fraud and vote suppression – we will discuss both sides of that debate.
Christina Rivers, "Conquered Provinces"? The Voting Rights Act and State Power,” Publius 36: 3 (Summer 2006), in readings packet.
Larvester Gaither, “Will the Upcoming Elections be the Last for African Americans?”, The Gaither Reporter, Oct 31, 2004, in readings packet.
Testimony before the Senate Judiciary committee on the renewal of the Voting Rights Act, May and June 2006, by David Canon, Richard Hasen, Abigail Thernstrom, John Trasvina, and Linda Chavez, in readings packet.
Commentary on the renewal of the Voting Rights Act by Laughlin McDonald (FindLaw) and Daniel Takaji (Election Law blog), in readings packet.
Bob Williams, “Election Fraud: Remains Commonplace,” USA Today, Nov 2005, in readings packet.
Meredith Meacham, “The Costs of Felony Disenfranchisement: An Interview with Conned Author Sasha Abramsky,”The Humanist, Washington, DC: July/Aug 2006, in readings packet.
Laughlin McDonald, “The new poll tax,” The American Prospect, December 30, 2002, in readings packet.
The Covenant, Chapter 6, “Claiming our Democracy.”
Part 4 – Race and Politics in Policy
Immigration reform has been one of the hot issues of the past year. Now it appears that Congress may duck the issue until after the elections, but this issue is not going away. From the perspective of broader issues of race and politics, the issue raises some of the fundamental questions addressed in the class concerning discrimination and racial identity. It also raises difficult issues of cross-racial coalitions and tensions.
October 31st – Immigration and Latino Politics
Michael Jone-Correa, “Bringing Outsiders In: Questions of Immigration Incorporation,” in The Politics of Democratic Inclusion, edited by Christina Wolbrecht and Rodney Hero, 2005, pp. 75-101, in readings packet.
Linda Chavez, “The New Politics of Hispanic Assimilation,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 383-390.
Reed Ueda, “Immigration and Group Relations,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 37-52.
Samuel Huntington, “One Nation, Out Of Many,” The American Enterprise, Sep 2004, in readings packet.
Louis Menand, “Patriot Games” (book review), The New Yorker, May 17, 2004, in readings packet.
George W. Bush, “Remarks on Immigration Reform in McAllen, Texas,“ Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Washington, D.C,: Aug 7, 2006, in readings packet.
Lawrence B Lindsey, “Can Immigration Reform Work?,” The Weekly Standard, May 22, 2006, in readings packet.
Kate O'Beirne,“Animosity and Amnesty,” National Review, 7/9/2007, Vol. 59:12, p18-20, readings packet.
November 7th – Family, Poverty, and Health
Some of the most complicated questions concerning race are tied up in questions of poverty and family life. To what extent are the problems faced by racial minorities due to discrimination and structural obstacles and to what extent should responsibility be placed on individuals? Bill Cosby stirred up the pot a couple of years ago by arguing that more responsibility should be placed on individual behavior. Jesse Jackson revived the controversy in criticizing Barack Obama for bringing up the question of individual responsibility (while using the “n-word”). We will also examine health care and “faith based” services as other dimensions of this topic.
Douglas J. Besharov and Andrew West, “African American Marriage Patterns,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 95-114.
Chapter 2, “The Bankruptcy of Virtuous Markets: Racial Inequality, Poverty, and ‘Individual Failure’,” in Whitewashing Race.
Bill Cosby, "Pound Cake Speech," Address at the NAACP's Gala to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, delivered 17 May 2004, Constitution Hall, Washington D.C., in readings packet.
Ellis Cose, “Does Cosby Help?,” Newsweek, January 3, 2005, in readings packet.
Harry R. Davidson, “The Psychological Implications of Using the ‘N’ Word,” August 5, 2008, in readings packet.
Sylvester Brown, Jr., “Let’s Have a Real Talk about the Use of the N-word,” St.Lousi Post Dispatch, July 22, 2008, in readings packet.
John J. DiIulio, Jr., “Supporting Black Churches,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 153-166.
Arthur E Farnsley II, “Faith-based politics,” The Christian Century, August 24, 2004, in readings packet.
Sally Satel, “Health and Medical Care,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 127-152.
Kai Wright, “Upward Mortality,“ Mother Jones, May/Jun 2006, in readings packet.
The Covenant, Chapter 1, “Securing the Right to Health Care and Well-Being.”
November 14th – Residential Segregation and Crime
Most American cities are still very segregated by race. Is this because of discrimination, or personal choice? What implications does segregation have for larger questions of race relations? How is this related to crime? In general, how is race relevant for debates about crime and criminal justice?
William A. V. Clark, “Residential Segregation Trends,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 83-94.
National Fair Housing Alliance, “Unequal Opportunity: Perpetuating Housing Segregation in America,” 2006 Fair House Trends Report, April 5, 2006, in readings packet.
Gregory D. Squires, “HMDA Disparities or Discrimination?” American Banker. September, 27, 2005, in readings packet.
The Covenant, Chapter 5, “Ensuring Broad Access to Affordable Neighborhoods.“
James Q. Wilson, “Crime,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 115-126.
Chapter 4, “Been in the Pen So Long: Race, Crime, and Justice,” in Whitewashing Race.
The Covenant, Chapters 3 and 4, “Correcting the System of Unequal Justice” and “Fostering Accountable Community-Centered Policing.”
Susan Estrich, Charles Hobson, and Pamela Karlan, “Jury on Trial: Reforming the Criminal Justice System,” Roundtable discussion, Hoover Institution, in readings packet.
Adam Liptak, “Oddity in Picking Jurors Opens Door to Racial Bias,” New York Times, June 4, 2007. p A12, in readings packet.
November 21st – Welfare reform and race
There has been a great deal of attention given to welfare reform on its tenth anniversary. Overall, was this the “worst thing Bill Clinton has done” or has it been a good thing for America? How has welfare reform affected race relations in the United States?
Peter Edelman, AThe Worst Thing Bill Clinton has Done.@ Atlantic Monthly, October 1997, 43-58, and an exchange with Mickey Kaus, from the Slate on-line magazine.
John McWhorter, “Seduced: How radical ideas on welfare, work, and family sent poor black Americans to hell,” The American Enterprise, April 2006, in readings packet.
Kay S. Hymowitz, “How Welfare Reform Worked: Critics who warned of children begging in the streets were spectacularly wrong, but big problems remain,” Chicago Sun-Times, April 30, 2006, in readings packet.
Gary Delgado and Menachem Krajcer, “Welfare's true colors,” The Nation. October 28, 2002, in readings packet.
Jason DeParle, “Raising Kevion,” New York Times Magazine, August 22, 2004, in readings packet.
Joe Soss and Sanford Schram, “A Public Transformed? Welfare Reform as Policy Feedback,” American Political Science Review, 2007, in readings packet.
*** November 28th – Thanksgiving Break ***
December 5th – Education policy and segregation in schools
Racial politics has shifted from a politics of confrontation (as in the 1960s) to a politics of avoidance (simply moving apart). This has been evident in residential segregation but also in public education. What implications does this have for the quality of education in the inner cities? The other central debate concerns the racial gap in academic achievement and how best to address it.
Jennifer Hochschild and Nathan Scovronick. 2004. The American Dream and the Public Schools. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp.1-27, in readings packet.
David J. Armor and Christine H. Rossell, “Desegregation and Resegregation in the Public Schools,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 219-258.
Abigail Thernstrom, “The Racial Gap in Academic Achievement,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 259-276.
Clint Bolick, “Schools That Work for Minority Students,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 277-292.
Chapter 3, “Keeping Blacks in Their Place: Race, Education, and Testing,” in Whitewashing Race.
The Covenant, Chapter 2, “Establishing a System of Public Education . . .”
Claude M Steele, “Not Just a Test,” The Nation, May 3, 2004, in readings packet.
Paul Tough, “What It Takes To Make a Student,” The New York Times Magazine, November 26, 2006, readings packet.
Robert Pondiscio, “Mr. P Learns His Lesson,” Business Week, December 17, 2007, in readings packet.
Richard D. Kahlenberg, “The New Integration: Stay Classy,” The New Republic, Decemeber 18, 2006, pp. 13-14, in readings packet.
December 12th – Various Issues and Concluding Thoughts
After discussing economic growth, environmental racism, and the digital divide, our last seminar will go back to some of the big questions that we started with. Are color-blind policies possible or desirable? How can the problems of race best be addressed by the political system and by our society? What do you think of Barack Obama’s “more perfect Union”?
The Covenant, Chapters 8-10, Afterword, and A Call to Action.
C. Robert Zelnick, “The Battle for Color-Blind Public Policy,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 405-414.
Ward Connerly, “One Nation, Indivisible,” in Beyond the Color Line, pp. 415-24.
Conclusion, “Facing Up to Race,” in Whitewashing Race.
Barack Obama, “A More Perfect Union,” Philadelphia, PA, March 18, 2008, in readings packet.
*** FINAL EXAM, Location, day, and time TBA ***