The Psychology of Racial Inequality

Our topic is the psychology of racial inequality - thinking, feeling, and behaving in ways that contribute to racial stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination, and how these processes in turn maintain and perpetuate inequality between racial groups. We will examine how these processes unfold at both the individual and the institutional levels. Throughout this course, you will familiarize yourself with the psychological perspectives, methods, and findings that help explain racial inequality, and we will explore ways to promote racial equality. The course will be conducted as a seminar, but most of what you learn will be through the readings and discussions. That is, this course is minimally didactic; the goal is to have you engage thoughtfully with the issues and readings spurred in part by sharing perspectives, confusions, and insights through writing and discussion. Each student will facilitate at least one class session by providing an introductory framework for the readings (~10-minute presentation with handouts that overviews the concepts, issues, and controversies). Together, we will broaden our knowledge base on the subject and explain, from a psychological perspective, the pervasiveness of racial inequality. Prerequisites: PSYCH 1 and PSYCH 10