Reflect on our own racial and ethnic identity
For this Weekly Reflection, I want you to reflect on our own racial and ethnic identity by answering the following questions:
- Prior to beginning college, how often had you thought about your race? When you did think about it, which events or occurrences (clarify in your response as micro-level and/or macro-level forces) prompted it?
- Provide an example from your own life that supports the sociological idea that race is a social category rather than a biological one. How do you define racism? Can anyone have racist ideas? Explain what you mean.
- How would you characterize what you learned (again, clarify micro/macro forces) about America’s racial and ethnic history? When you were a child (or even today), do/did your parents talk about race? What messages about race did you receive from them? From other relatives or agents of socialization (e.g. media, teachers, peers, religious figures, employers)?
- Enslavement, Chinese Exclusion, Japanese Internment, and the Forced Removal of Native Americans are all distinct historical events, yet in the U.S., we\’ve not fully reconciled the impacts. Read Michele Norris\’ Opinion from the June 3 Washington Post, Germany faced its horrible past. Can we do the same? Across Germany and other parts of Europe, approximately 75,000 small plaques have been placed to commemorate the lived experiences of Jews that were destroyed by Nazi Germany. These Stolpersteine (Links to an external site.) have become everyday learning experiences and reminders of the Holocaust. How might you suggest our local communities build more inclusive historical narratives?
Remember, for Reflection Assignments, I will expect you to apply specific course concepts, themes, theories, or ideas into your responses. These concepts must be either italicized or bolded and I expect you to include a citation list ( APA style ) for each submission. When using information learned in our course readings, in-text citations will not be needed. However, I will expect you to refer to the author or the text in which you are using information. When using outside sources, I will expect you to cite the source. In general, outside sources are not necessary, especially if you’re writing about an opinion – be sure this is clear. Please differentiate between your opinion and an idea or concept supported by research or data.
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