ABOUT REP
Conceptions of race and ethnicity shape political attitudes, behavior, institutions, and ideas and are central to power relations. The Race, Ethnicity and Politics (REP) subfield places these conceptions, their origins and consequences, at the center of their research. Scholars specializing in REP study political identity, attitudes and behavior, public policy and law, inequality and criminal justice, political institutions, among other topics, and also explore theoretical approaches to conceptions of race and ethnicity in relation to gender, citizenship, immigration, empire and colonialism.
Students who opt for the REP first minor must do their second minor in one of the Department’s subfields: American politics, Comparative politics, International Relations, Political Theory, Women and Politics, Public Law, Methods.
Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Courses
REQUIRED COURSES
Students who wish to pursue a first minor in REP must complete the following requirements:
Required course:
790: xxx Race, theory, and methods in political science: This course examines the concepts of race and ethnicity methodologically and provides an overview of the major theories and empirical approaches to the study of race, ethnicity, and politics. In this
course, the objectives are to understand and analyze major theories of intergroup attitudes; identify different methodological approaches to the study of race and ethnicity; and critically analyze and recognize the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches given your own research questions. Areas of research design, measurement, and analytical approaches serve as the focal points of the course design. What does it mean to choose a census racial and ethnicity box? Are there other methodological ways of getting at race and ethnicity and ultimately what it means for people? What role does the researcher’s race/ethnicity play in research design and analysis? How does the social construction of race and ethnicity influence how researchers measure race and ethnicity? What are the appropriate methodological choices given your own research question(s)?
Students are required to take two additional REP courses:
EXISTING COURSES
Introduction to Race and Ethnic Politics in the United States – Greene/Matos [also Am Pol]
Immigration in American Politics – Matos [also Am Pol]
Gender, Race, and Parties – Sanbonmatsu [also W&P]
Black Feminist Theory – Alexander-Floyd [also W&P
