Discussion Post 11 : Race Ethnicity & Class
Then instructions are to read, watch, and use the web links to answer the highlighted text.
Discussion Post 11: Race, Ethnicity, & Class
Imagine that an alien who wants to study humans comes to Earth and asks you to explain the differences that exist among humans and how those differences have affected you.
Based on what you have learned from readings and the video, how would you explain the concept of race? Make sure that your answer draws on the materials for this week and doesn’t just repeat inaccurate assumptions you may have learned previously.
How has your own society’s concept of race shaped your life? Would your life be different if you were another race? (If you prefer not to write a personal response, you may choose a public figure, character from a book, or other person you know of and consider how their life experiences were shaped by their race. Remember that NOT experiencing certain types of discrimination can be shaped by a person’s race, too!).
Use the following only to answer the question and refer back to at least 2 in the post :
Nina Jablonski: Skin color is an illusion (Ted Talk)
Is Race Real? Race is Real, But It’s Not Genetic (Sapiens article)
This reading goes into more detail about why racial categories do not reflect genetic realities.
Rethinking Beauty and Race at Dominican-American Hair Salons (Sapiens article)This article discusses racialized issues around hair among Dominican-American people. As you read it, think about the process of racialization described in the Welsch & Vivanco textbook (particularly topics from the section on racialization in Latin America). How is hair being racialized in this example?
