2014
Fall 2014
SOCIOLOGY
Prof. Philip Kasinitz pkasinitz@gc.cuny.edu
Soc. 72500 – Race and Ethnicity{25340}
Wednesdays, 11:45 – 1:45pm, 3 creditsRace and ethnicity are constantly changing and evolving, yet they remain among the most persistent forms of structured social inequality. Focusing on the United States, but with reference to other multi-ethnic societies, we will examine the evolution of the concept of “race” and its relationship to racism; the heritage of slavery and segregation and their impacts contemporary life; the origins of modern racism and anti-Semitism, “scientific racism, ” why and how the salience of ethnic identity increases and decreases at particular historical moments, the relationship of race and ethnicity to migration, nationalism, colonialism and class, the growth of the Latino and Asian American populations and what that means for American notions of race, etc. In addition we will take an in depth look at how racial boundaries change, competition and cooperation between ethnic groups in contemporary America and how “racialized” minorities are (or are not) incorporated into different societies. Readings will include works by W.E.B. Dubois; Jean Paul Sartre, George Fredrickson; William Julius Wilson, David Roediger, John Iceland, Richard Alba, Tariq Madood, Alejandro Portes, Stephen Steinberg and Mary Waters.
Prof. Mehdi Bozorgmehr mbozorgmehr@gc.cuny.edu
Soc. 82800 – International Migration {25920}
Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 PM, 3 creditsThis course offers an interdisciplinary overview of the key current topics and issues in the burgeoning field of international migration. The field is unique in its interdisciplinary nature, stretching from history, anthropology, demography and economics, through political science, geography and sociology. Methodologically, it is also very eclectic, ranging from the use of quantitative data to ethnography and oral history of migrants. While the course will aspire to incorporate the experiences of major immigrant receiving countries around the world, the main comparative focus will be on Europe and North America, where the major theories and key concepts are most fully developed. The emphasis is on exploring both the theoretical debates in the field and the empirical data and case studies on which these debates hinge. Attention will be paid to detailed discussions of “classic” issues of immigration, such as assimilation, incorporation/integration, the labor market, race and ethnic relations, gender and the family, transnationalism, the second generation, the undocumented, and citizenship. Throughout, the course will take into account the way in which global cities, as contexts of reception, affect the immigrant experience, and in turn, are transformed by immigrants.
POLITICAL SCIENCE
Prof. Mollenkopf & Fortner
PSC 72500 (Cross Listed with SOC 82800), Urban Policy,
Mondays 4:15 – 6:15 pm, 3 credits
Urban life has changed dramatically over the last 50 years as big central cities have evolved from industrial production, blue collar workers, and machine politics, through deindustrialization, suburbanization, and racial succession, to a new period in which information-era service activities, high technology, immigration, and globalization are once more reshaping the metropolitan terrain. Using New York City as a case in point, this course begins with an overview of the pressing problems now facing cities and the possible responses that national, state, and local governments are considering, or should be considering, in response. It will then turn to an in-depth analysis of four basic issue areas in New York City: i) crime, policing, public safety, and the neighborhood impacts of high levels of incarceration; ii) rent burdens, housing production, and expanding the supply of social housing; and iii) the neighborhood impacts of the environmental crisis and responses that build social as well as physical resilience. Students will expect to undertake an in-depth investigation of one of these topics. Download syllabus