Professor Pamela Oliver Department of Sociology

Sociology 220: Ethnic Movements in the U.S.

This course uses a social movements and group conflict approach to explore the experiences and poplitics of African American, American Indian, Hispanic/Latino (especially Mexican American), and Asian American people in the US.  This course provides overviews of the the history of the formation of the United States as a racial state and discussions of controversial issues in race relations in the US.  This is a writing intensive course which meets the communications-b requirement as well as the ethnic studies requirement. The discussion sections are integral to the course.

Fall 2009: Lecture meets Tuesday & Thursday 2:30 - 3:45 pm, Room 5231 Sewell Social Science.

Calendar of Lectures by Date with Links to lecture notes & resources	History, despite its wrenching pain Cannot be unlived, but if faced With courage, need not be lived again. Maya Angelou. 1992. From On the Pulse of Morning
Fall 2009 Syllabus (doc file to download and print)
Seeing Segregation On Line: Guide to Census Mapping Site	If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightening. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Frederick Douglass. 1853.
Answers to FAQs about Journal & Course Requirements & "make-ups" etc. NOTE: NOT UPDATED YET FOR 2009.
Videos used in class (and others)
Click Here for List of Possible Topics for Second Paper
Click Here for Links to Ethnic Studies Resources Useful for Papers	More quotations: [On History and Struggle] [On Whites Against Racism]
Older Lecture Notes Organized by Topic(Includes other resources not from lectures)
Calendars of Ethnic/Religious Holidays

Frequently Asked Questions About Journals
Longer comments	Books & Book Comments	Lecture Comments, Missed Class	Other Activities	Grading
Grading
Question: How is the journal graded? What do I have to do to get an A? Answer: The grading system in this class is complicted, but is designed to give fair weight to your work. The system assumes people can do basic math. Journal grade is calculated by the formula: G = .0627*P – 4.20, where G is grade and P is points. If the formula gives a negative number, you get a zero. The journal is worth 40%. There are a total of 134 points that can be earned for a grade of 4.2, but the highest grade that will count is a 4.1. If you earn less than half the total points (i.e. less than 67), you will receive a 0 on the journal. Beyond that, each point adds .0627 to your journal grade, up to the maximum journal grade of 4.1 (A+). Grades are calculated on the standard 4-point scale: A=4, AB=3.5, B=3, BC=2.5, C=2, D=1, F=0. It is the numerical grade equivalent that goes into your course grade and is averaged with the grades you receive on papers. At the end of the term, cutting points are half way between grades, i.e. the cutting point between an A and an AB is 3.75. All grades near the cutting point (i.e. within +/- .05) are inspected to see which grade is fairest. The following table might help you.   Journal   letter grade numerical grade points A+ 4.10 132.4 A  4.00 130.8 A/AB border 3.75 126.8 AB 3.50 122.8 AB/B border 3.25 118.8 B 3.00 114.9 B/BC border 2.75 110.9 BC 2.50 106.9 BC/C border 2.25 102.9 C 2.00 98.9 C/D border 1.50 90.9 D 1.00 83.0 D/F border 0.50 75.0 F 0.00 67.0
Question: So what are these efforts points anyway? Answer: Basically, they are in there to deal with the problem of the slacker who goes through the motions of the requirements with as little effort and thinking as possible. The typical student will get 80% of the effort points (8 out of 10), which will ensure an A on the journal if you do everything. Typical effort involves sometimes writing more than the minimum, having content in your writing that shows you are thinking about the issues, not just going through the motions of doing the assignments, and otherwise showing that you are meeting the spirit of the requirements. Most students do this. The last 2 points are to reward people who show unusually high effort, a small pat on the back of acknowledgement. Less than 8 points are awarded to people who are nominally fulfilling the assignments but putting little into them. If your effort is so low and your mental disengagement is so complete that you are awarded 0 effort points, this will reduce your journal grade by half a grade. It is very rare for 0 effort points to be awarded, but the option needs to be available for students who deserve it. The more usual "low effort" situations involve earning 5 to 7 effort points instead of the usual 8. Again even these are typically a minority.
Longer Comments
My friend said you have to do longer comments for this class, but I don't see anything about that. What am I supposed to do? Answer: The class assignments have changed since the last time I taught the class. Read the syllabus for this term. The only comparable thing you are doing this term is the "self introduction" at the beginning of the term, and the course evaluation at the end.
Self introduction: what do you want for that? This should be about 200-300 words telling about what you bring with you into the class. You write about your ethnic background and your experiences as a member of your ethnic group or with other ethnic groups, as well as other experiences or education that influence you. This is due by October 6 (an extension from the original deadline of September 24). It will not be accepted after October 6 except for circumstances beyond the student's control.
End of term comment: what is that? This is due between December 5 and December 15. You write about 200-300 words about what you have learned in the class and your positive and negative experiences in the class, feedback about what was done well or could improve, and whatever else you want to say as part of wrapping up the term.
Missed Class, Late Comments Etc.
What if I am sick? Answer: DO NOT come to class if you are sick. Do a make up. You will not be penalized, but you must do the make up to get credit for the missed class. (see below)
What if I miss class for a religious holiday? Or because my child/parent is ill? Or because I am in a car crash? Answer: If you miss class due to circumstances beyond your control (or a religious observance), do a make up. You will not be penalized, but you must do the make up to get credit for the class. (see below)
How do I do a lecture make-up? Answer: Spending a minimum of 30 minutes doing reading, talking to 4 or more people from the class, or watching videos to find out what you missed, Then write (1) why you missed class (needed only if the absence should be excused) (2) what you did to make up the class (what you read, who you talked to) and (3) a minimum of 200 words describing what happened in the class that you missed. You still have to do a make-up even if the absence is excused due to illness, religious observance, or circumstances beyond your control. If your absence should be "excused" for illness or other reason, you need to give the reason in the make-up entry. We will ask for documentation of the circumstances if you are claiming a large number of excused absences.
I really need to study for my chemistry exam / got called into work / had a job interview / just didn't feel like coming to class. Can I get credit? You can get credit for up to two "unexcused" absences by doing a lecture make up. Beyond that, you cannot get credit for missed classes. Please note: studying for another class, taking two classes that overlap with each other, having job hours that conflict with class, having a job interview or taking a vacation do NOT count as circumstances beyond your control. While you sometimes have to make difficult choices, they are your choices. If you do have to take the point loss, it will not be great unless you miss a lot of classes.
What if I forgot to turn in my lecture comment when I left class? Can I email it to you? Or drop it off at your office? Will I still get credit if it is late? Answer: Do NOT email to me, do NOT drop it off anywhere, do NOT give it to your TA. The ONLY way I accept any lecture comments is in the folders. If you forget to turn it in, submit it to the folder at the next class with a note on it saying what happened. If this is a rare event, your explanation will be believed. If it happens often, you will need to do something to correct the problem or lose credit.
Books
How do I submit my book comments? Book comments about 1/3 a book a week are to be submitted weekly to the journal folders. Book comments should be handwritten unless you have received special permission to do otherwise.
Is there some rule about what books I can read? Answer: Yes. As explained on the syllabus, you must read one book about each of the four major groups: African-American, American Indian, Asian American, and Mexican American. You must choose from among the books on the syllabus. The fifth book is "free choice." You should read books for this class that you have NOT already read for another class. All books should be about US ethnic/racial groups or relations. Instead of a fifth book, you can instead watch 8-10 hours of videos, read 100+ pages of articles, or do 10 hours of service. Rules are explained in the syllabus. You will still write a total of 500 words about any of these options, clearly explaining what you did.
What do I write about for a book comment? First, say what pages or chapters you read this week. Then write 200-300 words that are reaction to that specific section of the book. It can be summary, critique, or comparison to other things you know or have heard. As long as I can tell you read the book, you get credit.
Can I "get ahead" on the book journal? How does that work, anyway? Answer: Yes, you can get ahead on the book comments. Always specifically say what you read that week. If you are submitting comments for a whole book at once, break your comments into several parts that address different parts of the book: something from the beginning, something from the middle, something from the end. Your total writing per book should be 600-900 words. If you are ahead on reading, you can skip submission deadlines as long as you stay at or ahead of the required pace.
What is the penalty for late book comments? Answer: If your comment is late one week but you catch up and are back on pace by the following week, there is no penalty. If you are behind pace for at least two weeks in a row, the total points per book is reduced by 1 point for each week the comments on that book were late (averaging across the three due dates for each). The comments on a whole book are always worth at least 3 points. You can submit a maximum of one book's worth of comments per week. This means that if you get behind, the most you can submit on the last day of class is one comment on one whole book. If you fall behind for a few weeks early in the term but then start working diligently and turning in comments steadily at the rate of at least 1/3 book per week for the rest of the term, we count points in the way most favorable to you (which is to count the current work as on time and put all the late penalties into the older overdue work).
Other Activities
What things count toward the "other activities" points? Answer: See details on the syllabus. These include going to the diversity dialog, responding to the two class surveys (at the beginning and end of the semester), writing an ethnic self introduction in September and an evaluation of the course in December, attending special events such as lectures or forums or events where you are a minority and don't know people. Each counts 2 points (the same as the points for one lecture comment).

Top

Questions or Comments? Email Oliver -at- ssc -dot- wisc -dot- edu. Last updated September 22, 2009 © University of Wisconsin.