Paper details:
OVERVIEW The final project focuses upon what is arguably the most significant concept studied throughout the course: racism. This project requires you to apply an analysis of racism to one of the marginalized cultural/ethnic/racial groups studied. It should demonstrate your ability to integrate the readings and writing assignments into a comprehensive paper. The major focus of this project is to explain racism and its history in the United States, analyze a particular marginalized group’s experience with racism, and critique a policy’s effectiveness at alleviating discrimination. You will synthesize important concepts presented throughout the course into a research paper that presents a critical policy perspective toward the experience of one key marginalized group in American society. INSTRUCTIONS In an 8- to 10-page paper (2200 to 2500 words), please address the following: 1. Referring to our course materials and your own independent research, define in your own words the ideology of racism. Be specific and cite your sources. 2. Explain in detail the ways in which racism has been historically supported through inaccurate reasoning. For example, how was junk science used to justify the superiority of one race over another? 3. Analyze in detail the ways in which understandings of racism have changed over time. For example, how do we understand racism today in the United States now that we no longer live in the era of Jim Crow? 4. Focusing upon one key marginalized cultural/ethnic/racial group studied in this course, specifically outline the way that racism has impacted the experience of this group in the United States. You may want to refer to specific federal, state, and local laws. 5. Focusing upon this same marginalized cultural/ethnic/racial group, explain how this group has responded to racism and discrimination in the United States. For example, have they succeeded economically in spite of racism? Or, conversely, has their situation worsened over time? Has it remained relatively unchanged? There are a host of topics to address here, including the demands of equal rights, demonstrations of group pride, the preservation of culture, integration into U.S. culture, and alliance building. Explain in detail. 6. Using the specific group that you discussed in number 4 and 5, analyze at least one specific federal, state, or local policy that has been implemented in order to alleviate the discrimination against this group. The policy you address here may be broad and sweeping, rather than narrowly focused on this particular group. For example, a particular affirmative action policy might apply to multiple marginalized groups. 7. Finally, examine in greater detail the policy mentioned in number 6, and explain what improvements need to be made to this policy to better alleviate the impact of racism in the future. Offer a thoughtful critique of the components of this policy. GUIDELINES You should follow accepted research approaches and citation format (APA) including a references page. Your paper must be double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font and it should include the title of your paper, course, mentor, school, date, and your name. It is not to include any pictures or artwork. Your paper should be well developed and convey your understanding of the readings and concepts. Your paper should be organized, coherent, and unified. Your paper should be free of spelling and grammatical errors. Your paper must cite at least five different outside sources, in addition to the course textbook. Structure your paper ensuring that you include: Course theories or concepts. Examples from the textbook. Five or more references to other sources. Examples using other materials from the course (discussion forums, web articles, TED talks).
