This course examines the belief system of race as it intersects with contemporary social and political concerns. These include: gender, sexuality, AI and technology, animal studies, Obama and black politics, mass incarceration, and questions of environmental sustainability. Moving beyond the national borders of the United States, the class will also explore the functioning of race in South Africa as well as conduct a comparative inquiry of the idea of caste that has been used to analyze the social structure of several South Asian societies. The course seeks to understand the transformations and persistence of racial hierarchy as a constitutive element of our present global order. |