Off-Campus Extended Studies Courses

This course examines cultural differences and political activities of reference groups, specifically African Americans in the United States. Identity groups (for example, ethnic, gender, and racial groups) are groups that create and sustain a sense of political identity. They are frequently pushed to the margins of social, political, civic, and economic life. Many of these groups experience profound levels of inequality through systemic racism. The course explores the processes of marginalization and potential remedies that marginalized groups have deployed to address being pushed to the margins. We will devote a significant amount of attention to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and its impact on these groups.