Critical White Studies:
Literature of Racial Passing
ES399Hee-Jung Serenity Joo
Fall
CRN 15989306 Villard Hall
MW 4:00-5:50346-3952
301A AllenOffice hours: MW 2:30-3:50
and by appointment
Critical white studies is a field which is only currently being given more attention.Without falling into the trap of asserting “white” as yet another race/ethnicity, this class will focus on the historical formation of whiteness as both a racial and judicial category in the US and how it was derived from relationships with other races. It will also try to unpack the assumption of whiteness as the “backdrop” or “norm” to studies of other races, in order to understand its implications within both historical and contemporary structures of racism.This relationship between black and white racial constructs specifically will be traced in selected novels of “passing,” as they articulate such racial contradictions and inconsistencies.The class will also be devoted to contemplating racial categories of white and black in relationship to other races, as well as how these categories intersect with class, gender, and sexuality.The class will also mention the new and constant contestations and negotiations of race and racial identity post-1965.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Novels can be purchased at Mother Kali’s Bookstore (720 E. 13thAve). Used copies may be available at Smith Family Bookstore (768 E. 13thAve). The entire course packet is on reserve at the Knight library and the Copy Shop (539 E. 13thAve.). The readings for weeks 1 and 2 are also available on my office door.
Harper, Frances.Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted.
Johnson, James Weldon.Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.
Larson, Nella.Passing.
Schuyler, George.Black No More.
Course packet
GRADING
Participation15%
3 Writing assignments55%
Final exam30%
Total100%
Participation
Chronic absences will negatively affect your final grade. Quizzes may be given to instigate active reading if necessary. Quizzes and other in-class work cannot be made up. Refer to a dictionary if you come across any unfamiliar terms, and come to class with questions and opinions. Always be prepared to be challenged by your peers.
During the first week of class, you will be required to sign up for a particular reading to be covered in the class.On the day that reading is due, you are expected to formulate 2 critical questions (and answers) that engage with the readings and that you will present to your fellow classmates.You should turn in a 1-2 page summary of answers to your own questions. You will be given a letter grade for this portion of your participation grade.
Assignments
Assignments should be treated like take-home exams. They will consist primarily of several essay questions based on your primary and secondary readings, as well as class lectures and discussions.So be sure to read attentively and take good class notes! Assignment #1 is worth 15% of your final grade; assignments #2 and #3 are worth 20% each. All assignments must be submitted in order to pass the class.
Academic integrity
Plagiarism is not tolerated. All work submitted for this course must be your own and be written exclusively for this course.The use of sources (ideas, quotations, paraphrases) must be properly documented.In the case where plagiarism has been clearly established, an F will be awarded as your final grade and a formal letter will be written on your behalf to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs. Refer to a good grammar book for definitions of plagiarism and directions for properly citing your sources. Please see me if you have any questions.
DEADLINES
All assignments must be brought to the class meeting on the due date, and submitted at the beginning of the class. Only hard copies will be accepted. Late work is generally not accepted. If you must be absent or late, please make arrangements to turn your work in early, or plan for a classmate to turn it in for you. It is your responsibility to keep copies of all work you turn in for this class.I do not accept any work after the final exam due date.
ACCESS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
If you have a disability (physical, learning, or psychological) which you think may affect your performance in this class, please see me during the first week of the term so we can make arrangements, if necessary, for your full access to all classroom activities.
CALENDAR(tentative)
Week 1: White Privilege
M9/37introductions
W9/29“White Privilege,” Peggy McIntosh; “The Matter of Whiteness,” Richard
Dyer
Week 2: Historical Formation of Whiteness
M10/4“Universalization of Whiteness,” Warren Montag; “The Antidemocratic
Power of Whiteness,” Kathleen Cleaver; “How White People Became
White,” James Barrett & David Roediger
W10/6“Recitatif,” “Romancing the Shadow,” Toni Morrison
Week 3: The “Tragic Mulatto”:Iola Leroy(1892)
M10/11ASSIGNMENT #1 due; Iola Leroy(intro-ch. 13)
W10/13Iola Leroy(ch. 14-20)
Week 4: Race & the Law
M10/18Iola Leroy(ch. 21-end); “The Function of the ‘Fair’ Mulatto,” Kimberly
Wilson
W10/20“Only the Law Would Rule between Us,” Emily Tassel; “Who’s Black,
Who’s White, and Who Cares,” Luther Wright; “Identity Notes, Part One” Adrienne Davis; “Mexican-Americans and Whiteness,” George Martinez
Week 5: Race, Identity, Agency:Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man(1912)
M10/25“The Fabrication of Race,” “Naturalization and the Courts,” Matthew
Jacobson
W10/27Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man(intro-ch. 4);“Legalizing Cultural
Anxieties,” Timothy McCarthy
Week 6: Theories of Racial Passing
M11/1ASSIGNMENT #2 due;Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man(ch. 5-end);
“(Passing for) Black Passing for White,” Samira Kawash
W11/3“The Politics of Passing,” Elaine Ginsberg; “Passing for White, Passing for
Black,” Adrian Piper
Week 7: Performance, Sexuality, Race:Passing(1929)
M11/8Passing(intro-part2)
W11/10Passing(part 3-end); “The Veils of the Law,” Corinne Blackmer
Week 8: (Pseudo)scientific racism:Black No More(1931)
M11/15Black No More(intro-ch. 8)
W11/17Black No More(ch. 9-end); “The Open Sesame of a Pork-Colored Skin,”
Jason Haslam
Week 9: White supremacy/whiteness & class
M11/22“Who Are these White People?” John Hartigan; “What Is ‘White Trash?’”
Annalee Newitz & Matthew Wray
W11/24ASSIGNMENT #3due; film screening (title TBA)
Week 10: Further inquiries & implications
M11/29“Notes of a Native Speaker,” “Blood Vows,” Eric Liu; “Black Like Me,”
John Griffin
W12/1“New Racism,” Eduardo Bonilla-Silva
Final exam: 3:15PM Wednesday, December 8th, 2004