PSCI318

Examines the role of race in American politics and its contemporary significance to the nation's citizens, politicians, and governmental institutions. May raise questions like: What are the primary intra- and inter-group dynamics that shape contemporary minority politics? How do politics of race intersect with politics of class and gender? What opportunities and challenges exist in mobilizing the members of minority groups for political action in the U.S.? What role have racial issues played in electoral strategies of political parties and candidates and in the electoral choices of voters? How has the rise to power of minority politicians -particularly in many urban areas- affected policymaking? How are demographic forces likely to reshape the politics of race and -American politics more generally- in the 21st century?