HIST 385 - Race and the Modern American Nation

Units: 3 ; Breadth Area: GE-UD-C
Discussion of the evolution of racial identities in the United States since the Civil War. Topics include: Jim Crow South; Social Darwinism; Asian and Mexican diasporas; poverty and race; evolution of legal status; the concepts of “whiteness” and “colorism”.

Strongly Recommended Preparation: Upper division status (greater than 60 earned semester units) and completion of lower division Area C requirements.
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3 and B4 with grade C- (CR) or better.
Possible Instructional Methods: Entirely On-ground.
Grading: A-F or CR/NC (student choice).
Breadth Area(s) Satisfied: GE-UD-C - Upper Division Arts or Humanities
Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Understand and analyze race as an evolving identity in the context of post-1865 America;
Recognize the intersectionality of race with class, gender and sexuality;
Analyze major events from US History in terms of how race has shaped a shared experience within the nation;
Conduct primary research for written and oral presentations on “hidden” stories of the American past.

UD-C. Upper-division Arts or Humanities Learning Outcomes

demonstrate an understanding of and ability to apply the principles, methodologies, value systems, and thought processes employed in the arts and humanities;
analyze cultural production as an expression of, or reflection upon, what it means to be human; and
demonstrate how the perspectives of the arts and humanities are used by informed, engaged, and reflective citizens to benefit local and global communities.