Anti-Racism I is an introduction to the topic of race and racism in the United States. The primary audience for this course is anyone who is interested in learning about race/racism in the US who has never taken a course in critical race or ethnic studies or affiliated fields (indeed, who may not know what the fields of critical race studies or ethnic studies are), who has never read a book about race/racism, or attended any race equity or diversity trainings on the topic of race/racism.
This course is part of the Anti-Racism Specialization
Offered By
About this Course
No particular background required. Just a willingness to engage meaningfully with questions of race and racism.
What you will learn
how to talk about race and racism
how to distinguish the difference between talking about race/racism and participating in racist acts
how to use contemporary intersectional terminology through a provided glossary
how to define systemic and institutional racism
Skills you will gain
- History of Race and Racism
- Talking about Race and Racism
- Anti-Racism Terms
- Identity
- anti-racism
No particular background required. Just a willingness to engage meaningfully with questions of race and racism.
Offered by

University of Colorado Boulder
CU-Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. As one of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), we have a proud tradition of academic excellence, with five Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week 1: Defining
This week you will learn various ways of defining race through definitions of whiteness. While race and racism have, in popular discourse, been understood to refer to non-white people, we start with whiteness since whiteness has been the primary ideology that dominated the formation of the United States, its laws, power structure, society, and culture. The anti-racism glossary also provides a variety of definitions related to race, racism, and anti-racism.
Week 2: Identifying
Now that you've learned to define whiteness and other terms related to race, racism, and anti-racism, this week focuses on identifying the impact of race, racism, and anti-racism. The first article contextualizes our current moment of racial crisis, along with identifying differences between being not-racist and anti-racist. The remaining readings and viewings provide historical context for systemic racism, especially anti-Black racism in the US.
Week 3: Applying
For this final week of the anti-racism course you will see how the application of these terms and concepts are tied to other overlapping oppressions and how they can be used for specific anti-racism work, such as defunding the police (and why this is not as radical as people may think it is, though in many ways to imagine an anti-racist world is a radical act) and specific actions that each of us can do to be anti-racism allies and educators.
Reviews
- 5 stars79.25%
- 4 stars11.70%
- 3 stars2.12%
- 2 stars1.59%
- 1 star5.31%
TOP REVIEWS FROM ANTI-RACISM I
I have complete my course but till now I didn't get my certificate.
It is a complete and interesting course for learning about systemic racism and anti-racism
Excellent and informative course. Can't wait for course 2 and 3!
Shawn and Jennifer made this course easy and learn and understand social injustices past and present. I look forward to the idea of Anti-Racism II.
About the Anti-Racism Specialization
Anti-Racism is a three-course specialization intended for anyone who is interested in learning about race and racism, particularly in the context of the United States, wants to be an anti-racist advocate, or seeks to incorporate anti-racist practices into their daily lives.

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