Anti-Racism Specialization

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.

In this course you will learn how to: - Use and comprehend contemporary intersectional terminology through a provided glossary - Critically discuss “whiteness” - Recognize the concept of White privilege that all White people have whether they want that privilege or not and to differentiate between White supremacy as a systemic concept vs. White supremacists (who are professional racists like the KKK). - Distinguish between being not racist and being anti-racist - Define systemic and institutional racism - Accept the unequal history of race and racism in the United States that has created racial hierarchies that has disenfranchised Black Americans - Share with others the true foundations of United States’s histories beginning with the acknowledgement of settler colonialism and the rewards that White people have received due to White supremacy and Black oppression. - Talk about race and racism - Explain why phrases like “All Lives Matter” and “Blue Lives Matter” are racist - Recognize that anyone can be anti-racist--it only takes the dedication and decision to be anti-racist, to educate yourself about the history of racism in the US and then to talk in an anti-racist way and to act as an anti-racist Course logo image credit: Liam Edwards, 06/04/2021. Available on Unsplash at https://unsplash.com/photos/x15GAQNepcQ

Anti-Racism II is an intermediate course between Anti-Racism I and Anti-Racism III, focusing on the topic of race, racism, and strategies regarding how to be an anti-racist. Anti-Racism II is for anyone who has previously taken Anti-Racism I, or who has basic knowledge of the racial issues plaguing the United States, and globally.

Anti-Racism I focused upon how to have open dialogue and conversations about race and racism. Anti-Racism II takes on the vital role assisting students in guiding their own conversations regarding race, and additionally gender and sexuality. Anti-Racism II will expand your knowledge and critically engage your inquiry, centering upon short interviews with leading scholars and activists in the field. Coupled with supplementary video and reading material, these interviews will further demonstrate the power of open dialogue and self-narration, directing you towards being an anti-racist ally. The centrality of the course interviews will culminate in a final project where students will construct and carry out their own personalized interview. The final project will test dialogic skills while asserting the importance of intimate conversations about race, gender, and sexuality. This is challenging work in troubling times that may conjure uneasy feelings and emotions. Anti-Racism II can work as a bridge coming face to face with your personal individual relationship with social demands plaguing us nationally and globally. The remedy is to allow yourself uncomfortableness in order to get to the solutions. We are all in this together. Peace & Love Shawn Course logo image credit: Emmanuel Gido, 08/31/2020. Available on Unsplash at https://unsplash.com/photos/SAjZSZUA690