This course is designed to introduce students (first year students are encouraged to enroll) from a variety of majors to central themes of African-American culture and history. We will discuss American slavery, racial segregation, the Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights and Black Power Movements. The course will also provide a general overview of African American literature and music. Brief readings (including essays, poetry, and autobiography) will be required. We will discuss the following African American leaders, writers, musicians and athletes: Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, Richard Wright, Jackie Robinson, James Baldwin, Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, Ralph Ellison, and Gwendolyn Brooks. We will also screen several documentaries.
Diversity and InclusionAfrican American Families 3 s.h.
Racial inequality and experiences of African American families in the United States during the 20th and 21st centuries; historical context for contemporary research on African American family; relative impact of structural and cultural factors on various aspects of African American family life, declining marriage rates, family formation patterns; intersections of race and class in family life; research methods used to examine dynamics of African American family life, including quantitative analysis, structured qualitative interviews, and ethnography.
This course explores racial inequality and the experiences of African American families in the United States over the course of the twentieth and twenty first centuries. The course has four primary goals. First, it will provide a historical context for contemporary research on the African American family. Second, the course will assess the relative impact of structural and cultural factors on various aspects of African American family life, including declining marriage rates and family formation patterns. Third, this course examines the intersections of race and class in family life. Finally, this course seeks to orient students in social science research methods used to examine the dynamics of African American family life including quantitative analysis, structured qualitative interviews and ethnography. Students will be expected to actively engage course readings through writing assignments, class discussions, and presentations.
Diversity and InclusionBlack Television Culture 3 s.h.
Employing a cultural historical approach, this course examines the sites of production, reception, representation and industry as it relates to the African American images that are granted tenure on television screens. Beginning with an overview of radio representation and the ways that they morphed into television representations, this course traces the early scripts available for televisual blackness. The course will progress more or less chronologically in order to investigate the ways black cast television and black representation has shifted and changed throughout the medium’s history.
Diversity and InclusionThis course is a survey of African-American history from its beginnings through emancipation and Reconstruction. Classes and coursework will examine the African origins of black Americans, the history of the middle passage, the development of plantation slavery, and the many historical changes that shaped African-American life and culture thereafter—from the American Revolution to the Civil War. Topics will include laws pertaining to slavery, the impact of the Haitian and American Revolutions on African-American life; the abolition of slavery in the post-Revolutionary North, the development of a free black community there; the expansion of slavery in the South, antebellum slave culture, and slave resistance. Some readings will explore the African American body under slavery. Some topics that will be covered include the use of enslaved African Americans in early medical research and experimentation, enslaved women’s reproduction, and the role of enslaved people in the healing and medical treatment of others within the enslaved community. We will also examine African-American freedom struggles during the Civil War and Reconstruction. The readings will be attentive to the ways that gender shaped the experiences of slavery and freedom for African Americans and we will also read about the experiences of enslaved children. You should leave the class with a broader understanding of the experiences of African Americans prior to 1865.
All assigned readings will be available on the course ICON site or at the University Library.
Black Culture and Experience 3 s.h.
This course explores black culture and experience within a contemporary perspective. Readings, interactive experiences, course assignments (interview, essays and final paper) and unit quizzes will offer students the opportunity to better understand black culture in the 21st century. The course will explore a variety of important societal topics such as: education, religion, literature, theater, media, politics, sports, criminal justice, health and economics.
Diversity and InclusionInequality in American Sport 3 s.h.
This course offers students an introduction to current scholarship and debates surrounding issues of inequality in sport. Students will learn how to use a critical cultural studies perspective to examine the meaning of sport within the U.S. In particular, the course focuses on the relationships and dynamics of inequities in sport structured along such lines as class, gender, sexuality, ability, race, ethnicity, and religion. The class is offered in a lecture/discussion section format. Requirements include: multiple short reflection writing assignments; reading assignments; lecture attendance and engagement; discussion section attendance and participation; and course roundtable attendance and participation.
Required course text & technology
McGraw Hill Connect
The required textbook for this course is the Connect (digital) format of Coakley's "Sports in Society" (2020). The Connect platform provides an interactive eBook and integrates with ICON for online assignments.
The University of Iowa’s Inclusive Access program will be used to provide required course materials. Your IOWA student account (UBILL) will then be charged $50 by the HawkShop, unless you opt out prior to the last add date of the semester. Specific opt out information will be provided in the syllabus.
Diversity and InclusionAs a historically populist medium, printmaking has a long tradition of social critique. Printmaking and The Politics of Protest is an intentionally student-centered and interactive course. A combination seminar/studio class, this course includes hands-on, socially focused art projects, scholarship, research, and experiential learning components. Most classes are devoted partially to print demonstrations, group discussions that follow-up on short readings and writing assignment and provide ideation meetings and in-progress feedback for print projects along with studio work time. Students will create zines, stencils and linoleum cut prints on fabric and paper. No prior studio experience is necessary. A sense of community is at the heart of every printmaking class. Students must work in the studios during and outside of class, fostering community within the course and throughout the entire Print Area.
Diversity and InclusionSex and the Bible 3 s.h.
What role did sex play and how did gender differences influence characters and literature in a heavily patriarchal ancient world? How is the act of sex portrayed in biblical literature and why is it sometimes hidden and at other times so brazenly flaunted? This course also examines the politics of sex, including the institution of marriage, both biblical and modern (as influenced by the Bible), and other sexual laws and prohibitions, both in antiquity and today.
Diversity and InclusionHow do different cultures think about race? Was Julius Caesar White? Was Cleopatra Black? The answers might not be as obvious as you think. In our modern society, skin color is considered important for sorting people into different races, but the ancient Greeks and Romans saw the world in another way. In this course, we will learn how racial and ethnic categories were constructed in ancient Mediterranean cultures, and how these categories were sometimes very different from the ones we recognize. We will also explore the ways in which groups in the present day continue to care deeply about the racial identities of ancient people and why questions like “Was Cleopatra Black?”, although difficult to answer, remain important.
Diversity and InclusionMusic and Social Change 3 s.h.
What is the relationship between Simone Biles, Lil Nas X, Britney Spears and Thich Quang Duc?.....Protest! Each of these cultural figures put their bodies on the line, using protest as performance to challenge power structures, address social equity, and influence social change. This class will examine historical and contemporary issues of power, identity, and inclusion, situating protest and dissent as key parts of civic engagement through the study of embodied acts, performance videos, readings, blogs, and other media. Throughout the class, you will be asked to place yourself in a historical continuum where intersections of class, race, gender, and sexuality are considered. No Formal Dance training is required for this course.
Diversity and InclusionThis is an introductory course to African Caribbean dance with emphasis on ritual , performance and music. In this course , students will explore the basic fundamentals of African Caribbean dances from Trinidad and Tobago , Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba and the musical instruments used to accompany these dances. In addition to practical dance training, this course will provide a theoretical basis for understanding the geographical , historical, and sociology political contexts in which the dances originated.
Course Assignments: Participation - 80%, Projects - 20%
Diversity and InclusionOne or more sections may be assigned to a TILE classroom.
Diversity and InclusionExploration of human experiences of dis/ability and exclusion/inclusion as represented in recent international film and popular writing from Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East; how these experiences contribute to and reflect awareness of the challenges of disabilities as well as public policy; strategies that filmmakers and authors deploy to contain, complicate, and challenge cultural preconceptions of the disabled body; how disability intersects with other major identity categories (i.e., sexuality, nationality, race); tools for researching history, policy, and activism. Taught in English.
Diversity and InclusionStrategies for effective treatment for students with disabilities, collaboration among general education and special education teachers; remediation of academic, behavioral, social issues.
Diversity and InclusionOverviews the liberal arts and history of higher education and the complexities of engaging difference all situated in the context of challenges and opportunities that are inherent to navigating the organizational structures of higher education.
undergraduate standing
What is gender? What is sexuality? Why does studying them matter? This course helps you answer these questions by focusing on the specific ways our daily lives are shaped by gender and sexuality. We will discuss gender and sexuality at the intersections of race and class as well. These socially and historically constructed categories of analysis exist together and affect each other. Our lectures and discussion sections will ask you to think critically about gender and sexuality and about the consequences that our assumptions about them have on our daily lives. We will discuss personal issues—such as body image and sexuality—as well as public and political issues – such as the wage gap, reproductive justice, sexual assault and harassment. Additionally, we will evaluate and rigorously analyze writing, research, and popular representations of gender and sexuality. You need no prior familiarity with conversations about gender or sexuality or feminism—just an interest in exploring some of the most powerful issues that shape and affect our daily lives.
Course assignments will include a midterm and take-home essay final exam, a short paper that allows students to reflect on how course themes and identities are experienced in daily lives, as well as in-class activities in discussion sections.
Diversity and Inclusion
Introduction to principles and theories of social justice; students examine the history of influential social movements in the United States and the world in the last century; how intersectionality can create tensions between and among members of social movements; how race, class, gender, age, geography, and our bodies play a role in the application of theories of social justice.
Introduction to Social Justice will focus on the contested notions of justice, human rights, and equality. We will look specifically at particular issues related to race, class, health, policing, immigration, prison, poverty, and the environment, using a social justice lens to explore and critique structural and systemic institutions that disadvantage marginalized and or silenced populations. Our focus will be primarily domestic, but we will look at some issues such as health and poverty transnationally. We will read, watch, and explore the works of theorists, writers, activists, and artists who have spent time working against inequality, disparity, and discrimination.
Diversity and Inclusion
Learn the cultural competency awareness, knowledge, and skills vital to effectively delivering healthcare services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients; address the disparities that people of culturally diverse backgrounds often experience, and influence patient outcomes.
Cultural competency enables healthcare providers to effectively deliver healthcare services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients, address the disparities that people of culturally diverse backgrounds often experience, and influence patient outcomes. This face-to-face course combines lecture (50%) and in-class small group work (50%) to develop student’s awareness, knowledge, and skills of cultural competence in health. Students engage in ongoing self-assessment and self-reflection and collaborate in small groups on case studies where they synthesize their learning. Grades are earned through a combination of weekly quizzes (25%), collaborative group assignments (25%), personal individual assignment (25%) and a final project (25%).
Diversity and InclusionDiversity in History 3 s.h.
How did diversity affect past societies? How does history help us to understand diversity today? Introduction to thinking about diversity and inclusion; topics vary.
Diversity and InclusionTaught in English. First-year friendly!
This course does not presume previous coursework in Latina/o/x Studies on the part of students enrolled, and it is appropriate for all UI undergraduate students who are interested in learning about Latina/o/x Studies.
This introductory course will take an interdisciplinary approach to a broad array of fields of inquiry related to Latina/o/x people including history, race/ethnic/gender studies, literature, film, music, politics, economics, education, health policy, etc. Our course will also study and reflect on the multiplicity of national, cultural, and ethnic groups encompassed under the larger pan-ethnic rubric of “Latino/a/x” or Latinidad such as Mexican Americans, Chican/o/x, Puerto Ricans, Dominican Americans, Afro-Latina/o/x, Cuban Americans, and other groups from Central and South America. The latter part of the course will focus on the experiences of Latina/o/x people in the Midwest in both urban and rural areas. This course seeks to incite students’ curiosity and creativity not only in relation to Latina/o/x studies but also in relation to their own ethnic, cultural, or individual identities.
Class will consist of topic- and sources-centered discussions led by students, short writing assignments, an identity formation paper, and a final project, consisting of creative and analytical pieces related to one academic or non-academic field within Latina/o/x students selected by each student.
This course is the foundational course for the Latina/o/x Studies minor. See the Latina/o/x Studies website for more information about the minor.
Diversity and Inclusion
World Events Today! 3 s.h.
Current events that introduce students to political and cultural developments throughout the world.
This introductory level course will use current events to introduce students to political and cultural developments throughout the world. We will read international newspapers and magazines, watch television programs, and listen to podcasts, and will then employ an interdisciplinary approach to help us understand the historical background of current events and their contemporary meaning(s) in global context. In addition to political events, we will highlight sociocultural and artistic themes that connect different parts of the world, for example the politics of popular music, film, or foodways.
Diversity and InclusionBetween 1870 and 1920 more than four million Italians immigrated to the United States and became the largest non-native group in the country. In a multicultural society, the turn-of-the-century immigrants and their descendants pursued assimilation while maintaining customs and traditions that contributed to construct a new identity. This course will explore the Italian American presence in the United States by investigating its historical background, its multifaceted reality, its heritage, and its contribution to national culture. Through an interdisciplinary approach, students will examine Italian American ethnicity as portrayed in American literature, film, and television. In particular, they will analyze how Italian American writers and filmmakers have represented their community and have contributed to shape their own cultural identity. Moving from commonplace images to a more complex picture, this course will focus on the Italian American example to discuss the issues of immigration, ethnic exclusion/inclusion, assimilation, acculturation, and cultural complexity. Requirements include class attendance and participation, writing exercises, a creative project, a midterm and a final exam.
Diversity and InclusionFreedom of Expression 3 s.h.
This course blends philosophy, history, political science, and legal studies into a semester-long meditation on the meaning of the freedom of expression, especially in the United States. It pays special attention to the forms of reasoning about free expression developed by the U.S. Supreme Court during the 20th and 21st centuries. However, the primary theme of the course is the transition from a traditional, conservative society in the 19th century to a modern liberal one in the twentieth, and the consequences of this transition for how Americans understand the freedom of expression. Part and parcel of this transition has been a greater interest in the protection of individual rights, but also more consideration for social and cultural difference, especially racial and ethnic difference, but economic, religious, and other forms of difference as well. Thus, while the course covers basic areas of free expression law, including prior restraint, libel, obscenity and time-place-manner restrictions, commercial speech and hate speech, it does so in an expansive way.
The material in this course frequently deals with the boundaries of lawful speech and press activities in the United States. Some of the cases will involve examples of extreme speech or unethical journalistic activities that may have the tendency to offend, even when discussed in a controlled, academic setting. Nevertheless, this material is integral to an education on the state of freedom of speech and press in America, an education which is, itself, integral to the formation of critical, civically engaged citizens. Therefore, all of you are encouraged to approach this material with a courageous spirit, an open mind and a critical eye.
This course blends pedagogy from typical undergraduate survey courses and traditional law school courses. To succeed in this course, you must be prepared to learn course content in three separate ways, which reflect this pedagogical blend: 1) recalling “bottom-line” precedents from a high volume of major cases; 2) identifying the definitions and boundaries of key media law concepts; and 3) applying key doctrines and legal tests to hypothetical scenarios.
Diversity and InclusionHow is viral media changing politics and news? With digital media, the public’s demand for around the clock real-time news has skyrocketed. Over the past twenty years newsroom staff has declined by nearly 40% according to Pew, but there has been a dramatic increase in how much is written about leading candidates and political celebrities. In 2016, Donald Trump received about $2 billion of free media coverage, almost three times as much as received by Hillary Clinton. President Trump’s Twitter campaigning generates coverage from traditional journalists and digital-only media outlets and then is consumed by readers online, who want streaming news around-the clock, and television viewers. There is blurring of digital and traditional media and a feedback loop between the two.
This course is about the media and politics. Scholars and the public agree that a free and healthy press is an essential condition of democratic politics, yet both now express doubt as to whether the press is satisfying this requirement. This course surveys the media, including norms and trends of media coverage, with an eye toward asking whether the media is able to fulfill this function.
This course also extends this discussion of media and politics to understand how political information flows online, investigating how members of the mass public talk about politics online as well as efforts by politicians and parties to organize and campaign online. We will investigate whether social media bridges the gaps in traditional media coverage, whether online platforms promote extremism, whether being a celebrity on the internet translates into political relevance, and more.
Diversity and InclusionIntroduction to politics of race in the U.S.; history of racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., their relationship with each other, and their interactions with different levels of government.
This course examines the politics of racial and ethnic diversity in the United States. Americans publicly celebrate diversity and its benefits to society. At the same time, we acknowledge that differences based on race, ethnicity, and nativity have divided our nation and undermined key democratic ideals. We explore is tension and study how politics and policy outcomes are shaped by race, ethnicity, and immigration. Students are evaluated based on two non-cumulative exams, a short paper, and participation in class. This course is appropriate for any student. No prior knowledge or skills are required.
This course counts toward the Latina/o Studies minor. See the Latina/o Studies website for more information about the minor.
Diversity and InclusionToo often the role of religion in politics is ignored and yet religion plays an important role in the lives of the majority of Americans. Not only is religion important to the majority of Americans, but in many cases it can influence and shape the political behavior of individuals and have a substantial impact on the policies of America. This course will introduce students to this complex relationship between religion and politics by examining the historical and contemporary effect of religion on a wide range of areas, such as: political culture, political parties, political behavior, and public policy. The course will also consider important policy debates, such as the role of religion in public life, religious discrimination, and various social issues.
Diversity and InclusionIntroduction to the interdisciplinary field of Jewish studies; topics include history from ancient origins to the present, sociology of Jewish life in the U.S. and internationally, ethical and religious principles and practices, Jewish embeddedness in non-Jewish societies, and controversies within and surrounding the Jewish world.
What’s Judaism? Who’s a Jew? What do people mean when they say “the Jewish community”? And how does all of this matter to the larger world?
Let’s start with some basics.
Judaism originated in the ancient Near East, became a monotheistic religion, and was the ground from which both Christianity and Islam emerged. That means that Judaism is foundational to world history and culture.
But while “Judaism” is a religion, “Jews” are also a people: a socially- and culturally defined group whose members often think of themselves as sharing a common ethnicity. Defined this way, Jews may or may not practice Judaism. They may or may not share common ancestry or geographies of origin. They all have other identities as well: gender identities, racial identities, national identities, and so on. Sometimes they even have other religious identities. They inhabit nearly every part of the globe, with only a minority in the place of their ancient origins.
This course offers foundational knowledge about the history, religion, sociology, and culture of Jews and Judaism. It considers diversity within Judaism and Jewish populations as well as “Jews” and “Judaism” as categories within the larger tapestry of a diverse world. We'll spend our time on collaborative, project-based learning to develop knowledge and skills that will transfer to other classes as well as life outside college.
Diversity and Inclusion
Contemporary Social Problems 3, 4 s.h.
This introductory course will use a sociological perspective to examine a few contemporary social problems in the United States. We will begin by investigating how sociologists define social problems. We will then learn about the methods sociologists use to study social problems with a particular focus on how to evaluate statistics about social problems presented by the media, politicians, and activists. In the remainder of the semester we will cover specific social problems, including poverty, racism, gender inequality, family problems, education, and crime, in detail. The lectures, discussions, assignments, and group exercises are designed so that you will understand what a sociological perspective is and be able to apply that perspective to the social problems we cover; gain a greater understanding of each of the social problems we cover and be able to explain causes and consequences of those problems; understand the methods social scientists use to further knowledge about social problems; improve skills that are fundamental to college education including: “numerical literacy” and the ability to think critically about statistics, reading tables, evaluating arguments, pulling together evidence to support a position, and writing with clarity.
Diversity and InclusionRace and Ethnicity 3 s.h.
This course provides an introductory exploration of the sociology of race and ethnicity. The course is designed to give an overview of number of topics that are central to understanding how sociologists approach the study of race and ethnicity in the U.S. The course is divide into five sections. We will begin by exploring theoretical and historical approaches to race and ethnicity which include discussions of racial classification and racial and ethnic boundaries. The second section of the course will explore racism and antiracism. The third section of the course will explore empirical research on aspects of racial and ethnic inequality in the U.S. including economic inequality, incarceration, employment outcomes and educational attainment. The fourth section of the class will explore recent research on immigration and how immigration changes the landscape of American race relations. The course concludes with a section that considers whether or not the U.S. has entered into a post-racial era.
Diversity and Inclusion
Spanish in the U.S. 3 s.h.
Basic, foundational mental health concepts emphasizing mental health variations and disorders throughout the lifecycle; use of cultural humility and social determinants of mental health as guiding frameworks to better understand differences among groups.
Diversity and InclusionContexts and functions of translation in the age of globalization; how translations are produced, received, and utilized in various contexts; effects of globalization on ethics, aesthetics, and politics of translation; how we understand cultures when they are received or transmitted through translation; effects of these exchanges on the English language.
Diversity and InclusionService-learning course offered in coordination with local community organizations and nonprofits; students consider critically ways in which written content (creative, promotional, and logistical) can help ensure outreach initiatives prioritize inclusivity. Assignments include readings and discussions surrounding community outreach and social justice, written reflections about the relationships between self and community to enhance interdisciplinary perspectives, and volunteering time and energy with a local organization or nonprofit group in meaningful ways.
Diversity and Inclusion