This course is designed as an active writing seminar to expose and immerse students in the art, practice, key skills, and mechanics of writing sociological and anthropological papers. The in-depth look at the social construction of whiteness gives students a chance to examine a number of concepts including white supremacy, white privilege, white fragility, white savior complex, racial capitalism, systemic racism, and many more that expose power systems that produce and maintain racism and white supremacy in tact.
This course has a workshop format, which means that students write a lot both in and out of the classroom. Writing, like any craft, is best learned through practice; we will coach each other to sharpen our writing skills and process, but student progress and success are ultimately up to them. Over the course of the semester, students work in a small writing communities; a space to exchange ideas; give and receive constructive feedback; and provide support along the way.