Class, Race, and Gender in the U.S. Economy
(Econ250/ES250)
Reading Assignments


Reading Materials
                                                         
The reading materials for this course come from four possible sources:

     (i)    Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, 5th Edition, Paula S. Rothberg.
    (ii)    Unlevel Playing Fields, Albelda, Drago, & Shulman.
   (iii)    A packet of articles at the Reserve Desk in the LCC Main Library. There are three       
             copies all list under Econ 250 as the subject and Martinez as the author. The
             Call Number  is FD555 .
           
             You may check out the packet for 2 hours at a time to read or copy. YOU MAY NOT
             TAKE ANY OF THE ARTICLES FOR YOUR PERSONAL USE. THEY ARE KEPT ON
             RESERVE AS A RESOURCE FOR ALL STUDENTS REGISTERED IN THE COURSE. 
                                        
    (iv)    material distributed in class by the instructor.

Articles or text chapters identified by an asterisk (*) are required.    Those identified by a circle (o) are recommended, but not required.

I.    Introduction
(WEEK 1 & 2)

1)    PURPOSE OF COURSE: HONORABLE DISCUSSION
          On Reserve/Handout:        
*Rehumanizing Society, Gonzales & Rodriguez

2)    A STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
          On Reserve:                            
          * Let America Be America Again, Langston Hughes
          * The Stream, Leonel I. Castillo, Studs Terkel
* A Different Mirror, Ronald Takaki
* We’ve Been Here Before, George F. Will
o From Individual to Structural Discrimination,    Fred L. Pincus

        Rothenberg, p 186 - 196:
* The Problem: Discrimination, The U.S. Government’s Civil Rights

3)    FRAMEWORK: THE ECONOMICS OF STRATIFICATION    
        On Reserve/Handout:
*The Political Economy of Stratification, P. Martinez
       Abelda et al
*Ch. 1: Two Views on Inequality and Discrimination, Unlevel Playing Fields,
*Ch.2: Inequality by the Numbers, Unlevel Playing Fields,

4)    LABOR ECONOMICS: BASIC SUPPLY & DEMAND    
                    *Ch.3: The Basics of Neo-Classical Economics, Unlevel Playing Fields, Abelda et al


II.    Class
(WEEK 3 - 4)


1)    EXPERIENCE OF CLASS
On Reserve
  oThe Men We Carry in Our Minds, Sanders
  oThe Lesson, Toni Cade Bambara

Rothenberg,
            * C.P. Ellis, Studds Terkel    

2)    WHAT IS “CLASS”?
        On Reserve:
            o Literature, Class, and Culture: Introduction, Lauter & Fitzgerald

A. Sociological Analysis
    i.    De-classe American Myth:     "Everyone is middle class."
        Rothenberg:
            * Class in America: Myths and Realities (2000), Gregory Mantios    
            o Media Magic: Making Class Invisible, Gregory Mantios

    ii.    Self-identification: Aspirations, Consumption Patterns        

    iii.    Other Characteristics: Cultural Values, Education, etc.

B.  Economic Analysis

    i       Neo-Classical Analysis:    Market Rewards for Abilities
            Abelda et al
            *Ch.4: Work and Wages in Neo-Classical Economics, Unlevel Playing Fields,

    ii.    Classical Analysis: Labor Theory of Value                        
            Quesnay, Ricardo, & Marx
  Abelda et al
   *Ch.6: The Basics of Political  Economy & Appendix, Unlevel Playing Fields,
            
    iii. A Divided Labor Market
Abelda et al
    *Ch7: Work and Wages in Political Economy, Unlevel Playing Fields,

3)    STATISTICAL DISPARITIES
        Income, Wealth and Poverty
        Indicators:    Education, Attainment of parents, Race, Immigrant Status, Divorce,
                
        Rothenberg, p. 267:
            *The Growing Wealth Gap, Sklar, Collins, & Leondar-Wright                

        Web Articles
http://eesc.orst.edu/agcomwebfile/edmat/html/em/em8743/default.html

                    Official government poverty line shows signs of old age;










On Reserve:
            ºDivided Decade, Collins, Hartman, & Sklar; United for a Fair Economy
                http://www.ufenet.org/press/divided_decade.html

Webpage:
                http://www.faireconomy.org/research/Economic_Apartheid_Data.html#top

            Federal Reserve: Racial Wealth Gap Has Grown
                http://www.ufenet.org/research/SCF_Race_2003.html

4)    INSTITUTIONS AND CLASSISM: EDUCATION
            Video, in Class:
* The Secrets of the SAT, Frontline, PBS video, in class
        
On Reserve:
            * SATs skewed by shoddy disability, LATimes, Jan. 9, 2000
            * Among Affluent Students, A Culture of Disengagement
Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov. 27, 1998                    
            º The Economic Root of Low Test Scores, LATimes, Mar. 26, 2000
 




III.    Race
(WEEK 4 - 5)
                                                                                                                                       
1)    EXPERIENCE OF RACISM
            Rothenberg:
                * Part III: Discrimination in Everyday Life & Part VI: How It Happened
Students are free and encouraged to read any and all articles in these sections.      However, for the current topic, only the following articles are required:

2.     DWB: Driving While Black, Meredith, p. 1975.    
3 Blacks Win $1 Million in Bauer Store Incident, Stout, p.205
11. Grand Slam Breakfast?, Guillermo, p.218
12. Supermarket Chain to Pay $81 Million to Settle Bias Suit, Meyerson, p. 220
13. What Some Call Racist at American Eagle, Others Say Was in Jest,
McCartney, p. 223
19. Racism at Texaco, p. 239
22. Whistle-Blowing Marshall Tells of Long Harassment,Rabb, p.245
On Reserve:
˚ Ch.16 The Ten Greatest Challenges Facing Black America,
Earl Graves, p.257-260.          
˚ Ch 3 Overcoming the Nuisance Factor, Earl G. Graves, p.17-36.


2)    DEFINING RACISM
            Rothenberg:
                    *Defining Racism: Can We Talk?, Tatum, p.100
                    * White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, McIntosh, p. 163.


3)    STATISTICAL DISPARITIES & ECONOMIC EVIDENCE OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

            Rothenberg:
                    * The Wage Gap: Myths and Facts, National Committee on Pay Equity

        a)    Income, Wealth, Wage Differentials
        b)    Unemployment Differentials
        c)    Occupational Differentials    
        d)    Educational Differentials

            Albelda, et al, Unlevel Playing Fields
                    * Ch. 2, Labor market Inequality by the Numbers,

4)    MODELS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
                Albelda, et al, Unlevel Playing Fields
* Ch. 4 - Work and Wages in the Neo-Classical Model
* Ch. 5 - Discrimination in the Neo-Classical View
˚ Ch. 6 – The Basics of Political Economy
* Ch. 7 - Work and Wages in the Political Economy
* Ch. 8 – The Political Economy Model of Discrimination

On Reserve:
*Black-White Income Differences, Michael Reich
*Ch14, Theories of Labor Market    Discrimination, McConnell, et al   
*Evidence on Discrimination in Employment, Darity & Mason
*Detecting Discrimination, Heckman

        A) Neo-Classical                                            
            Supply-Side                                
              Inequality of Opportunity/Access                
    Inequality of Education    
                            
            Demand-Side
               Taste, Market Power,                                 
               Statistical, Employee, Consumer                 
                    
B) Radical                
Social Movements        
Social Structures of Accumulation
        
    Rothenberg:

5)    INSTITUTIONS & RACISM: EDUCATION & BANKING
        A) Banking
On Reserve:
* Lending Insights: Hard Proof that Banks Discriminate, Jim Campen
        Rothenberg, p. 284:
* Being Black, Living in the Red, Dalton Conley
* Study Discerns Disadvantage for Blacks in Home Mortgages,
        Dedman, p. 228
        B)    Education
Rothenberg:
* Resegregation in American Schools, Orfield & Yun, p.214

 



IV.   Ethnicity     
(WEEK 6-7)
       
1)    WHAT IS “RACE”? WHAT IS “WHITENESS”?
        A)  A Biological  Basis for Race?                            
            - phenotype                                                
            - genotype
            - multiracial, multiethnic, multicultural
            Reserve:
*A Growing Number of Scientists Reject the Concept of Race, David Wheeler
*Ever adaptive, humans defy easy stereotype
                    
        B) Race Is Socially Constructed.                                    
            - How those “outside” define                            
  - How those “inside” define                         
            - Self-selection     & self-identification
            Rothenberg
*Racial Formation, Michael Omi & Howard Winant
*How Jews Became White, Brodkin

        C) Why The Government Defines Race And Collects Data.
            Reserve:
*Can a New Race Sumount Old Prejudices? Ellis Cose
*Race classification  causes census debate, William Hershey
*Who’s a minority? Welcome to affirmative action debate, David Lauter
*We Need New and Critical Study of Race and Ethnicity,  Manning Marable




V.    Gender    
(WEEKS 8-9)
1)    EXPERIENCE           
    Rothenberg, p. 304:
* Women, Income, and Poverty: A Family Connection, Abelda & Tilly
                        Albelda, et al, Unlevel Playing Fields
* Ch. 4 - Work and Wages in the Neo-Classical Model
* Ch. 5 - Discrimination in the Neo-Classical View
˚ Ch. 6 – The Basics of Political Economy
* Ch. 7 - Work and Wages in the Political Economy
* Ch. 8 – The Political Economy Model of Discrimination

2)     Women’s working experience:                        
        The Feminization of Poverty                                 
                                                                       
3)    Statistical Disparities & Economic Evidence         
        Gender Discrimination:                                   
˚Ch.15, Women, Blacks & the Labor Market,    McConnell, et al            
        a)    Unemployment Differentials                                    
        b)    Wage Differentials                                    

*The Comparable Worth Debate, Sorensen
        c)    Educational Differentials    
        d)    Employment Differentials                           
 
4)     Models of Human Capital, Occupational & Earnings Differences                                        
 



VI. Remedies
(WEEK 10)

1.        The Social Safety Net: The Minimum Wage & Other Social Services
            A.    Progressive vs. regressive re-distribution
            B. Minimum Wage

2.        Taking Affirmative Action to Promote Economic Equity
*Ch 8, Affirmative Action & Employment Discrimination, Farai Chideya
            
*Affirmative Action’s Impact on Academe Has Been Minimal,  
 Journal of Higher Education, March 24, 2000                                            

3.        Managing Diversity
                * Making Differences Matter: A New Paradigm for Managing Diversity,
Thomas & Ely

4.        Taking Personal Responsibility
            Rothenberg
                *What white Folks Must Do, Harlan L. Dalton, p.616
                *Combating intentional bigotry and Inadvertently Racist Acts,
                            Fletcher Blanchard



 VII.    The Over-Determination of Stratification
        Case Study: U.S. Immigration Policy
(TIME PERMITTING)

    1)    Class Criteria of Immigration
        -    $1million or 10 jobs lets you in
        -    educational/professional status
        -    “bracero” programs

    2)    Race Criteria
        -    Quotas based on origin
        -    Differential Application of INS Rules

    3)    Ethnic Criteria
        -    Phenotype:  “Indio” vs “Ladino”
        -    Point of Origin
        -    Language

    4)    Gender
        -    Male heads of families
        -    Female, undocumented immigration rising