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80854-01 - Seminar: Race and Ethnicity in American Politics (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Elisa Deiss-Helbig (elisa.deiss-helbig@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This seminar explores the complex interplay between race, ethnicity, and politics in the United States, examining how these identities shape, and are shaped by, political institutions, attitudes, and behaviors. The course is organized into four sections: (I) Foundations introduces the core concepts of race and ethnicity, and the methodological challenges of measuring these identities in political research. (II) Political Attitudes and Behavior examines how racial and ethnic identity shapes political participation and minority group dynamics, drawing on the 2026 midterms as a live case study in how these patterns hold, shift, or fracture under real electoral pressure. (III) Political Representation analyzes the role of race and ethnicity in representation and policymaking. (IV) Discrimination investigates systemic inequalities in areas such as policing and the carceral state. |
| Learning objectives | By the end of this seminar, students will be able to: 1. Define and critically distinguish the concepts of race and ethnicity as used in political science, and evaluate the strengths and limitations of common methods of measuring racial and ethnic identity in survey and electoral data. 2. Explain how racial and ethnic identity shapes political behavior, including patterns of turnout and partisanship and apply this framework to interpret real-time data. 3. Distinguish between descriptive and substantive representation, and critically assess the theoretical and empirical relationship between the two. 4. Distinguish between individual and structural explanations of racial inequality, applying this distinction to evaluate patterns of discrimination within political and legal institutions. 5. Develop an original research question and design a research project to address it. |
| Bibliography | This is a restricted list of various interesting and useful books that will be touched during the course. You need to consult them occasionally. - Fraga, B. (2018). The Turnout Gap: Race, Ethnicity, and Political Inequality in a Diversifying America. Cambridge University Press. - Prewitt, K. (2013). What Is Your Race? The Census and Our Flawed Efforts to Classify Americans. Princeton University Press. - White, I. K. & Laird, C. N. (2020). Steadfast Democrats: How Social Forces Shape Black Political Behavior. Princeton University Press. |
| Comments | Die Teilnehmer:innenzahl ist aus Gründen der Qualitätssicherung der Lehre auf 25 Teilnehmer:innen beschränkt. Bei Überbuchung haben Bachelor-Studierende der Politikwissenschaft ab dem 4. Fachsemester Vorrang. |
| Admission requirements | This course examines contemporary literature on race and ethnicity in American politics, with a focus on quantitative empirical studies. Students should have a solid understanding of analytical research design and quantitative statistical methods. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14-täglich | Wednesday | 10.30-13.45 | Pharmaziemuseum, Grosser Hörsaal |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 30.09.2026 | 10.30-13.45 | Pharmaziemuseum, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 14.10.2026 | 10.30-13.45 | Pharmaziemuseum, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 28.10.2026 | 10.30-13.45 | Pharmaziemuseum, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 11.11.2026 | 10.30-13.45 | Pharmaziemuseum, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 25.11.2026 | 10.30-13.45 | Pharmaziemuseum, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 02.12.2026 | 10.30-13.45 | Pharmaziemuseum, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Wednesday 16.12.2026 | 10.30-13.45 | Pharmaziemuseum, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Modules |
Module: Extension Political Science (Bachelor's degree subject: Political Science) Module: Extension Social Sciences BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Political Science) Module: Specialization in Comparative Politics (Bachelor's degree subject: Political Science) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Course requirements and assessment: The course-related performance assessment is comprised of the following 4 individual assessment components: 1. Preparation, attendance, participation: pass/fail 2. Short presentation: 30% 3. Research design outline: 70% 4. Short oral presentation of main ideas for research design outline: pass/fail You have to pass all required components in order to pass and get a grade and credit for this course. This means that you are obligated to successfully complete all 4 assessment components in order to pass the entire performance assessment. Individual components of a performance assessment cannot be repeated separately. Instead, the entire performance assessment has to be retaken. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,5 |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Politikwissenschaft |