This course provides a basic social psychological understanding 
of race, racism, and discrimination in the United States, with 
a particular emphasis on the experiences of Black Americans. A 
social psychological approach to the topic begins with the 
assumption that race and ethnicity are socially and politically 
constructed phenomena: They are phenomena that vary 
significantly across time and place, and that ultimately rest 
on processes of group boundary formation, segregation, and the 
creation of intergroup racial hierarchies. The primary 
objectives of the course are to understand: 
1) the social conditions under which segregation, racial 
hierarchies, and racial conflict emerge
2) how interpersonal interactions become sites for the 
reproduction of racial segregation and inequality 
3) the interplay between interpersonal processes and the 
institutions through which racial boundaries and hierarchies 
are created and recreated in the United States.

We will discuss social psychological theories from both 
sociology and psychology in this class, but also focus on real-
life applications of concepts. By the end of this course, you 
should be able to apply social psychological ideas to analyze 
the real-life situations and relationships you encounter.

Week 1: Introduction

Week 2: Race as a Social Construction, Race as a Social System

Weeks 3-6: Race and Social Cognition 
• Stereotyping and Discrimination (individual-level 
explanations, social categorization, social identity theory, 
stereotype content)
• Intergroup Relations (racial attitudes and racial segregation 
of intimate relationships, schools, neighborhoods)
• Implicit Attitudes

Weeks 7-12: Racism and its Social Consequences
• Whites’ racial attitudes and white privilege
• Group Position and Racial/Ethnic conflict
• Racism and mental health
• Internalized Racism
• Stereotype Threat and Self-Affirmation
• Experiences of being Biracial/Multiracial in the United 
States

Weeks 12-14: Race as a Status Characteristic
• Theories of status and power inequality
• How micro-level processes shape macro-level racial 
inequality (focus on three institutions: education, law, family) 
• Intersectionality (intersections of race, gender, and class)

Week 15: Social Change