Ritsumeikan University Syllabus

Course Name	Year	Term	Period	Faculty / Graduate School	All Instructors	Credits
16671:IR18‐EE231 Race and Ethnicity in the Modern World (RA) § 16672:IR-ECS203 Race and Ethnicity in the Modern World (RA) § 16673:RUIR-2422 Race and Ethnicity in the Modern World(RA)	2024	Spring	Fri1	College　Of　International　Relations	TSUJIMOTO TOSHIKO	2

Campus

KIC

Class Venue

MEIGAKUKAN　MG001

Language

English

Course Outline and Method

This introductory course aims for students to understand how race and ethnicity -- the elusive markers classifying human beings into different social categories -- had contributed to shaping the historical ideologies and orders that distinguish human groups and individuals from “us” to “others.” The course comprises two-fold theoretical and empirical case studies to link theories with global concerns of race and ethnicity issues. It provides students with essential knowledge and debates on race and ethnicity studies to delve into various ongoing global phenomena and contentious issues of ethnic conflicts and territorial disputes. To bridge the Western-centred studies on race and ethnicity, I introduce specific case studies in Japan and other countries or regions to invigorate comparative views and expand the scope of analysis.

Specifically, the course will begin with the historical development of race and ethnicity and the intersections of two concepts based on different scholarly approaches and regional contexts. Second, we will examine how modern nation-building involves race and ethnicity by articulating the connections between modernization, nationalism, and ethnicity. We will also explore how contemporary nation-states address racially and ethnically heterogeneous populations under the government policies of multiculturalism. Lastly, we will focus on the bilateral effect of ethnicity, consolidating people under comradeship and shared identity. On the other hand, it generates conflicts between humans with different attributes and identities. We also address how ethnicity brings about divides and rivalry, illustrated by the separatist movements (secession), genocide, and ethnic cleansing in the final phase of the course.

Throughout the course, we explore how identities, mythologies, beliefs, and collective memories or traumas permeating race and ethnicity can impact real international politics and disputes in conjunction with ethnonational symbolism.

This course adopts a "students-centred learning" principle, combining a series of lectures and students' group discussions. I evaluate students' performance based on case study reports on race and ethnicity, class group discussions, reflection on lectures, and final research papers. Considering the expected class size, I cannot return feedback individually. Instead, I will provide feedback to the whole class every week by synthesizing the submitted reflections and discussions.

Student Attainment Objectives

Students will be able to:
1) understand and explain race and ethnicity concepts and their controversy within the historical development of human race ideologies in the West and its influence on other world regions in their respective contexts;
2) read and understand scholarly materials to summarize the contents in their words and express their views orally and in a written form while identifying meaningful questions for discussions;
3) develop a critical lens to explain the cause of a specific international incident, such as territorial disputes and ethnic conflicts, by adequately engaging with scholarly discussions of race and ethnicity studies;
4) explain the contact points of ethnicity and international relations by using scholarly concepts and frameworks;
5) complete a research paper at the end of the semester, which includes a coherent flow of problem setting and unravelling the complex racial and ethnic issues in a particular region or country supported by sufficient academic references.

Recommended Preparatory Course

Course Schedule

Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors)	Theme
Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors)	Keyword, References and Supplementary Information
1	Course Introduction
1	‧ Explaining the course overview and goals
2	The Historical Development of “Race Thinking”
2	‧ Colonialism and slavery, Monogenism and polygenism, sciences and the invention of “races” Spencer, Stephen (2014) “Chap. 2 The Politics of Naming” in Race and Ethnicity: Culture, Identity and representation (Second Edition), Routledge, 40-66
3	Race in the "Post-Racial" World--Students' Group Discussion ①
3	‧ Globalization and human mobility, racialization in sport, us vs. others, Agergaard, Sine, and Engh, Mari Haugaa (2017) "Chap. 8 Globalization, Migration and Racialization in Sport," in John Nauright and David K. Wiggins (eds.) Routledge Handbook of Sport, Race, and Ethnicity, Routledge, 107-120.
4	Rethinking “Mixed Race” and “Pure Race” Ideology in the Global Contexts
4	‧ Genetics and race, miscegenation and anti-miscegenation, “mixed-blood” or "mixed-raceness" as a historically constructed ideology, ethnicity and nationality as the elements of mixedness Ifekwunigwe, J.O. (2004) "Introduction: Rethinking 'Mixed Race" Studies, in J. O. Ifekwunigwe (ed.) "Mixed Race" Studies: A Reader, Routledge, 1-29. Törngren, Sayaka Osanami, Irastorza, Nahikari, and Rodriguez-Garcia, Dan (2021) “Understanding Multiethnic and Multiracial Experiences Globally: Towards a Conceptual Framework of Mixedness,” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 47(4): 763-781.
5	“Mixed Race” People in Asia and Beyond
5	‧ The contexts of "mixedness" in Asia or non-Atlantic model, The foreign military occupation as the consequence of "mixedness", marriage migration and the creation of "mixedness" Takezawa, Y., and Small, S. (2022) "Theorizing People of Mixed Race in the Pacific and the Atlantic," Social Sciences 11(124): 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11030124
6	Race and Ethnicity
6	‧ Primordial, instrumental, and circumstantial accounts of ethnicity, race and ethnicity as the interchangeable variables? Cornell, Stephen, and Hartmann, Douglas (2007) “Chap. 3 Fixed or Fluid?” in Ethnicity and Race: Making Identities in a Changing World, Pine Forge Press (Second Edition), 41-74.
7	Ethnicity and Identities--Students' Group Discussion ②
7	‧ Assimilation, acculturation, ethnic boundary, stereotyping Cornell, Stephen, and Hartmann, Douglas (2007) “Chap. 4 A Constructionist Approach,” in Stephen Cornell and Douglas Hartmann (eds.) Ethnicity and Race: Making Identities in a Changing World (Second Edition), Pine Forge Press, 75-106.
8	Ethnicity and Nationalism
8	‧ Modernism and primordialism approaches to a nation and nationalism, nationalism as political (civic) or ethnic consciousness and movement? Eriksen, Thomas Hylland (2010) “Chap. 6 Nationalism,” in Thomas Hylland Eriksen (ed.) Ethnicity and Nationalism: Anthropological Perspectives, Pluto Press, 117-146.
9	Ethnonationalism, Immigration, and Xenophobia
9	‧ Ethnic nationalism, the rise of far-right wing parties, anti-immigration, chauvinism Kaufmann, Eric. (2019) “Ethno-traditional Nationalism and the Challenge of Immigration,” Nations and Nationalism 25(2): 435-448.
10	Ethnicity and Race in Multicultural Societies
10	‧ The myth of a homogenous nation-state, multiculturalism, liberalism, communitarianism, developmental model Eriksen, Thomas H. (2010) “Chap. 8 Identity Politics, Culture and Rights,” in Ethnicity and Nationalism: Anthropological Perspectives, Pluto Press, 174-197.
11	Challenges of Multicultural Societies in Asia and Beyond--Students' Group Discussion ③
11	‧ The rise of international labour migration and mixed marriage in East Asia, new formation of the hierarchies in nationhood and ethnicity Nagy, Stephen Robert. (2014) “Politics of Multiculturalism in East Asia: Reinterpreting Multiculturalism,” Ethnicities, 14(1): 160-176.
12	Self-Determination as Collective Rights
12	‧ Collective rights vs. individual rights, internal and external elements of self-determination, self-determination of indigenous people and immigrants Trifunovska, Snežana (1997) “On Theme in Two Variations: Self-Determination for Minorities and Indigenous Peoples,” International Journal on Minority and Group Rights 5: 175-197.
13	Ethnic Consolidation and Conflicts
13	‧ Ethnicity as the cause of conflicts? instrumental and “the myth-symbol complex” Kaufman, Stuart J. (2010) “Chapter 8. Ethnicity as a Generator of Conflict,” in Karl Cordell and Stefan Wolff, Routledge Handbook of Ethnic Conflict, Routledge, 91-102.
14	Ethnic Cleansing and Ethnonational Symbolism--Students' Group Discussion ④
14	‧ The creation and dissolution of the former federation of Yugoslavia, Ethno-symbolic and instrumental reasons for ethnic cleansing Jenne, E. K. (2010) “The Causes and Consequences of Ethnic Cleansing,” in K. Cordell and S. Wolff (eds.) Routledge Handbook of Ethnic Conflict, Routledge, 112-121.
15	Peer-Review on the Final Research Paper--Students' Group Discussion ⑤
15	‧ Students will submit the memo of the Final Research Paper on Manaba before the class.

Class Format

No online classes will be provided without any special reasons. However, the first class may take an on-demand video format. I will announce via Manaba course news which format (in person in the classroom or on-demand video format) I will take for the first class before the start of Spring 2024.

Recommendations for Private Study

Students must complete all readings assigned to every class. Besides, please refer to additional readings introduced by the instructor in class.

Grade Evaluation Method

Kind	Percentage	Grading Criteria etc.
Final Examination (Written)	0
Report Examination (A report to be submitted by the unified deadline)	0
Exams and/or Reports other than those stated above, and Continuous Assessment　 (Evaluation of Everyday Performance in Class)	100	‧ Reflection comments (15%; approximately 200-300 words per posting) ‧ Regional & Country Case Report (10%; approximately 700-800 words in length) ‧ The participation and contribution to the group discussions & after-discussion comments (25%; approximately 200-300 words per posting) ‧ Final research paper (50%; approximately 2000-2300 words excluding a reference list)

Grade Evaluation Method （Note）

*Students who attended class and group discussions can post their reflections and after-discussion comments.

* Students absent from two-thirds of the group discussion classes will automatically fail the course.

* Students' Final Research Papers will be assessed by the systematic criteria or rubric (i.e., selecting an appropriate topic, the paper's focus, logical organization, fair use of scholarly resources and engaging & coherent in-depth discussions, etc.). Please remember that I will check the originality of all Final Research Papers through the online program. If your paper is found to significantly overlap with others' writings without adequate citations or reuse the previous term papers submitted to other courses (ex., both papers' contents are almost identical), and your paper is detected to using Chat GPT or other AI programs, you will fail this course. Students must know what acts can constitute academic misconduct on their responsibility.

Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods

Textbooks

Textbooks （Frequency of Use, Note）

Reference Books

Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN Code	Comment
Race and Ethnicity: Culture, Identity and Representation (Second Edition)	Spencer, Stephen	Routledge	9781134086597	We will use it for several classes. Available as an e-book form.
Ethnicity and Race: Making Identities in a Changing World (Second Edition)	Ethnicity and Race: Making Identities in a Changing World (Second Edition)	Pine Forge Press	9781412941105	We will use as a reference text.
"Mixed-Race" Studies: A Reader	"Mixed-Race" Studies: A Reader	Routledge	9780203643617	Reference reading text for Week 5.
Ethnicity and Nationalism: Anthropological Perspectives	Eriksen, Thomas Hylland	Pluto Press	9780745330433	We will use it for several classes. Available as an e-book form.
Statehood and Self-Determination: Reconciling Tradition and Modernity in International Law	French, Duncan (ed.)	Cambridge University Press	9781139248952	We will use it for several classes. Available as an e-book form.
Multiculturalism in East Asia	Iwabuchi, Koichi, Kim, Hyun Mee, Hsia, Hsiao-Chuan (eds.)	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers	9781783484997	We will use it for the Week 11 class. Available as an e-book form.
Routledge Handbook of Ethnic Conflict	Cordell, Karl, and Wolff, Stefan (eds.)	Routledge	9780203845493	We will use it for several classes. Available as an e-book form.

Reference Books （Frequency of Use, Note）

You can find most of the reading texts above in the online Library databases you can avail via a VPN connection.

Web Pages for Reference

How to Communicate with the Instructor In and Out of Class(Including Instructor Contact Information)

Talk with Students

Other Comments

Please contact me at ttr16163@fc.ritsumei.ac.jp if you need to talk to the instructor before beginning the course.

【科目ナンバリング・カリキュラムマップはこちらから/Click here to see the Curriculum-Map and Course-Numbering】
URL:http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp//students/pathways-future/course/curriculum.html