Module description
This module will consider philosophical questions that arise when considering race and racism. Such questions have implications for a great many other philosophical topics. Consequently, this course will include weeks on epistemology, the history of philosophy, metaphysics, philosophy of biology, philosophy of science, and political philosophy. We’ll spend some of the course discussing the history of the study of race both in philosophy and science, together with normative questions about how race should be studied. We’ll also consider the metaphysics of race, focusing on social constructivism and biological realism. This leads to an analysis of racism, oppression, intersectionality, and reparations.
Assessment details
Summative assessment: 1 x 3,000-word essay (100%)
Formative assessment: 1 x 2,500-word essay.
Educational aims & objectives
We aim to reflect on work by those who have theorised about race, especially from a position of racial subordination, and think critically about how the broader discipline of philosophy has dealt with the question of race. By taking this course, students should be able to engage in a sophisticated way in contemporary debates around race and racial injustice.
Learning outcomes
Students will acquire intellectual, transferable and practical skills appropriate to a level 6 module, in particular, they will have gained the following:
- Competence in working with a politically and ethically sensitive topic.
- A capacity for thinking critically about contentious issues.
- Practice in using reason and analytical skills to examine arguments about race and racism
- The ability to explain complex concepts in English.
- Writing and group presentation skills when dealing with conceptually complex material.
Teaching pattern
One one-hour weekly lecture and one one-hour weekly seminar over ten weeks.
Suggested reading list
- Zack, Naomi (ed.). The Oxford handbook of philosophy and race. Oxford University Press, 2016.
- Glasgow, Joshua, Sally Haslanger, Chike Jeffers, and Quayshawn Spencer. What is Race?: Four Philosophical Views. Oxford University Press, 2019.
- Mills, Charles W. Blackness visible: Essays on philosophy and race. Cornell University Press, 1998.
- Saini, Angela. Superior: the return of race science. Beacon Press, 2019.