For Class on 3/6: Affirmative Action

We have read about the reasons for and reasons against affirmative action in hiring and school admissions. In class we will discuss the merits and whether these programs do more harm than good. For this blog I would like you to look forward. In terms of college admissions there are benefits to diverse classrooms, however in the movement toward a less race conscious society many would ultimately like to rely less and less on race and ethnicity as a factor in measuring who gets into schools. You are in charge of affirmative action plans for the department of education. Do you think affirmative action programs are beneficial/necessary today? Why/Why not? Over the next ten years what should be done to help eliminate the need for such programs?

For Class on 2/27: The Best form of Representation

This weeks readings include articles by Suzanne Dovi and Katherine Tate (recommended), both of which focus on representation in congress. While there are many theoretical arguments presented the debate boils down to which type of representation is best for marginalized groups: descriptive or substantive? Descriptive representatives are those who share demographic characteristics with those their constituents (i.e. a Latino congressperson is best suited to represent a Latino/a). Substantive representatives are those who focus on the interests and needs of various groups (i.e. a congressperson of any race who work substantively for what they perceive to be black issues). I would like to hear your views on this debate and more generally how our representative democracy should best represent an increasingly diverse nation.

Other food for thought that you might want to comment on include:

• exit polls for most modern presidential elections up to 2008 broken down by demographic characteristics (be sure to look at changes over time) and 2012 here
• the breakdown of the current 113th Congress (especially focus on pages 7-8)

For Class on 2/20: The Role of the Media

This week I would like you to take a look at a few examples of how the media has covered different events. Historically the media has played a crucial role in political successes such as the civil rights movement. The media has the power to influence the political agenda and frame issues and individuals in influential ways. Often the media is referred to as the "4th branch of government," in charge of oversight and responsible to hold political leaders accountable. However others see the media as perpetuating bias and power structures by highlighting shocking and violent news, often disproportionally focusing on racial and ethnic minorities, as well as supporting a clearly partisan bias. Others see racial and ethnic minorities simply lacking in representation on TV.

Look at the following clips and then comment generally on how media coverage affects racial or ethnic groups in America. What is the role of media in the process today? Has it changed from prior media coverage racially charged issues? What types of bias do you notice? Is it fair coverage? What role should the media take?
Feel free to add other clips that you find interesting and relevant.


Video 1: ABC coverage of the Rodney King verdict in 1991
Video 2: Malcolm X appears on a television show in Chicago called "City Desk" on March 17, 1963.
Video 3: Coverage of 2008 Election on CNN
Video 4: Reaction to the George Zimmerman (Trayvon Martin) Case and verdict

For Class on 2/13: The Latino Vote

Political parties are in the business of winning elections. They do this by creating their party platforms, selecting candidates, and raising money to support campaigns in order to win come election day. But the voters that each party desperately covets are generally thought of as coalitions: groups of groups, that each party wants to assemble and hold in order to maintain a majority of voters voting for their candidates. A great example of this was the "new deal coalition" which were made up of union workers, African Americans, Jews, northern intellectuals, farmers, and a few others who voted in huge numbers for Democrats from the New Deal (1930s) until the 1980s or longer. 

While campaigns are becoming more sophisticated and more individualized, parties still target groups that they would like to hold. This is true for the "Black Vote," the "Women Vote," and the "Latino Vote." The parties target these groups by trying to support issues important to many in the group. Obviously there is no single issue that everyone in a particular group agrees with. It is no more realistic to talk about women's reproductive health issues as THE issue for woman as it would be to talk about support of Israel wrapping up 100% of the Jewish vote. 

That being said the Latino Vote in America is among the fastest growing groups of voters and has been shifting more and more into the Democratic column. Take a look at this great report from Pew about the Latino vote in 2012. You will notice the trends over time about which party Latinos are voting for and some information about the issues that Latino's felt were most important in 2012. There are many issues that were important, online one of which is immigration, though it grabs most of the attention. We have discussed earlier the recent proposals around immigration. Currently the Republican Party is trying to determine what its immigration reform proposal should be and whether they should introduce it now or wait until after the midterm congressional elections in November.

This week I would like you to analyze the role of the Latino vote today and as we look into the future. You can find a detailed look at the latino vote from many different angles here. You might want to take into account where Latinos live, recent public opinion data about their views on immigration, and what other issues might be particularly important to Latinos. 

How should this voting block be viewed? What policies or actions by the government might be best for the largest number of Latinos? And most importantly how would you advise both parties (but especially the Republicans) in regards to gaining more Latino voters? Please respond to one another and simply use these questions as a discussion starter.