Political Science: Identity Politics

Projections show that the United States is quickly becoming a minority-majority nation. U.S. Census data suggests that by 2044, over half of the population will be non-white. Given these projections, it is important that we understand how different groups interact with one another socially and politically. Academic research often focuses on white-minority relations, yet given future demographics, it is of growing importance to understand intra-minority relations. We will begin by focusing on the important issues and topics that different groups encounter in the US. After grounding the groups in their individual contexts, we will take on various political issues to determine how they work together (or against each other). The will focus on race, gender, class, and other aspects of our identities that intersect in unique ways to influence our political preferences. During this course, we will examine how these intersecting identities affect political behavior.