Reflections in Student Learning about Race and Racial Politics

This paper examines lessons learned in teaching the course, Race and the American Political System. Surprisingly, assignments that were meant to be informal exercises meant to encourage reflection a weekly journal, a weekly voice memo, and a podcast ultimately captured a spirit of nuanced, deep and thoughtful investigation into race in America. To that end, this paper investigates the pros and cons of utilizing these assignments and considers their potential in conveying important student learning outcomes as it relates to racial politics. The paper relies heavily on student work in these assignments as tangible examples.