Sociology
SEVENTEENTH EDITION
Chapter 15
Race and Ethnicity
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Learning Objectives (1 of 2)
15.1 Explain the social construction of race and ethnicity.
15.2 Describe the extent and causes of prejudice.
15.3 Distinguish discrimination from prejudice.
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Learning Objectives (2 of 2)
15.4 Identify examples of pluralism, assimilation, segregation, and genocide.
15.5 Assess the social standing of racial and ethnic categories of U.S. society.
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The Power of Society
Is our choice to cast a vote for a
particular candidate a purely
“personal” decision?
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The Social Meaning of Race and Ethnicity (1 of 4)
15.1 Explain the social construction of race and ethnicity.
Race
• Socially constructed category of
people who share biologically
transmitted traits that members of a
society consider important
• Meanings and importance of race
vary across time and place.
• No society contains biologically
“pure” people.
• There is more genetic variation
within each racial category than
between categories.
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The Social Meaning of Race and Ethnicity (2 of 4)
Ethnicity
• A shared cultural heritage
• Like race, ethnicity is socially constructed.
• For most people, ethnicity is more complex than race.
• U.S. is a multiethnic society.
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The Social Meaning of Race and Ethnicity (3 of 4)
• Race is constructed from biological traits.
• Ethnicity is constructed from cultural traits, such as ancestry, language, or religion.
• Minority
– Any category of people distinguished by physical or cultural difference that a
society sets apart and subordinates.
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Figure 15–1 The Coming Minority
Majority
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The Social Meaning of Race and Ethnicity (4 of 4)
Minorities
• Two important characteristics
– Distinctive identity
▪ Race, sex, sexual orientation, the poor
– Subordination
▪ Lower income, lower occupational prestige, limited schooling
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
National Map 15–1 Where the Minority
Majority Already Exists
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Prejudice and Stereotypes (1 of 6)
15.2 Describe the extent and causes of prejudice.
• Prejudice
– Rigid and unfair generalization about an entire category of people
• Stereotype
– A simplified description applied to every person in some category
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Prejudice and Stereotypes (2 of 6)
Hard Work: The Immigrant Life in the United States
• Immigrants to the U.S. do the jobs that no one else wants.
• About half of all housekeepers, household cooks, tailors, and restaurant waiters are
men or women born abroad.
• Few immigrants make much more than the official minimum wage ($7.25 in 2017).
• Rarely do immigrant workers receive any health or pension benefits.
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Prejudice and Stereotypes (3 of 6)
Measuring Prejudice: The Social Distance Scale
• Social distance scale
– How closely people are willing to interact with members of some category
– Student opinion shows a trend toward greater social acceptance.
– People see fewer differences among various minorities.
– September 11, 2001, probably has increased prejudice toward Arabs and
Muslims.
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Figure 15–2 Bogardus Social Distance
Research
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Prejudice and Stereotypes (4 of 6)
Racism
• Belief that one racial category is innately superior or inferior to another
• Widespread throughout U.S. history
• Decrease in overt racism in the U.S., but still serious social problem
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Prejudice and Stereotypes (5 of 6)
Theories of Prejudice
• Scapegoat theory
– Disadvantaged people unfairly blame minorities for their own problems.
• Authoritarian personality theory
– Rigid moralists conform to conventional cultural values and see moral issues as
clear-cut matters of right and wrong.
– “Better” people (like themselves) dominate those who are weaker (all minorities).
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Prejudice and Stereotypes (6 of 6)
• Culture theory
– Prejudice is embedded in culture.
• Conflict theory
– Self-justification for the rich and powerful in the U.S.
– Cultivation of climate of race consciousness for greater power and privileges by
minorities
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Discrimination (1 of 3)
15.3 Distinguish discrimination from prejudice.
Institutional Prejudice and Discrimination
• Discrimination: Unequal treatment of various categories of people
• Institutional prejudice and discrimination
– Bias built into the operation of society’s institutions
• Carmichael and Hamilton
– People are slow to condemn or recognize institutional prejudice and
discrimination.
– It often involves respected public officials and long-established practices.
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Discrimination (2 of 3)
In 2014, eighteen-year-old Michael
Brown was shot and killed by
twenty-eight-year-old Darren
Wilson, a police officer in Ferguson,
Missouri.
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Discrimination (3 of 3)
Prejudice and Discrimination: The Vicious Circle
• Prejudice and discrimination begin as ethnocentric attitudes.
• Groups can be placed in a situation where they are socially disadvantaged and
labeled.
• A group's situation is explained as a result of innate inferiority rather than looking at
the social structure.
• The cycle repeats itself.
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Figure 15–3 Prejudice and
Discrimination: The Vicious Circle
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Majority and Minority:
Patterns of Interaction (1 of 2)
15.4 Identify examples of pluralism, assimilation, segregation, and genocide.
Pluralism
• People of all races and ethnicities are distinct but have equal social standing
Assimilation
• Minorities gradually adopt patterns of the dominant culture
• Miscegenation
– Biological reproduction by partners of different racial categories
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Majority and Minority:
Patterns of Interaction (2 of 2)
Segregation
• Physical and social separation of categories of people
Genocide
• Systematic killing of one category of people by another
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Race and Ethnicity
in the United States (1 of 9)
15.5 Assess the social standing of racial and ethnic categories of U.S. society.
Native Americans
• Forced assimilation, relocation, and low social standing
• Forty-one American Indian nations and six Alaskan Native nations
– Made up of more than 600 smaller tribal groups
• Most remain severely disadvantaged
– A profound sense of injustice
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
National Map 15–2 Land Controlled by
Native Americans, 1784 to Today
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Table 15–2 The Social Standing of Native
Americans, 2015
Table 15–2 The Social Standing of Native Americans, 2015
blank
Native Americans
Entire U.S. Population
Median family income
$46,006
$70,797
Percentage in poverty
26.6%
13.5%
Completion of four or more
years of college (age 25 and
older)
14.1%
33.4%
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau (2016)
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Race and Ethnicity
in the United States (2 of 9)
White Anglo-Saxon Protestants
• 31.3 million claim this background
– Highly skilled and motivated immigrants
– Higher social standing than other immigrants
– Wealth and power peaked by about 1950
– Assume terms “race” and “ethnicity” do not personally apply
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Race and Ethnicity
in the United States (3 of 9)
African Americans
• Slavery became foundation of southern colonial plantation system
• 13th Amendment outlawed slavery
• 1950s-1960s national civil rights movement
• Racial hierarchy persists
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Race and Ethnicity
in the United States (4 of 9)
• The Congressional Black Caucus
represents the increasing political power
of African Americans in the United States.
Even so, in 2017, African Americans
accounted for just forty-six members of
the House of Representatives, three
members of the U.S. Senate, and no state
governors.
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Race and Ethnicity
in the United States (5 of 9)
Asian Americans
• 18 million, 5.6 percent of U.S. population
• Enormous diversity within category
– Attention commanded as high
achievers
– “Model minority” stereotype
– Chinese Americans, Japanese
Americans, and recent Asian
immigrants
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Race and Ethnicity
in the United States (6 of 9)
Hispanic Americans/Latinos
• Over 56 million people of Hispanic descent in U.S.
– Cluster of distinct populations, each of which identifies with a particular ancestral
nation
– Median family income below national average
– Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Race and Ethnicity
in the United States (7 of 9)
Arab Americans
• Increasing in size
– Ancestors lived in a variety of
countries and cultures differ
from society to society
– All social classes represented
– Often stereotyped as terrorists
and target of hate crimes
This mosque rises above the cornfields
in a rural area near Toledo, Ohio.
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Race and Ethnicity
in the United States (8 of 9)
White Ethnic Americans
• Persist in many U.S. cities, especially
in the Northeast region of the country
– Primarily working-class men and
women whose ancestors came
to U.S. as immigrants
– Endured some prejudice and
discrimination
To many people, areas such as
Philadelphia's Italian Market are a
source of attractive cultural diversity.
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
National Map 15–3 The Concentration of Hispanics or Latinos, African
Americans, Asian Americans, and Arab Americans, by County
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Race and Ethnicity
in the United States (9 of 9)
Race and Ethnicity: Looking Ahead
• The United States will remain a land of immigrants.
• Today’s immigrants are Latin American, Asian, Mexican, Indian, Filipino, and Cuban.
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Photo Credits
386: Gregory Reed/Shutterstock; 388: Creatista/Shutterstock; 389: Charles
O’Rear/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images; 389: Paul Matthew Photography/
Shutterstock; 389: Se media/Shutterstock; 389:
Wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock; 389: Paul W. Liebhardt; 389: Agencja
Fotograficzna Caro/Alamy Stock Photo; 393: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
News/Getty Images; 396: Ed Endicott/Alamy Stock Photo; 398: Joe
Raedle/Getty Images; 401: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Division[LC-USZ62-98729]; 402: Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo; 402:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division[LCUSZ62-119343]; 402:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division[LCUSZ62-7816]; 402:
Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images; 404: Benjamin Applebaum/506
collection/Alamy Stock Photo; 406: RosaIreneBetancourt 6/Alamy Stock
Photo; 408: Hill Street Studios/Crystal Cartier; 409: Jim West/Alamy Stock
Photo; 410: Andre Jenny/Stock Connection Worldwide/Newscom; 411:
HONGQI ZHANG/123 RF GB; 412: David De Lossy/Getty Images; 413:
Steven Widoff/Alamy Stock Photo.
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Copyright
Copyright © 2019, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Length: APPROX. 350 NO MORE OR LESS. I will provide the chapter slides so you can have a
better understanding of this chapter.
Your task in this discussion board is to display your critical thinking skills by applying some of
the sociological concepts you learned in the chapter to contemporary society. To accomplish this
you must find a Youtube clip (be sure to include the link at the beginning of your main
post) and apply at least two concepts (you can use more if you like) from the chapter to the
content of your selected clip in your main post. In your response post you must cite the text one
time in proper ASA format.
Important Note For All Academic Discussion Boards
Please refrain from using clips from Youtube that are entitled "Crash Course Sociology". These
clips simulate a lecture; hence, when these clips are used by a student they generally "describe"
concepts instead of "applying" concepts. Need to focus on a specific topic and "apply" concepts
from the current chapter.
Hints On Possible Concepts to Cover From This Chapter:
The social meaning of “race” and “ethnicity”; minority; prejudice; stereotype; racism; Scapegoat
Theory; Authoritarian Personality Theory; Culture Theory; Conflict Theory; discrimination;
institutional prejudice and discrimination; pluralism; assimilation; segregation; genocide; and
focus on racial and ethnic groups in the United States (Native Americans, White Anglo-Saxon
Protestants, African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, Arab Americans,
and White Ethnic Americans)
Note: can also use the theories of W.E.B. Du Bois (double consciousness and the veil)
Reference: Macionis, John. 2017. Sociology. Pearson Learning.
Purchase answer to see full
attachment