The course will help learners to understand and appreciate the impact of race, ethnicity, and cultural diversity on American society, culture, law and institutions from colonial times through the current. Ethnicity and race are ideologic and cultural terms that encompass all individuals and groups. This course is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the ideologies and cultural diversity that underpin America's past and current history. This course focuses on historical and socio-cultural relationships between European Americans and Native Americans as well as African Americans and Latino/as. It also includes Asian/Pacific Americans. To understand the meanings of ethnicity and race in American society, we will examine issues of ethnicity across diverse ethno-cultural traditions. We use aracea, adiversitya, and both to refer to all Americans. However, different historical experiences can lead us into fundamental and unique cultural differences. Race and ethnicity are dynamic and complex cultural and ideological processes that influence all social institutions and belief systems.
