Nick Lentz. Sarah Williams Azima Jariwala. Tiffany wood Race and Ethnicity Nick Lentz. Sarah Williams Azima Jariwala. Tiffany wood

Main Concepts

US Racial/Ethnic and Diversity Social Significance of Race and Ethnicity Changing Immigration Mosaic Dominant and Minority Groups Sources of Racial-Ethnic Frictions Major Racial and Ethnic US groups Sociological Explanations of Racial Inequality Interracial and Interethnic Relationships

Social significance Racial group: people who share visible physical characteristics that members of a society consider socially important Ethnic group: people who identify with a common national origin or cultural heritage. Racial-ethnic group: people who have distinctive physical and cultural characteristics

Dominant vs. minority Dominant group: Amy physically or culturally distinctive group that has the most political power, the greatest privileges, and he highest social status Minority group: a group of people who may be treated differently and unequally because of their physical, cultural, or other characteristics Genocide: the systematic effort to kill all members of a particular ethnic, religious, political, racial, or national group.

Dominant vs Minority cont. Segregation: the physical and social separation of dominant and minority groups. Acculturation: the process of adopting the language, values, beliefs, and other characteristics of the host culture. Assimilation: conforming to the dominant group's culture, adopting its language and values, and intermarrying with that group. Pluralism: minority groups maintain many aspects of their original culture while living peacefully with the host culture.

Racism Racism is a set of beliefs that one's own racial group is inherently superior to other groups.

Dominant Group It is any physical or culturally distinctive group that has the most economic and political power, the greatest privileges, and the highest social status

Genocide Is the systematic effort to kill all members of a particular ethnic, religious, political, racial, or national group

Prejudice An attitude that prejudged people, usually in a negative way Stereotype: an oversimplified or exaggerated generalization about a group. Scapegoat: individuals or groups whom people blame for their own problems or shortcuts

Segregation Is the physical and social separation of dominant and minority groups

Discrimination A behavior that treats people unequally or unfairly because of their group membership Individual discrimination; harmful action on a one-to- one basis by a dominant group member against someone in a minority group. Institutional discrimination: unequal treatments and fewer opportunities that minority groups members experience because of the everyday

Major Racial and Ethnic Groups

European Americans (a declining majority): about 58% of the population has European background. They come from the white Anglo-Saxon Protestants. Latinos (largest minority): 17% of the nations population. 64% of Latinos are from Mexico. African Americans (changing minority): 45 million African Americans make up 13% of the nations population. African Americans have the lowest income of all the racial groups. Asian Americans (model minority): 20 million make up 6% of the population. They have the highest education and own about 1.5 million businesses American Indians (growing nation): they are not immigrants and have been living in the US longer than any other group. Although they face many obstinate their educational levels have increased, and the justice department would not block tribes from growing or selling marijuana on their land. Middle eastern Americans ( an emerging minority): 57 million people in amend speak a language in their home other than English. Only 3% of that speak middle Eastern. They tend to be better educated and wealthier

Theories

Functionalist Immigrants provide workers Assimilation increases social solidarity Racial-ethnic inequality benefits dominant groups.

Conflict Conflict between dominant and minority groups Race is important factor Powerful groups maintain advantage through economic exploitations.

Feminist Women suffer from racism and sexism

Symbolic Interactionist Social interaction can increase or reduce racial and ethnic hostility Bad attitudes towards minorities can be lessened throug interaction.