Accessibility statement

The Racial State - SOC00039H

« Back to module search

  • Department: Sociology
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Patricia Hamilton
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: H
  • Academic year of delivery: 2023-24

Module summary

In this module, you will think critically about understandings of race and racism, and the connections between racism and the state. You will explore how race has informed modern state formation, is used an important aspect of social stratification and experienced in everyday life and consider how we might move beyond racial structuration.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 1 2023-24

Module aims

Is racism an aberration, a phenomenon contrary to accepted liberal conventions and norms? Against earlier claims that society was moving towards being ‘post-race’, systemic racism has come to the forefront in recent years around issues of police violence, enduring inequalities and the rise of racially-motivated far-right movements. In this module, we aim to think critically about our understandings of race and racism, and the connections between racism and the state. We consider the way race has informed modern state formation, continues to be used as an important aspect of social stratification and is experienced at the level of everyday life. We also reflect on the significance of the postracial, both in terms of suggestions that racism is of the past or has been overcome, and how we might look to move beyond racial structuration.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, you will be able to:

1. Engage with the sociological and related disciplinary literatures on the connections between racism and the state

2. Articulate an understanding of racism as a structuring device and reflect critically on social, economic, political and cultural inequalities.

3. Critically discuss the theoretical literature on the racial state in relation to grounded empirical realities and postraciality in different national contexts

4. Demonstrate and evaluate your understanding of the connections between the conceptualisations of race in Europe and racial governance in colonized states.

5. Demonstrate your ability to synthesise and analyse complex information and communicate key points in a range of written and verbal formats.

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Racism in cultural representation		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Racism in cultural representation		 N/A 100

Module feedback

For formative work - a cultural representation- students will receive written or verbal feedback on how to improve their skills in areas that will contribute towards their summative assessment. Both formative assessments provide practice for the summative task which is in line with MLO 2 & 5.

For summative work -essay - students will receive an overall mark and grading according to clearly defined criteria for assessing their knowledge, skills and abilities in line with MLO 1-5. They will also receive written feedback showing areas in which they have done well, and those areas in which they need to improve that will contribute to their progress.

Indicative reading

  • Goldberg, D.T. (2002) The Racial State, Oxford: Blackwell.
  • Winant, H. (2004) The New Politics of Race, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
  • Kundnani, A. (2007) The End of Tolerance, London: Pluto Press


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.