Part 1:Statement of the Problem. You will select one specific topic for the paper. The first assignment due is the opening of your paper: Make the case that there is a problem (what evidence would you use?), and that it is sufficiently compelling (significant how would you demonstrate that?) that we need to be thinking about it. The statement should be about two to three double spaced pages, with a clear statement of the problem usually appearing no later than the bottom of the second page.The Statement of the Problem is due by the beginning of class in Unit. Please be sure you have had at least one class member review your paper for clarity prior to submitting it. (10 points)In this class we will discuss the constructs of oppression, targets and non-targets, racism vs. prejudice, and privilege. We will look at some premises about power, in particular how power appears at the individual, group, institutional, and system-wide levels. Finally, we will explore the use of simulations as tools for encouraging deeper understanding about the dynamics of power.Learning Goals: 1. Understand some of the basic axioms of power and be able to identify them when they appear in operation in present events. 2. Be able to use the construct of power as a lens for the analysis of situations involving tensions around difference. 3. Identify examples of power in operation at the individual, group, institutional, and system levels.
Key Questions: 1. How does power interact with identity and our understanding of difference? 2. Where is power located? 3. How is power used, and by whom?