Short Writing Assignment One: Due Wednesday, October 18

An experiment:

The idea of race tends to “naturalize” difference, to turn differences that are social and cultural and render them as natural (as part of peoples’ inherent biology make-up, or to depict them as “just the way things are”). Your task is to find and discuss an example in the contemporary media (newspapers, TV, the internet, movies, film, etc.) of the naturalization of race. You can discuss written texts, spoken words, images, video, etc. Why is this an example of the naturalization of race? How is a form of difference that might be seen as social or cultural rendered as natural? Why does it matter?

–The assignment should be approximately one page, double-spaced. Do not exceed one page and a half.

–You should document your source (for example, the name and date of the newspaper, or the website, etc.) so that we can find it.

Do not freak out. This is an experiment