Michigan State University Extension
Diversity and Pluralism - D1120020
12/95/
ERIC TITLE NUMBER: ED339317 AUTHOR: Lafer, Mark
TITLE: Race, A Variable Construct in Introductory Textbooks
for Select Social Sciences Curricula in Contemporary
American Undergraduate Education. ASHE Annual Meeting
Paper.
YEAR PUBLISHED: 1991
NOTE: 34 p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the
Association for the Study of Higher Education (Boston, MA,
October 31-November 3, 1991).
ABSTRACT: This paper discusses the inclusion of race, both
as a construct and as an issue, in the introductory level
of the college social science curriculum. First, a review
of the literature concerning the general higher education
curriculum indicates that a general education should
prepare students for citizenship. Next, the paper presents
evidence that race remains a significant civil issue within
American society. Finally, a sample of what currently
constitutes the text-based content of the introductory
social science curriculum of race within anthropology,
psychology, and sociology in the context of current
biological thought is discussed. The sample review of these
textbooks, shows that the textbooks may be legitimately
organized into four categories based on how race is
handled: (1) ignores the issue of race as a construct; (2)
presents a confused or inconsistent interpretation of race;
(3) supports a biological construction for race; and (4)
supports a sociological interpretation, while denying the
validity of the biological construction. It is suggested
that the implications of these results extend beyond how
textbooks are written and, depending on how academia
constructs race, implies a corresponding impact on how
colleges and universities operate. Contains 60 references.
(GLR)
KEY DESCRIPTORS: College-Curriculum; Curriculum-Evaluation;
Higher-Education; Literature-Reviews; Social-Sciences;
Undergraduate-Study
KEY DESCRIPTORS: *Curriculum-Development; *Introductory
Courses; *Race-; *Racial-Attitudes; *Textbook-Bias;
*Textbook-Research
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