Overview and introduction
About This Collection
This collection gathers six classroom-tested assignments and activities from SOC 250: Racial and Ethnic Communities in the United States, the Lehman College course from which The Making of Race grew. Each is presented as a standalone open educational resource: a complete student-facing assignment, framed with context, adoption notes for instructors, and — where the assignment is graded — guiding principles for evaluation.
Together they form a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) informed arc. Frequent, low-stakes writing builds the habit of reading sociologically and writing analytically; a midpoint reflection turns that habit on the students' own learning; and a final analytical project asks for sustained, evidence-based argument. An ungraded weekly keyword ritual runs alongside, keeping the course's shared vocabulary visible from week to week.
The collection serves two audiences at once. Adopting instructors can lift any single assignment, or the full sequence, into their own courses — grading weights, due dates, and platform references have been removed or generalized, and each document notes where to adapt. Self-directed learners can use the same documents as structured exercises alongside the modules; each includes a brief note on working through it independently.
The two final projects — the Documentary Analysis Worksheet and the Policy Proposal Essay — are alternatives, not a sequence. The worksheet offers more scaffolding; the essay offers a more open-ended, application-oriented prompt with creative-format options. Choose one.
The Collection
Low-stakes, in-progress writing.
A weekly analytical post of approximately 200–250 words responding to the week's readings and media — the online equivalent of classroom discussion. This is where students develop the habit of reading sociologically and writing analytically about race and ethnicity, week after week. Includes guiding principles for pass/fail evaluation.
Ungraded class activity.
At the end of each week, students submit three to five keywords capturing that week's learning through a short intake form; the class revisits the aggregated word cloud at the opening of the following session. Includes the form text, the in-class routine, a live demonstration site, and a build-your-own recipe.
Writing-for-speaking.
Once per term, each student joins two or three peers to present one reading and facilitate conversation: main argument, key evidence, critical questions, connections to the weekly theme, and open-ended discussion questions. Includes a preparation guide, facilitation tips, a checklist, and guiding principles for evaluation.
Formal, metacognitive writing.
A 300-word midpoint reflection in which students take stock of how their understanding of race and ethnicity has evolved, name the readings and discussions that shifted their thinking, and plan their continued engagement with the course. Includes guiding principles for pass/fail evaluation.
Formal, analytical writing — a final project.
A structured three-section worksheet (600–800 words total) that moves from situating a documentary within a sociological framework, to close analysis of a pivotal scene with course readings as evidence, to synthesis into an argument about racial equity. Includes a substitutable documentary list and holistic evaluation criteria.
Formal, analytical writing — an alternative final project.
A 500-word essay or an equivalent creative project (a one-page flyer, short video, or podcast clip) connecting a specific historical insight about racial inequality to a proposed policy addressing present-day disparities. Includes format options and guiding principles for evaluation.
Using the Sequence
The assignments need not be adopted together. The weekly posts and keywords exercise establish a rhythm; the co-leading activity and midterm essay punctuate it; either final project concludes it. Instructors working on compressed calendars — the documentary worksheet was developed for a six-week summer session — can keep the arc and shorten the intervals.