"Beyond Challenges: Insights from Reflection Papers in a Race and Ethnic Relations Course".

Popular mainstream explanations for racial inequality and animosity often focus on the role that individuals play in their perpetuation, rather than institutions. Students are socialized in these kinds of arguments before entering the college classroom. These messages may run counter to sociological arguments regarding racial/ethnic inequality, which raises questions regarding how students relate to the material presented in these courses. This paper approaches student understanding by focusing on what students seem to be interested in, based on reflection papers from a sociological course on race/ethnic relations. I seek to better understand what subjects/topics students are drawn to, and the strategies they use to relate those topics to their everyday lives. Intersectionality, labor market discrimination, and educational disparities were prominent discussions among the papers. To varying degrees, students personalized course concepts to racial examples from their lives, but tended to avoid implicating themselves in the maintenance of racial inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]