Constructing the ghetto: an analysis of the representation of Black urban communities in urban and community sociology courses

ABSTRACT

This article uses analysis of 72 syllabi to investigate portrayals of Black urban communities in undergraduate Urban and Community Sociology courses taught in colleges and universities in the United States. The authors conducted keyword analyses of the syllabi and content analyses of the assigned readings. Although professors’ course descriptions do not focus on poverty, segregation, and crime, assigned readings relating to Black communities largely focus on those topics. The authors argue that urban sociology classes reproduce the ‘iconic ghetto,’ the lens through which Black urban communities are perceived. This pattern poses a risk of reinforcing current structures of racial inequality. This study identifies a need for more nuanced representations of Black communities within undergraduate Urban and Community Sociology classrooms, particularly in terms of required readings and assignments. The authors provide pedagogical and methodological suggestions around the use of ‘portraiture’ to develop syllabi that are more representative of the range of experiences in urban Black communities.

KEYWORDS:

• Critical race theory
• portraiture
• race
• representation
• urban sociology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. Collins uses the term ‘new racism’ to refer to racism in the post-civil rights era. It is shaped by globalization and the concentration of capital leading ‘wealth and poverty to continue to be racialized.’ There has been a shift from de jure racism as racism has become embedded in routines and structures. For Collins, ‘hegemonic ideologies’ communicated through mass media obscure racism (2004, 54). We argue that ‘hegemonic ideologies’ may shape students’ participation in college and university courses.

2. This is a pseudonym.

3. Dee Fink’s book Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses offers a list of verbs appropriate to guide learning outcomes in his broader taxonomy for successful course design.

4. The quote is from Orange’s text There, There, an examination of the range of experiences in Native American life.