intersection of racial and economic segregation and social problems in rural and urban areas of the United States

In this course, we have examined the intersection of racial and economic segregation and social problems in rural and urban areas of the United States. This assignment gives you an opportunity to see racial segregation in the U.S. and in places familiar to you. Segregation means the systematic separation of social groups (could be based on gender, class, race, disability, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc.). Racial segregation is when the separation of groups based on race. There is widespread residential (where people live) segregation by race in this country. The exercise is based on the Cooper Racial Dot Map, an online interactive map designed by Dustin Cable and hosted at the University of Virginia. The map uses color-coded data from the 2010 census (hopefully to updated soon with 2020 census data) to plot the race of households by address for the entire United States that can be viewed almost down to the household level. First, read about The Racial Dot Map here:

https://demographics.coopercenter.org/racial-dot-map/#overview

Next, check out the map. Zoom in and out, and look all around at the United States, zooming in on places you are interested in or have been or lived. Note that you can turn on map labels (labeling towns and cities) with the button in the upper left.

http://racialdotmap.demographics.coopercenter.org/

After checking it out, use the map to address the following questions. You do not need to draw on any readings or other materials for this assignment.

1. For this question and the next, zoom in on the following cities: Detroit, Michigan; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; Orlando, Florida; Richmond, Virginia; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Based on this sample of U.S. cities, are the cities in the north more, less, or about equally racially segregated than the cities in the south? Draw on specific observations from at least two cities to support your answer.

2. For each of the seven cities separately, rank the following groups in terms of their likelihood of living near White people (1 being most likely to live near White people, 2 being less likely, and 3 being least likely): Asian Americans, Black Americans, and Hispanic Americans. What patterns do you notice? Why do you think some groups are more likely to live near White Americans than others?

3. For this question, use Boston or some other city you are more familiar with (your own town, or another city you know. Find some geographical feature (could be a

road, river, railroad tracks, etc.) that serves as a dividing line between distinct racially segregated neighborhoods. If you don’t have personal knowledge of such a feature, find one on the map and Google it. Explain your relationship with this place and how you see it as a divider. If you don’t have personal knowledge of a place, explain what you found in your Google search.

4. Find Amherst on the map. Is Amherst racially segregated? Where, if at all, are the dividing lines in Amherst? Which groups are divided by the lines? Compare the Umass campus to other parts of Amherst.

5. Almost 30 years ago, sociologists Doug Massey and Nancy Denton called racial segregation a “durable phenomenon”. What do you think they meant by that? Does your examination of these places in the United States support this claim?

6. Some sociologists point to the ways that racism creates segregation, and others point to the way that segregation creates racism. What are some reasons that both of these statements are true?

Assignment Guidelines

Number your answers to each question.

Each answer should be about a paragraph Use complete sentences, except maybe in question 2 when you are ranking

10-12-point Arial/Times New Roman/Other not wacky font Standard Margins (1 inch top and bottom, 1.25 sides)

No need to use any materials except for the map and your brain