History, Race, and Survivor
Course Description
Summary
In 2006, the long-running reality television show Survivor decided to do something novel for its thirteenth season: they split contestants into tribes based on race. Controversy immediately followed. Advertisers pulled out and elected officials lobbied CBS not to air the season. But CBS stuck to their guns and released Survivor: Cook Islands.
This course introduces students to the sociohistorical construction of race while watching Survivor: Cook Islands. Every week, we will watch one episode of Cook Islands while reading about the social construction of race throughout key moments in U.S. history. Throughout, this course asks: what do we mean when we say race is socially constructed? What are its material consequences? And what does Survivor have to do with any of this?