An open educational resource (OER) on the sociology of race and racism in the United States, by Minglei (Hart) Zhang.
- Canonical edition: Manifold @CUNY
- License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- Archived release (DOI): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21386222
The Making of Race is a full course reader in the sociology of race and racism, organized into six modules — Origins, Theories, Systemic Racism, Black Geographies, Movements, and Archives. Each module carries an overview and four unit readings, supported by case studies, study guides, sample assignments, and three sample syllabi. The published edition on Manifold @CUNY is the canonical version of the project; this repository holds the editable plain-HTML source, made available so the materials can be retained, revised, and remixed.
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├── README.md
├── LICENSE CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (full text)
├── CITATION.cff Machine-readable citation metadata
├── .gitignore
├── MANIFEST.md Every file mapped to its published URL on Manifold
├── front-matter/ Table of contents, introduction, cover-image essay,
│ acknowledgements, license, download-and-remix, case-studies intro
├── modules/ Six module overviews, each with its four unit readings
│ ├── module-1-origins/
│ ├── module-2-theories/
│ ├── module-3-systemic-racism/
│ ├── module-4-black-geographies/
│ ├── module-5-movements/
│ └── module-6-archives/
├── case-studies/ 48 case studies, grouped by module (module-1 … module-6)
├── resources/
│ ├── sample-syllabi/ Three SOC 250 syllabi
│ ├── sample-assignments/ Sample assignments and class activities
│ └── study-guides/ Reading and writing study guides
└── images/ Rights-cleared images and image-credits.md
Every file is a single, self-contained HTML document with Dublin Core metadata in its <head> — no build step, no scripts, no external stylesheets. MANIFEST.md maps each file to its published URL on Manifold.
These materials are built to be adapted. The full terms — what you may do, and how to attribute — are on the License and Rights and Download and Remix pages. In brief: every file is plain HTML that opens in any text editor and re-hosts anywhere, so you may teach directly from a unit, excerpt a case study or reading list, or download the source and revise it.
One practical note if you adapt these materials: every outbound link was verified before publication, but links age. Where a unit you reuse points to external readings, it is worth re-confirming those links are still live, and substituting an Internet Archive copy or one of the open-access alternatives noted throughout the units where a resource has moved.
Except where noted, the original materials in this repository are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Images are in the public domain or published under open licenses; each is credited, with its source and license, in images/image-credits.md and in its on-page caption.
Student projects that appear in the Manifold edition are not included in this repository and are not covered by this license. They are published on Manifold only, with their authors' consent, and their authors retain all rights.
Zhang, Minglei (Hart). The Making of Race: Topics in Race and Racism in the United States. New York: Manifold @CUNY, 2026. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21386222
If you adapt the materials, an attribution may take the form:
Adapted from The Making of Race: Topics in Race and Racism in the United States by Minglei (Hart) Zhang, used under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. This adaptation is likewise licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Minglei (Hart) Zhang