RACIAL MICROAGGRESSION AMONG AFRICAN UNDERGRADUATES IN COLLEGES

By

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background1

Significance of Study3

Research Question5

Limitations of Study6

Structure of the Dissertation7

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY8

Research Design8

Researcher's Role9

Data Collection Procedures10

Data Analysis and Interpretation12

Informed Consent and Ethical Considerations13

References15

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

This chapter will inject the reader with the required information in order to understand the nomenclature of the Research. This chapter tends to focus on the aims and objectives of the research along with the other notions, which helps reader to decipher the functioning of the research. This section of the research inculcates the notions such as background of the research, Significance of the Research, Research Questions, Dependent and Independent Variables along the purpose of study and limitations.

Background

Race is rendered as pseudo-biological categories based on skin color and is driven by the intention to socially construct and change along with the historical context. The racial and ethnic categories, as artificial and subjective as they may be, have very real implications in our society, as they are the basis of a system of privilege. Racism and oppression that reinforce power and privilege to whites and marginalization to everyone else remains intrinsic to our culture, evidenced by the discrepancies in almost every measure of success and well-being in our society. Racial discrimination and disadvantage are found in housing, residential segregation, employment opportunities, health care, and unfortunately in education. People of color are frequently perceived negatively, assigned inferior social status, and marginalized socially, culturally, politically, and economically. Discrimination or Racism does not exist in isolation; rather it tends to bring certain effects along with it.

Exposure to discriminatory experiences has been found to have a significant impact on behavioral and emotional outcomes among nonwhite groups and primarily on African-Americans. Negative impacts of racial discrimination tend to inculcate physical health and mental health within itself. Moreover, it also tends to effect self-esteem, and well-being. From a public health perspective, racial discrimination is clearly a risk factor for a number of health and mental health problems. Systemic, institutionalized racism is reinforced in numerous practices that are integral to everyday life and accepted as the norm even today. As the socio-cultural context changes, so do the forms of discrimination thus it becomes significant to understand the specific nature of racial discrimination in recent decades as it is crucial toward understanding its impact. Most scholars and citizens would agree that discrimination is most often no longer overt and/or violent in nature. Rather, current racial discrimination tends to be more subtle, characterized by displays of unintentional acts that are defined as racial micro-aggression.

Thus, examining the influence of micro-aggressions on young adults is an important area of investigation in the ongoing effort to understand behavioral, emotional, and educational outcomes in young adulthood and most importantly among the African-American Undergraduates. Before moving further the fact needs to be kept in mind that historically, Black American unlike his White male counterpart, achieving masculine privilege in the United States has not been a birthright for the African American male .Social and economic forces throughout American history have combined to ...