Pilot Lecture: History of Race
Overview
Explore how race became a social construct—from colonial America to modern science—in this 38-minute lecture by Professor Kaye Whitehead.
Course No. 90087
This session examines the flawed historical, biological, and sociological theories that linked race to skin color, intelligence, and capability—and their enduring consequences.
Lecture Content
Race as a Social Construct
- 17th-Century Origins
- How colonial America codified racial hierarchies
- Pseudoscientific Myths
- Debunking race-based intelligence theories
- Civil Rights Legacy
- From segregation to 1970s activism

