University of Illinois Affirmative Action and Legacy Admissions Discussion

RWA 5 – Affirmative Action and Legacy Admissions

1.Discuss Affirmative Action with a friend or family member (could be one of the people you talked to for the last RWA). Find out if they know how the policy was created, and if they do not, try your best to explain how the policy came into being with President Kennedy’s Executive Order. Find out what they know or believe about the following concepts: structural racism, colorblind ideology, and “reverse racism.” The purpose of this part of the assignment is not to get into an argument but to discover what people know and what they may need to know. In your RWA, provide an account of this conversation and write about your own thoughts on the three concepts listed above.

2.Read Larew (2010), and discuss your reactions to admissions practices used by Harvard.

Explain how colorblind ideology as you currently understand it might be related to the construct of legacy described by Larew. Reflect on your own experience with the idea of colorblindness in relation to race and racial identity, etc. How do legacy admissions relate to Affirmative Action, privilege, and other ideas we have discussed in class?