Racial passing is a ubiquitous and contentious feature of social and cultural life in the United States. Taking "passing" as an object of analysis, this course is organized around the question of whether social identity should be understood as a set of essential characteristics or as a type of "performance." Discussions centering on readings and films entertain topics such as the conceptualization of race; the dynamics and meaning of racial passing; the movement for the recognition of biracial identities; and the question of "authenticity" in relation to social identities and the politics of the self. [Track C]