One of the gifts of Covid19 is that with few opportunities to socialize and travel I have more time to educate myself in topics I care deeply about. I enrolled in this course on the suggestion of a friend to learn more about systemic racism. As an asynchronous, online course I must admit I did not have really high expectations. I knew I would learn something, however, I did not anticipate the depth, quality and amount of work the course would entail. The video lectures by Dr. James Anderson were captivating and organized into bite-sized chunks making the weekly coursework very accessible for the busy professional. What I didn't expect was the time it would take to write the Final Paper, but I must admit the time I invested in the assignment brought both depth and breadth to my learning. I highly recommend this course!

I had to extend my deadlines a couple of times because I struggled a bit, probably mostly because I had not thought a lot about some of the concepts of identity and how my identity is perceived by others. I learned so much in this class, not just US History that isn't taught in grade school, but how it relates to the current situations across the nation with questioning the methods of law enforcement and criminal justice. This is an eye-opener and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to take the time to study this and highly recommend it for anyone that struggles with these issues. I fully expect that I will return to these resources and know now that I will continue to learn about these issues for the rest of my life.

This course has been a very positive experience for me. The lectures were informative, precise, and helpful in navigating race in my very own life and in the world, as it is today, especially. It has also been very uplifting to read and grade my classmates' work, learning from them and reflecting on their findings and resources. Thankful to have taken this course as it has been an enriching addition in my educational background and know I will continue to use the knowledge as I learn to make sense of the world around me, especially as an educator in the 21st century. Thank you for enabling us all to continue learning and educating ourselves, even while working from home during a pandemic!

The course content was great! The information was well-organized and presented well. The additional readings and videos were excellent. The assignments, however, were difficult to interpret. The assignment descriptors did not always match the grading rubric. The assignments were difficult to complete and to grade because you couldn't see the rubric until you had submitted your own assignment and were reviewing someone else's. It would be helpful if the rubrics were provided with the assignment information so that the participants have a clear understanding of what is expected and how their submissions will be scored.

WOW. This blew my mind. It was unexpectedly rigorous. I took the certificate course. I wasn't expecting to write research papers but that was required. I loved it. I am a lifelong learner. And were it not for my desire to earn the certificate, I would have only watched the videos and read the articles. I would not have conducted my own research. But it was good for me. A healthy challenge, a learned so much, and it's got my brain morphing in all kinds of fresh ways. Outstanding. I will definitely be looking at Coursera coursers taught by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, because it was such high quality.

The course was everything that I had hoped and more. It was quite intensive and I learned a lot around race and cultural diversity in American life and history. Great educational materials, videos and references..and I truly enjoyed James Anderson's style. Something about his manner of teaching was captivating, approachable and personable. He is a wonderful educator and I am very happy with this, my first experience with Coursera. Looking forward to selecting my next course. Thanks Coursera. Feels like I made a great investment.

I truly enjoyed taking this course. I wanted to take this course to enable me to design a class for my high school curriculum on Race and Diversity for the 21-22 school year. The lectures and the videos were particularly engaging and enlightening. This course gave me a place to start for my own students, but more importantly, through the research that I did for my final paper, I learned more about me and how my own teaching needs to transform to be both more inclusive and equitable.

Great course. FYI, you can complete most of the work in the first two weeks in ~2 hours (except for any of the supplemental materials) but the last two weeks are way more than that. Much more of a self-driven course than something that was facilitated. If that's what you're looking for, then this is the right place. It pushed me to think more, do more and new research, and really address some of the things I've I needed to... but didn't know where to start.

Essential course for all teachers! The nuances of how race is social construct that is fluid according to different time periods is revealing of the bias in society. The omission of the sins of our nation opened my eyes and I gained a new perspective on culture and diversity. Teachers need to research and learn about American history from a source other than a textbook. This course offers an in-depth view of the real history of the American story.

I thoroughly enjoyed taking this class with Dr. James Anderson because this course challenged my entire being and humbles me to hear the stories and learn about the history. Many thoughts, many feelings, and many emotions as I went through this course. I faced my own history, my family and friends, and my values. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Anderson, the staff that made this course possible, and the set up of this course. Thank you.

This is an excellent course that will cause you to do a bit of self-reflection and learn a great deal about race and culture in America. I found that I learned so many things that as a white person I had no idea about. The course will challenge you a bit as well...if it has been a while since you've written a research paper you might want to make sure to have access to an APA manual--or just ask your high schooler---they can help!

Excellent! Dr Anderson brings together a diverse set of resources to help expand our understanding of race and cultural diversity in the USA both historically and academically. I've benefited much from this series and very glad I took the accredited track. It has helped strengthen the conversations I have with others who may think differently to me and the patience to listen more carefully. Thank You!

Dr. Anderson utilized historical references, methodologies, theories, and factual information to examine variations of race, culture, and ethnicity. The following course Race and Culture Diversity in American Life and History is highly-recommended. The following course offers thought-provoking content as well as assignments that will challenge or adjust your overall perceptions of culture in America.

The depth of knowledge from Dr Anderson is astounding! This course offers great perception into the constructs of race, class, and other social institutions. Be ready to have your ideas challenged, and to walk away with greater empathy for those who have suffered, and understanding of what various ethnicities and cultures provide to the tapestry that is America.

Exceptional course. The course was well-organized, incredibly informative, and filled with fantastic resources. For anyone wanting to learn more about American policy that has influenced institutional racism in our country , this is the course to take. Fantastic! I won't soon forget what I learned and how much more I need to research to be better informed!

The course was very educational and informative. There were historically events in American history that have shaped this country that I was not aware of until completing the course. The format of the course was flexible to all full-time workers to complete at your own pace. I am planning to take several more courses with Coursera. Great experience..

This was a great course! I learned a lot through analyzing my own implicit bias and learning about different races through videos, my own research, and reviewing other's ideas. I definitely recommend this class to others. I wish if a peer was planning on giving someone lower than a 75% (essentially failing them) that they are required to give feedback.

I give this course 5 stars because it was really an eye opener. Even though I was aware of some bias and discrimination, this course gave me the opportunity to do a deep dive into the history of bias and discrimination in the U.S. This history has been restricted on so many educational levels and I'm glad it was available!

What a solid and enjoyable course. Such a relevant topic and never more so than our current time. Great instruction, excellent videos and materials for review. Easy learning process. A little beholden to peers reviewing your work but if you get the coursework in on time it is less relevant. Thank you for the experience.

An absolutely exception course covering history right up to the present. Really puts race and ethnicity into perspectives. The professor was very clear, articulate, interesting and knowledgeable about the subject. Although there were weekly assignments, they helped to put to use all the things learned in the course.

Excellent Course!

Congratulation Professor James D. Anderson for the excellence in his classes ,, for his high level content expertise and course management.

Congratulation to the Coursera staff that has planned and organized the material in a very suitable way favoring the distance learning.

Thank you all!

Muy bueno e interesante. Excelente para quienes quieren tener una visión más amplia sobre el problema del racismo, sus fuentes y esfuerzos por cambiar la situación. Si bien esta enfocado en la historia de los EEUU, los videos y tareas son fisilmente adaptables al contexto social de otros países.

Es un maravilloso curso, ya que nos lleva a identificar los problemas complejos que han originado la discriminación en el mundo. Recomendado para que tomemos consciencia y apliquemos la igualdad y el respeto en nuestras comunidades, además de ayudarnos a recuperar y fortalecer el tejido social.

Dr. James Anderson was outstanding and this course was exceptional. Very well organized, excellent additional material provided and although more work than I initially anticipated, very well worth the time and effort. I would highly recommend this course to anyone considering taking it.

Dr. Anderson did an amazing job of presenting a very emotionally difficult subject. The content of the course was very interesting and at times difficult to face as it laid bare the political and ethical faces of racism. Thank you Dr. Anderson! You are much appreciated. -=-Debra