Throughout American history, issues of race and ethnicity have played a significant role in the political and social atmosphere of the US, having an effect not only on human lives, civil rights, and economic processes, but also on cultural zeitgeist. With the commercialization and distribution of television in the mid-20th century, these issues were reflected in the new medium in various ways. In this course we will look at race and ethnicity as they are depicted on US television: how is whiteness distinguished from other racial categories? How can racial representations display complexities, between stereotypes and realism? We will review the ways in which American television has dealt with racial tensions, examine questions regarding representation, genre, resistance, gender, and more. We will discuss television shows such as Amos and Andy, The Cosby Show, Devious Maids, Insecure, Ramy and the works of scholars of race such as Kristen Warner, Jacqueline Bobo, Herman Gray, Patricia Hill Collins, bell hooks, and others.