The aim of this course is to research the basic question of whether it matters for black Americans to be represented by black elected officials.  This question will be explored in terms of the normative concerns of what representation should entail in a democracy, the impact of descriptive representation on the realization of black policy aims, and the effects of black elected officials on the behavior of their constituents.  Although the primary focus is Congress and black politics, state and local representatives along with other types of descriptive representation will be incorporated into the discussion as appropriate.  Our goal in this course is not only to be exposed to arguments and evidence on all sides of these questions about the quality of black representation, but more importantly, to conduct original research so that we might draw our own conclusions.