Something else? There is no such thing as "white people" in the same as there is no such thing as "Asian people" or "black people." The Irish, French, Italians, Spanish, British, Russians and Iranians are all Caucasian and all have a radically different interactions with the world at large; different histories, different religions, cultures, languages. A dark skinned man from Niger, or South Africa, Haiti, South Chicago or even an Australian Aborigine are all "black" and all have radically different life paths and experiences. And if you think all Asians are the same, go to Korea and call a random person there Japanese and see what happens to you. Go to Viet Nam or Cambodia and call the locals Chinese and see what happens to you. (Note, don't do this as you will get the shit beat out of you.)

But... that's literally the point. Where that course description says

Whiteness is a rhetorical construct that exists only in discourse, yet its concrete effects impact societies all over the globe.

it is saying whiteness is a thing that only exists in our heads, but has real effects. The same could be (and is) said about other races. The way you study things that only exist in the collective consciousness is to read what people say about them. Aside from imaginary things that affect the real being inherently interesting, looking at pernicious imaginary things closely enough to see through them is how you free yourself from them. You are (were?) active in the atheist community, the second should make sense to you.

galen has a strange talent for baiting me into making arguments I usually don't care enough to make.