ETHNIC STUDIES PROGRAM
Associate Professors: Ramón D. Chacón, James S. Lai (Program Director)
Assistant Professors: Perlita Dicochea, Robin Hayes
The Ethnic Studies Program provides a critical analysis of historical and contemporary formations of race, ethnicity, class, and gender. In the pursuit of social justice, it challenges dominant views of racial and ethnic groups that lead to inequalities. Ethnic studies focuses on the roles and experiences of African Americans, Asian/Pacific Islander Americans, Latinas/Latinos, Native Americans, and other racialized peoples within the framework of the United States and within transnational frameworks.
As an academic program, ethnic studies fosters interdisciplinary inquiry. The faculty comprise a community of scholars of critical race and ethnic studies, while serving as teachers, mentors, and role models for undergraduate students. Ethnic studies strives to make connections between University learning, racial and ethnic communities, and social change and encourages a reflective engagement with society and a commitment to fashioning a more humane and just world. The Ethnic Studies Program serves as a resource for students, faculty, and staff across the University who are interested in issues of race and ethnicity. The program offers a minor in ethnic studies.
The ethnic studies minor complements a student’s major by broadening the field of study to include an academic focus on race/ethnicity. It enhances a student’s employment opportunities in business, education, law, medicine, social work, and government. The minor provides a foundation for graduate studies for students who plan to become university professors and researchers with a specialization in ethnic studies.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MINOR
Students must fulfill the following requirements for a minor in ethnic studies:
- ETHN 5
- Two courses from ETHN 10, 20, 30, 40
- Three upper-division courses in an area of specialization (i.e., African American studies, Asian American studies, Chicana/Chicano studies, or comparative ethnic studies)
- ETHN 198 or 199
Departmental Courses Applicable to the Minor
Note: For descriptions, see the listings of the relevant departments. Students should consult with the director of the Ethnic Studies Program to determine the applicability of courses taken at other institutions or in study abroad programs.
- ANTH 86, 90, 146
- ARTH 141
- COMM 121A, 127A
- ECON 155
- EDUC 106
- ENGL 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 69, 130, 134G, 139, 140, 155, 158, 166
- HIST 104, 180
- MUSC 20, 62/162
- SPAN 133
- POLI 153, 185
- PSYC 189
- RSOC 91, 164, 184
- SOCI 132, 150, 153, 175, 190
- THTR 14, 15, 65, 161, 189
LOWER-DIVISION COURSES
5. Introduction to the Study of Race and Ethnicity in the United States
Focuses on immigration and intercultural race relations for the major cultures of color in the United States: African American, Asian American, Latina/o, and Native American. Discussion of each group historically in relationship to each other and the dominant culture. Through critical readings, class discussion, and film, students will have opportunity to develop a solid intercultural foundation to the understanding of race and cultural diversity in United States. Course is a basis for classes offered by all faculty in the Ethnic Studies Program particularly the introductory level courses. The course also serves as an introduction to the minor in the Ethnic Studies Program. (4 units)
10. Introduction to Native American Studies
Multidisciplinary course addressing key issues regarding identity and definition among indigenous peoples in the United States. How members of each group view themselves; how they are defined by others; how interactions between the different cultures influence one another. (4 units)
20. Introduction to Chicana/Chicano Studies
Survey course in Chicana/Chicano studies addressing key issues in Chicana/o communities in the United States. Focuses on such issues as immigration, culture, family, family and kinship, identity, gender roles, religion, education, politics, and labor force participation. (4 units)
30. Introduction to African American Studies
Students will engage in major debates about the history, politics, and cultures of communities of African descent living in the United States. Students will examine texts at the cutting edge of interdisciplinary scholarship in African American studies in order to explore the key themes of origins, power, community, identity, and expression that are central to understanding race-related issues. In addition, students will create innovative research projects to help develop positions about the ideology of race, the dynamics of group consciousness, and the significance of collective action, self-determination and aesthetics to the African American experience. (4 units)
31. Introduction to African American Art
Also listed as ARTH 46. For course description see ARTH 46. (4 units)
40. Introduction to Asian American Studies
Multidisciplinary survey of Asian Americans. Asian cultural heritage, immigration, and the formation of Asian American communities. World views and values, religious beliefs, family and kinship, language. Contemporary community issues of identity, sex roles, stereotyping, employment, and education. (4 units)
50. Introduction to Filipino American Studies
Mainstream representations of the Filipino American community. Twentieth-century works written by and about Filipino Americans, with an emphasis on four relevant themes: the legacy of Spanish Colonialism and American Imperialism; U.S. politics and the history of Filipino American activism and resistance; problems of identity as it relates to class, gender/sexuality, mixed heritages, and generational differences; and Filipino Americans and popular culture. (4 units)
55. Cross-Racial Electoral Politics
Examination of the historical and contemporary political movements among the major minority groups in the United States since the 1960s. The origins and goals of the Black Power movement, the Chicano/a movement, the Asian American movement, and the Native American movement will be focused on during the quarter. Each of these movements embodies similar and different trails with regard to their respective group’s quest for political power and elected representation. Due to contemporary immigration trends, Latinos and Asian Americans have challenged the black-white paradigm that has traditionally defined U.S. racial politics in local and state level politics. The result, in some instances, has been interracial competition and conflict at these levels. The necessary elements needed to build and to sustain multiracial coalitions along with what the political future holds for these minority groups will be addressed. (4 units)
96. Race, Class, and Culture Through Film
Explores how filmmakers who are concerned about racism portray the politics, history, and culture of people of African descent. Examines how this medium can humanize subjects who are often objectified and exploited and give voice to communities whose perspectives and opinions have been historically excluded from mainstream discourses. Considers how films can interrogate the physical, cultural, and, sometimes, psychological brutality of racist practices as well as the ways that racism intersects with other forms of marginalization related to class, gender, sexuality, and citizenship. The content, production, and distribution of these cinematic portraits illuminate the political philosophies, hybrid cultures, and emancipating collective action of black communities. Integrates students in faculty research by involving students in a documentary film project about the relationship between the social movements for African liberation and black power. (4 units)
UPPER-DIVISION COURSES
112. Native Peoples of the United States and Mexico
Examination of the national policies, ideologies, and attitudes that have shaped the lives of indigenous peoples living along the U.S.-Mexico border. Issues include cultural survival, cultural change, national and individual identity, gender relations, legal and political problems, and intercultural relations. (5 units)
120. Mexican Immigration to the United States
Examination of the process of Mexican immigration to the United States since 1910 with a focus on the role of Mexican immigrant labor in California agribusiness. An analysis of reasons for Mexican immigration and the responses of the United States to such immigration. Special focus on Mexican farm laborers, the various movements to organize them, and on Cesar Chavez and the UFW. (5 units)
121. Chicana/Chicano Families and Gender Roles
An examination of Chicana/Chicano families in the United States. Addresses two general areas in family research: (1) the historical development of Mexican immigrant families and subsequent generations of communities and families of Mexican Americans, and (2) a life-cycle analysis of families with a specialized focus on gender roles and relations. (5 units)
122. Chicana/Chicano Communities
Examination of the development of the social, cultural, political, and economic structures that shape Chicana/Chicano communities in the United States. Themes include the evolution of barrios, the historical and contemporary impact of Mexican land grants, ghettoization, education, gangs, employment, and the political economy. (5 units)
125. Latinas/os in the United States
Examination of the experience of Latinas/os in the United States, focusing on people of Mexican, Central American (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua), and Caribbean (Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic) descent. The countries of origin, immigration, settlement patterns, comparative issues, and the condition of Latinas/os in the United States will be explained. Course content addresses both historical and contemporary issues. (5 units)
130. Black Political Thought in Action
Exploration of the political theories and praxis of social movements in the black diaspora through the lens of memoir. Beginning with the slave narrative genre, autobiographies of activists of African descent have served as important tools for organizing support for social movements, providing historical evidence of the experiences of black communities, and challenging domestic and international policies that affect people of color. In addition, memoirs have provided an alternative space for black voices to be heard when they have been excluded or ignored by academic, media, and political institutions. Examination of social movements in the African diaspora through the life stories of activists. Students will observe how these texts reveal concerns about the meaning of autonomy, freedom, justice, and collective consciousness that are common to historically marginalized groups. Students will consider how personal experiences of race, class, gender, sexuality, and citizenship influence various forms of political participation. Students will interrogate the subjectivity and distortion of fact that are often found in even the most well-intentioned memoirs. (5 units)
134. Black Social Movements
Black social movements consistently challenge the marginalization of communities of African descent. In the process of contesting the legitimacy and consequences of physical terror, economic exploitation, and cultural misappropriation endured by their communities, social movements throughout the African diaspora have created many of the philosophies, repertoires of collective action, and aesthetic traditions that lay at the core of our understanding, and imagination, of black life and political dissent. Students will closely examine the work of two historical social movements in the African diaspora, Black Power and African Liberation, which envisioned freedom, justice, and self-determination for black communities. Students will learn about the ideas, tactics, and legacies of these movements by conducting interviews with Black Power and African Liberation activists. In addition, students will evaluate the work of black social movements that are currently organizing in their communities. Through research, readings, and class discussions, students will interrogate both the iconography and vilification of black social movements and their impact on race and politics in the present day. (5 units)
139. African American Psychology
Also listed as PSYC 189. For course description see PSYC 189. (5 units)
141. Asian American Women
An examination of Asian American women from a historical and contemporary framework within U.S. society. Focuses on the struggle for identity and adjustment in the first generation and the conflicts with subsequent generations of Asian American women. Analyzes two major themes: (1) the interplay of gender identity formation and conflict, both in the family and in the paid labor force, and (2) the development of individual and collective survival strategies. (5 units)
142. Asian American Communities
An examination of selected topics affecting Asian Americans in the United States. Issues include the changing nature of communities, community institutions, anti-Asian violence, occupational glass ceilings, higher education, political mobilization, gender relations, identity formation, and the new patterns of Asian immigration. (5 units)
150. Racial/Ethnic Writers in Comparative Perspective
An examination of the expression of race and ethnicity in the writings of African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Chicanas/os. Themes include the racial/ethnic/gender/class representation of self, identity, culture, and community in U.S. society. Focus on the interrelationship between literature and literary criticism and the sociohistorical context within which it is produced. (5 units)
151. Educating Linguistic and Cultural Minority Students
This course will prepare students who are interested in teaching to work with cultural and linguistic minority students. We will consider the ways in which different groups socialize children for learning and how learning patterns acquired in the home can conflict with the culture of school. Students will consider instructional approaches for working with diverse populations in their classrooms. (5 units)
154. Women of Color in the U.S.
This course will explore the historical and present-day issues for women of color in the U.S. inclusive but not limited to key topics such as sexuality, family, work, media, and activism. We will examine the impact of racism, sexism, and classism on African American, Asian American, Latina, Native, and white American women in the U.S. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we will also investigate their shared experiences as well as their differences. (5 units)
155. Racism in the United States
Multidisciplinary study of racism in the United States. Its historical manifestations from the arrival of Europeans in North America to contemporary times; its psychological dimensions (prejudice, stereotypes, discrimination); and its place in the U.S. political economy. Emphasis on African Americans, but includes discussion of Native Americans, Chicanos/as, and Asian Americans. (5 units)
156. Environmental Racism, Gender, and Justice
This course will examine the relationships between racial formation, gender, and class within the context of environmental problems and the distribution of resources. The course will also consider activities that may lead to a more equitable distribution of the costs and benefits of economic development, more sustainable forms of production, and economic dynamics that influence public health discrepancies by gender and race. While this course focuses on communities of color in the U.S., it also addresses binational and global instances of environmental injustice. (5 units)
159. Historical Perspectives in Hip Hop Culture
This course will examine the history and development of hip-hop culture, paying special attention to its social, cultural, racial, and political dimensions. We will probe the origins of hip-hop culture, deliberate its political crisis and racial conflict, and chart its evolution as a form of collective self-expression among urban youth. The course will explore four fundamental elements: rap music, politics, gender, and globalization. (5 units)
197. Special Topics in Ethnic Studies
(1–5 units)
198. Internship
(2–5 units)
199. Directed Reading/ Directed Research or Internship
A Capstone senior project representing a student’s specialization in ethnic studies. Prerequisite: Written approval by the director of the Ethnic Studies Program prior to registration. (2–5 units)
