ETHNIC STUDIES PROGRAM
Associate Professors: Ramón D. Chacón, Juliana Chang (Program Director), Bridget C. Cooks Cumbo
Assistant Professors: Perlita Dichochea, Robin Hayes, James Lai
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 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 46, 141
- COMM 121A, 127A
- ECON 155
- EDUC 106
- ENGL 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 69, 130, 134G, 139, 140, 155, 158, 166
- HIST 81, 104, 180
- MUSC 71
- SPAN 133
- POLI 153, 185
- 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
Multidisciplinary survey of African American culture. African cultural heritage and African survivals. World views and values, religious beliefs, family and kinship, language. Contemporary community issues of identity, sex roles and stereotyping, housing, employment, and education. (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 AsianAmerican 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
Using film as a medium, the course will examine the issues of race, class, and culture as they relate to four racial minority groups: African Americans, Native Americans, Chicanos, and Asian Americans. The themes of race, class, and culture are viewed both historically and contemporarily. (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)
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)
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)
190. Special Topics in Ethnic Studies
(1 – 5 units)
199. Directed Readings/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)
