what is covered in an ethnic studies course

by Prof. Karley Stanton 6 min read

Ethnic Studies Courses

  1. Compare and contrast important social issues facing African American, Arab American, Asian American, Chicanx/Latinx, Native American, and Pacific Islander American groups.
  2. Understand and explain the significance of the study of racial/ethnic groups in the United States
  3. Utilize an inter-disciplinary approach to understand racial/ethnic groups in the United States.

As a student, you will draw upon many disciplines and areas of thought to comprehend the sociocultural, intellectual, and historical experiences that inform the construction of racial, gender, and cultural identities.
...
Ethnic studies is …
  • history.
  • literature.
  • political science.
  • anthropology.
  • psychology.
  • law & criminal justice.

Full Answer

What are the different types of ethnic studies?

Within the broader category of ethnic studies are more specific disciplines, including African American or Black; Asian; Hispanic, Latino, Latina or Latinx; and Native American studies. Academics in ethnic studies often home in on a subset of a large pan-ethnic category since those umbrella terms encompass a variety of communities.

What is ethnocultural studies?

Ethnic studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines the culture, history and experiences of different racial and ethnic groups in the U. S., particularly people of color and other historically marginalized groups.

What is the history of ethnic studies in America?

The first stand-alone ethnic studies program in the U.S. was established in 1969 at San Francisco State University, then known as San Francisco State College, in response to a lengthy student protest and within the context of the civil rights movement. Today, hundreds of these departments exist at U.S. colleges and universities.

What is the Capstone Seminar in Ethnic Studies?

The Capstone Seminar in Ethnic studies will provide an in depth examination of relevant topics in the field of Ethnic Studies, centering on one or more of the following: African American Studies, Asian/Pacific American Studies, Chicano/Latino Studies, and/or Native American Studies.

What topics are covered in ethnic studies?

Ethnic Studies focuses on themes of social justice, social responsibility, and social change. The course spans from past to present, from politics to social reform, allowing students to identify similar social patterns and universal qualities present in other societies, including their own.

What are the five themes of ethnic studies?

To recognize both the positive and negative aspects of ethnic identity, as well as to heed the significance of transnational migrations in the creation of diasporic identities, the ethnic studies minor focuses on five themes: diaspora, colonialism, slavery, genocide, and community formation.

What are the 7 principles of ethnic studies?

Cultivate empathy, community actualization, cultural perpetuity, self-worth, self determination, and the holistic well-being of all participants, especially Native People/s and People of Color.

What is an ethnic studies major?

Ethnic Studies is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of ethnic groups in society. As an Ethnic Studies major, you gain knowledge of a broad range of ethnic groups and develop important skills in research, writing, analysis, critical thinking and cultural awareness.

What is the purpose of ethnic studies?

Ethnic Studies is an interdisciplinary program. The program aims to develop fundamental skills in critical and global thinking and in comparative analysis, as well as an understanding of the interactions of race, class, gender, and sexuality in the experiences of a range of social groups.

Why do we need ethnic studies?

Ethnic Studies asks us to engage the issues of racism, colonialism, global economic and political systems, ecological devastation, health degradation, cultural vitalities, and our geographies of differentiation and discrimination. At its most basic, Ethnic Studies asks us to think and to act.

What is the purpose of ethnic studies courses answers?

Ethnic studies more broadly uses critical thinking to nurture an understanding of how different groups have struggled and worked together in the United States, exploring core concepts such as equality, justice, race and ethnicity.

Is ethnic studies required in California high school?

Gavin Newsom signed legislation Friday making California the first state to require all students to complete a semester-long course in ethnic studies to earn a high school diploma.

Is ethnic studies a good major?

An ethnic studies degree can provide valuable preparation for nearly any profession, ranging from law to medicine, experts say. Feb. 4, 2022, at 4:36 p.m. Navigating a multicultural society is easier if you recognize the powerful influence of race and culture on human behavior, say many ethnic studies scholars.

Is ethnic studies a requirement?

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 101 into law on Friday afternoon, requiring California high school students to take ethnic studies to graduate, starting with the class of 2030.

What is college ethnic studies?

Programs in Ethnic Studies are designed to help students study different cultures and societies of the world. These programs include the study of the history, politics, religion, languages, and culture of different areas.

What is ethnic studies theory?

Ethnic Studies is all about studying and understanding the world from the perspective of groups that have historically been marginalized in the U.S., especially those four (African American, Native American, Asian American, and Latino/a American) that have experienced a long history of oppression and racism in the ...

What is identity in ethnic studies?

The theme of identity, as defined by ethnic studies, involves looking at the ways in which our identities and sense of belonging affect our worldviews and the choices we make; at how our identities affect the ways we are perceived, and how we view ourselves as members of a community with distinct cultures and mores.

What is the value of ethnic studies?

Interdisciplinary ethnic studies help foster cross-cultural understanding among students of color and white students, and aids students in valuing their own cultural identity while appreciating the differences around them.

What is ethnic studies literature?

The Ethnic Studies field in History & Literature emphasizes histories of racial formations within and beyond the United States. The field encourages students to take a wide range of courses on race and ethnicity, while naming a topic of study to provide individualized focus.

What is the interdisciplinary study of race and ethnicity in the United States?

The course will examine key topics such as racial discrimination, immigration, economics, labor, political conditions, cultural expression and resistance, social justice movements, racial and ethnic identity, and gender and sexuality. A comparative approach covering African American, Arab American, Asian American, Chicanx/Latinx, Native American, and Pacific Islander American groups.

What is the focus of the study of ethnic minority families?

Examination of the diversity of contemporary United States ethnic minority families with an emphasis on comparison and contrast. Family dynamics and processes will be the primary focus within the context of ethnicity. Adaptation and responses to dominant group social constructs and social structures will also be examined. Groups to include: African American; Asian American; Mexican, Central and Latin American; Native American; Middle Eastern American.

What is the purpose of the lens of race, ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality?

A critical examination of representations of people of color in popular culture, from historically significant to contemporary examples. Using an intersectional lens of race, ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality, students will analyze representations from mainstream films, independent cultural productions, music, visual art, and social media, and how characters and communities of color are portrayed and interpret these images as consumers of media.Topics include Hollywood stereotyping, media influencing political and social events, cultural citizenship, and the role of new media, such as video games and social media platforms like YouTube. Students will learn how to critically examine and thoughtfully compare works, while using the lenses of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class to break down decode messages.

What is the Asian American course?

A historical survey of Asian Americans from early 20th century to the present. Major topics will include war, refugees, immigration and settlement patterns, laws, labor and socioeconomic class, social movements, education, discrimination, gender, sexuality, and social identity. The course will interrogate the term “Asian American” and apply comparative analysis among diverse groups including Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, South Asian, and Southeast Asian. This course includes analysis of the U. S. Constitution, Supreme Court Rulings, and California State and local government issues related to the rights of Asian Americans.

What is the course on African American history?

This course presents a survey of the history of the United States from the perspective of African Americans. It presents that perspective in the contexts of the experiences of Native peoples, Europeans, Asian Americans and Hispanics/Latinos after 1865. The course explores the economic , cultural, institutional , political history of African Americans from the post-Civil War period to the present. The African American relationship with national, California state and local governments will also be covered. (May not receive credit if ES 21, HIS 21 or HIS 63 has been completed).

What is the course ES 21?

This course presents a survey of the history of the United States from the perspective of African Americans. It presents that perspective in the contexts of the experiences of Native peoples, Europeans, Asian Americans and Hispanics/Latinos after 1865. The course explores the economic, cultural, institutional, political history of African Americans from the post-Civil War period to the present. The African American relationship with national, California state and local governments will also be covered. May not receive credit if ES 21 has been completed.

What is the Pacific Islands course?

This course is an introduction to the political, economical, historical and socio-cultural studies of the Pacific Islands and Oceania and its Polynesian, Micronesian, and Melanesian communities. An examination of Oceania's history through the pre-colonial period and present events and issues. Colonialism, immigration, identity, environment, and the creative expression of the people of Oceania throughout the diaspora are a few of the main themes. Groups include: Native Hawai’ian, Samoan, Samoan American, Tongan, Maori, Tahitian. Fijian, Solomon Islanders, Chamorro, Papua New Guinea, Palauan, Marshallese, and Native American.

How many units of credit for ethnic studies minor?

May be repeated for up to 6 units of credit for Ethnic Studies Minor and BAIS. May be repeated for up to 12 units of credit for university electives and liberal studies as long as the topic is not repeated. Letter grade only. Prerequisite: Honors Student Group CUE

What is the course on racism in schools?

This course examines the cultural, ideological, and institutional aspects of racism in schools, with a special focus on how race has been constructed and how whiteness operates and is maintained. Letter grade only. Prerequisite: Junior Status or higher

What is the CUE course?

This course offers an explanation of the social, political, historical and cultural experiences of African Americans, Asian Americans, Latino (as)/Chicano (as), and Native Americans in the United States. Letter grade only. CUE

What is ahie class?

This course explores cinematic representations of people of color and race relations in the United States from an interdisciplinary perspective. Letter grade only. AHIE

What is ethnic studies?

Ethnic studies is …. … the interdisciplinary study of race and ethnicity, as understood through the perspectives of major underrepresented racial groups in the United States. As a student, you will draw upon many disciplines and areas of thought to comprehend the sociocultural, intellectual, and historical experiences that inform ...

When was the Ethnic Studies Program established?

The Ethnic Studies Program was established in 2000 through the efforts of five faculty members from the Commission on Ethnic Diversity. The program is governed by a steering committee consisting of the Director, full-time and affiliated faculty, and an administrative representative.

Why is ethnic studies important?

Ethnic studies is critical because it provides a multidisciplinary lens through which new approaches to learning will emerge. It produces culturally competent, global citizens; provides graduates and scholars a professional, competitive advantage in the workforce; and represents diverse perspectives of reality in a globalized world.

Why did ethnic studies emerge in the 1960s?

Ethnic studies emerged in universities across the nation during the 1960s as a result of social reform movements for equity and empowerment of racial minorities. Scholars developed research perspectives shaped partially by histories of oppression in the U.S. as well as by the intellectual and cultural resources and traditions of Black, Asian, Chican@, and Native American groups. Fifty years ago there were virtually no courses reflecting the literature, art, culture, and politics of these racialized groups, and what was taught was negative or harmful. Since the conclusion of the Civil Rights movement, ethnic studies programs have provided the means to address racial and ethnic concerns in a productive manner, and have contributed to critical analyses of such traditional fields such as:

What is an apprentice in ethnic studies?

Apprentice Teaching in Ethnic Studies (4) This is a course in which teaching assistants are aided in learning proper teaching methods by means of supervision of their work by the faculty: handling of discussions, preparation and grading of examinations and other written exercises, and student relations.

What is race gender and space?

Race, Gender, and Space (4) This course offers scholars of race, gender, and sexuality an introduction to spatial theory and geographic methodologies. Particular attention will be given to theories of spatial formation, the interplay of social and spatial mobility and containment, and alternative spatio-political imaginaries.

What is Native American exhibition design?

Representing Native America - Exhibition Design (4) This course follows the introduction to the history and theory of museum representation of American Indians in order to explore its relation to colonialism and decolonization (Part 1). Students will develop the proposals they completed in Part 1 of the course, finishing with curatorial briefs for an exhibition of Native American art with a partner museum incorporating new and decolonizing approaches to representation.

What is ethnic studies?

Ethnic Studies: Theoretical Approaches (4) An advanced survey of key issues, themes, and debates in the field of critical ethnic studies focusing on the connection between race and social structures. Students will use diverse theoretical frameworks to identify and interpret contemporary and historical social problems.

What is an ethnic studies capstone?

An intensive capstone experience for ethnic studies majors, this course combines an advanced exploration of praxis-based approaches to social justice with practicum-based independent campus, community, creative, or research projects.

What is ETHN 103A?

ETHN 103A. The United States and the Pacific World (4)

What is the focus of Chicanx history?

Introduction to Chicanx/Latinx/Hispanic history, culture, and activism with focus on race and class differences within US Latinx cultures and in relation to other groups; gender, sexuality, and colonialism; and new ways of worldmaking within and across these categories.

What is the course Native Americans?

This course examines the history of Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and other Indigenous populations in the United States, with specific emphasis on and analyses of post-contact interactions, federal laws & policies, and decolonial efforts among American Indians, Pacific Islanders, other tribal communities and Indigenous Peoples/Nations in the United States from the late 19th century to the present.

How do aggrieved groups generate distinctive forms of cultural expression?

Aggrieved groups often generate distinctive forms of cultural expression by turning negative ascription into positive affirmation and by transforming segregation into congregation. This course examines the role of cultural expressions in struggles for social change by members of aggrieved racialized communities in the U.S. and around the world. (Cross-listed with MUS 151.)

What is ethnographic fieldwork?

This is a research methods course examining social, economic, and political issues in ethnic and racial communities through ethnographic fieldwork that places the researcher directly in the social world under study. Topics are examined through fieldwork and library research. (Cross-listed with USP 130.)

Why do we need ethnic studies?

If there’s any reason to take an ethnic studies class, it’ s to learn something and improve yourself. There’s a reason that careers and academic paths in ethnic studies and social justice are seen as less competitive and, to some, less impressive. These are fields that weren’t considered important for a long time because it has taken years for society to evolve to the point where social justice initiatives are recognized as legitimate courses of action for significant change. That doesn’t mean these fields aren’t as good! You can learn so much from just taking a single class and help your community in a tangible way. If you are committed to posting graphics on social media but don’t actually have time to learn information beyond what you can read on Instagram, check your priorities. Consider making this one.

What classes do you take to fail every test?

If you mostly take biology, economics or computer science classes, chances are you’re used to intense competition, huge amounts of homework and curves that mean you technically fail every test you take. Taking a class in a department such as ethnic studies, African American studies, Native American studies, gender and women’s studies ...

What does it mean to take a class in school?

You may care a ton about advocacy, but school just gets in the way. Taking a class is the perfect way to continue your education about marginalized groups and social justice.

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