Course Outline for Ethnic Studies 14
Filipinx American Experiences: Identity, Empowerment, Community

Effective: Fall 2025
SLO Rev:

Catalog Description:

ES 14 - Filipinx American Experiences: Identity, Empowerment, Community

3.00 Units

An introduction to the diverse experiences, histories, cultures, identities, and struggles of the Filipina/o/x American community. The course will analyze and articulate Ethnic Studies and Asian American Studies concepts to understand the impact of colonialism, imperialism, racialization, white supremacy, intersectionality, decolonization, liberation, anti-racism, and social movements on the historical and contemporary experiences of Filipina/o/xs in the United States.
CB03: TOP Code 2203.00 - Ethnic Studies
CIP Code 05.0200 - Ethnic Studies.
Course Grading: Optional
Type Units Inside of Class Hours Outside of Class Hours Total Student Learning Hours
Lecture 3.00 54.00 108.00 162.00
Total 3.00 54.00 108.00 162.00

Measurable Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. analyze and articulate concepts such as race and racism, racialization, ethnicity, equity, ethno-centrism, eurocentrism, white supremacy, self-determination, liberation, decolonization, sovereignty, imperialism, settler colonialism, and anti-racism as analyzed in Asian American Studies with an emphasis on Filipina/o/x Americans;
  2. apply theory and knowledge produced by Asian American and Filipina/o/x American communities to describe the critical events, histories, cultures, intellectual traditions, contributions, lived-experiences and social struggles of those groups with a particular emphasis on agency and group-affirmation;
  3. critically analyze the intersection of race and racism as they relate to class, gender, sexuality, religion, spirituality, national origin, immigration status, ability, sovereignty, language, and/or age in Asian American and Filipina/o/x American communities;
  4. critically review how struggle, resistance, racial and social justice, solidarity, and liberation, as experienced and enacted by Asian American and Filipina/o/x Americans are relevant to current and structural issues such as communal, national, international, and transnational politics as, for example, in immigration, settler-colonialism, multiculturalism, language policies;
  5. explore and critique the impact of colonization, imperialism, wars, neoliberalism, immigration, resistance struggles, and decoloniality on various institutions, culture, and intersecting identities of Filipina/o/x people in the Philippines and in the Diaspora, particularly Filipina/o/x Americans;
  6. recognize and describe the origins and significance of Ethnic Studies and Asian American Studies disciplines through the study of Filipina/o/x American experiences.

Course Content:

  1. Overview of the disciplines of Ethnic Studies and Asian American Studies through the study of Filipina/o/x American history, culture, and community

    1. Foundational concepts and frameworks in Ethnic Studies and Asian American Studies

    2. Struggles for relevant curriculum and the start of Ethnic Studies, Asian American Studies, and Filipina/o/x American Studies

    3. Role of interracial and inter-ethnic solidarity and student-led activism during the Third World strikes for Ethnic Studies

  2. Filipina/o/x American History and Social Topics

    1. Pre-colonial Philippines

      1. Diverse Societies and Cultures

      2. Cultural Practices

      3. Religions and Spirituality

    2. Spanish colonialism, orientalism, and white supremacy

      1. Manila-Acapulco Galleon and early Filipina/o/x settlements  

    3. US imperialism and first major wave of Filipina/o/x immigrants

      1. Spanish-American War

      2. Philippine-American War and resisting colonialism and imperialism

      3. Racialization of Filipinas/os/xs, “benevolent” assimilation, “little brown brothers”

    4. Japanese Occupation/WWII

    5. Immigration/Diasporic Community Formation

      1. TNTs (undocumented Filipina/o/x) 

      2. Immigration policies/access to citizenship

      3. Impact of neoliberalist policies, OFWs (Overseas Filipina/o/x Workers), and remittances 

      4. Little Manilas/Filipinx communities (Stockton, SOMA, Watsonville, Delano, Daly City, etc.) 

      5. Settler colonialism

    6. Gendered Labor/migration

      1. Manong generation 

        1. Carlos Bulosan

        2. anti-miscegenation/ “the lost generation”

        3. anti-Filipina/o/x violence  

        4. anti-Filipina/o/x discrimination/segregation and racial sovereignty

        5. Hawaiian plantations

        6. Agricultural work in the west coast 

      2. Gendered care workers: maids, nannies, nurses, caregivers

        1. Americanized nursing curriculum in the Philippines and recruitment

        2. impact of neoliberal immigration policies and market forces on transnational families

        3. transnational domestic worker movement 

  3. Culture/Production and Filipina/o/x American Identity

    1. Youth Hip Hop culture

      1. Participation in 4 elements

      2. Activism/resistance through Hip Hop 

      3. Women and Queer representation

    2. Filipina/o/x Food, influence, and role in communities

    3. Colonial influence: Spanish, U.S., Japanese

    4. Filipina/o/x cultural production in schools (i.e. traditional dance)

    5. Written/spoken expression (ie. fiction, spoken word, comedy)

    6. Media representation

    7. Artistic expressions around decolonization, anti-racism, and solidarity

  4. Identity and Intersectionality

    1. Ethnic or politically-based college/school clubs 

    2. Intersectionality of racism, capitalism, and heteropatriarchy

    3. Mixed race, mestiza/os and racial hierarchies/colorism

    4. Indigeneity 

    5. Religious diversity 

    6. Pinayism 

    7. Hyphenated identity - hybridity, heterogeneity, and multiplicity 

    8. Gender identity, trans/non-binary Filipina/o/x

    9. Queerness and Sexuality 

    10. Theory and knowledge around Filipina/o/x American Psychology

    11. Decolonization 

      1. Colonial Mentality

      2. Advocating, appreciation, or appropriation of indigenous culture

    12. Mental Health

    13. Politics/power of language

  5. Isang Bagsak: Social Movements and resistance struggles

    1. Anti-colonial and liberation struggles

    2. Transnational organizing around: collective action in the Philippines; promoting democracy; resisting dictatorships, imperialism, US militarism, neoliberal policies, activist repression; and organizing for women’s rights, students, LGBTQ rights, workers, land reform, etc.  

    3. Local community organizing around: ethnic studies, self-determination, representation, housing rights/displacement related to gentrification, workers’ rights, immigration, gender/sexuality equity

    4. I-Hotel movement 

    5. Welga/United Farm Workers union

      1. Philip Vera Cruz and Larry Itliong, AWOC

      2. Solidarity and conflict with Chavez and Mexican farmworkers

      3. Racial capitalism

    6. Role of solidarity in abolition movements, anti-racist movements, and class/labor-based struggles

Methods of Instruction:

  1. Group Activities
  2. Presentation
  3. Textbook reading assignments
  4. Class and group discussions
  5. Presentation of audio-visual materials
  6. Research project
  7. Oral and Written Analysis
  8. Guest speakers
  9. Online Assignments
  10. Computer-based interactive curriculum
  11. Written assignments
  12. Group Presentations
  13. Lecture/Discussion
  14. Research Report
  15. Community activities/civic engagement projects
  16. Large and small group presentation

Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:

1. Typical Assignments
  1. Oral history interview of a Filipinx/a/o relative or community member. Base questions on major themes related to class such as immigration, war, resistance, work, gender, or family. Write a reflection essay on the interview process, the interviewee’s life story, and compare and contrast their story with readings from class, analyzing patterns or impacts of racialization, colonization, settlement, immigration, sovereignty, intersectionality, and/or white supremacy.
  2. Community organization research project. Students will research Filipina/o/x American non-profits, organizations, groups doing work in the Filipinx community today (i.e. Anakbayan, Gabriella, Filipino Advocates for Justice, Malaya, etc.). Students can choose between an essay, slide show, or poster discussing the organization. Students will research the mission/purpose of the organization, connect the organization to the themes and history discussed in the course, and reflect on the importance of community institutions and organizations.
  3. Balagtasan/Poetry project. Balagtasan is Filipino form of debate done in poetry/verse form that is similar to rap battles. Students will pair up in small groups and take on different sides of themes and topics covered in class: Fil-Am War, Immigration, Philippines vs. US born Filipinos, Parent/Children dynamics, English vs. Tagalog, Manong Generation, Gentrification (I-Hotel), etc
  4. Journal Prompt: Read the Filipino American statement from 1968 in the The SF State College Strike College archives. What stood out about the Filipino American students/ position in relation to the Third World Liberation Front? How does the statement relate to Filipino American experiences today?
2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
  1. Class Work
  2. Essay Exams
  3. Papers
  4. Online Assignments
  5. Final Examination or Project
  6. Exams/Tests
  7. Group Projects
  8. Journals
  9. Midterm Examination
3. Student Learning Outcomes
Upon the completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. critically analyze the intersection of at least two or more of the following as they related to Filipina/o/x American identities, experiences, and communities: race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, religion, immigration status, nationality, ability, language, and/or age;
  2. apply theories and knowledge related to and produced by Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies to describe critical events, history, culture and social struggles relevant to Filipina/o/x Americans;
  3. evaluate and compare examples of Filipina/o/x American resistance to oppression, solidarity, and/or participation in liberation movements.

Textbooks (Typical):

  1. Rodriguez, Robyn and Allan Jason Sarmiento (2022). Welcome to the Welga Digital Archive Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies https://welgadigitalarchive.omeka.net/.
  2. Nadurata, E. L. (2023). Alon: journal for Filipinx American and diasporic studies (Volume 3, Issue 1, CC BY-NC/e). UC Davis http://dx.doi.org/10.5070/LN43161814 Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9p08s6k7.
  1. Chan, Jeffery Paul et al. (2009). At 40: Asian American Studies @ San Francisco State: Self-Determination, Community, Student Service Asian American Studies Dept., San Francisco State University.
  2. Choy, Catherine Ceniza (2022). Asian American Histories of the United States Beacon Press.
  3. Wu, Jean Yu-wen Shen, et al. (2010). Asian American Studies Now: a Critical Reader Rutgers University Press.
  4. Villegas, Mark R. (2021). Manifest Technique Hip Hop, Empire, and Visionary Filipino American Culture University of Illinois Press.
  5. Nadal, Kevin L. (2011). Filipino American Psychology?: A Handbook of Theory, Research, and Clinical Practice Wiley.
  6. Amorao, Amanda Solomon, DJ Kuttin Kandi, and Jen Soriano (Eds) (2023). Closer to Liberation Pin[a/x]y Activism in Theory and Practice (First). Cognella.
  7. Vergara Jr., Benito M. (2009). Pinoy Capital: The Filipino Nation in Daly City Temple University Press.
  8. De Jesus, Melinda L. (2005). Pinay power: peminist critical theory: theorizing the Filipina/American experience Routledge.
  9. Strobel, Leny Mendoza (2001). Coming Full Circle: The Process of Decolonization Among Post-1965 Filipino Americans Giraffe Books.
  10. Scharlin, Craig & Lilia Villanueva (2000). Philip Vera Cruz?: A Personal History of Filipino Immigrants and the Farmworkers Movement (3rd ed.). University of Washington Press.
  11. Rodriguez, Robyn Magalit (2020). Filipino American Transnational Activism Brill Publishers.
  12. Rodriguez, Robyn Magalit (2010). Migrants for Export: How the Philippine State Brokers Labor to the World Univ Of Minnesota Press.
  13. Bulosan, Carlos (2014). America Is in the Heart?: A Personal History (2014). University of Washington Press.
  14. Mabalon, Dawn Bohulano (2013). Little Manila Is in the Heart?: The Making of the Filipina/o American Community in Stockton, California Duke University Press Books.
  15. Nadal, K. L. Y., Tintiangco-Cubales, A., & David, E. J. R. (Eds.) (2022). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Filipina/x/o American Studies SAGE Reference.
  1. Raval, P. (Director). (2018). Call Her Ganda [Video file]. Breaking Glass Pictures. Retrieved March 25, 2024, from Kanopy..
  2. Aroy, M. McKay, N. (Director). (2014). Delano Manongs [Video file]. Media Factory. Retrieved March 25, 2024, from Kanopy. .
Additional Materials:

NA

Abbreviated Class Schedule Description:

An introduction to the diverse experiences, histories, cultures, identities, and struggles of the Filipina/o/x American community.

Discipline:
Asian American Studies*, or Ethnic Studies*