Ethnic Studies

An introduction to Ethnic Studies: an interdisciplinary and comparative study of race and ethnicity with a special focus on four historically defined racialized core groups: Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latina/o/x/e Americans. The course will review core concepts and frameworks from Ethnic Studies disciplines, such as racism, white supremacy, settler colonialism, imperialism, self-determination, liberation, decolonization, intersectionality, abolition, anti-racism, and more. Students will apply theories and knowledge produced by communities of color and typically studied in: African American/Black Studies, American Indian/Native American Studies, Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies, and Chicana/o/x/e and Latina/o/x/e Studies. The course will also examine examples of struggle, solidarity and resistance while engaging in current justice and equity movements focused on dismantling white supremacy, colonialism, imperialism, and other forms of oppression targeting communities of color.

Select one course from the Options list below

Select one course from the Options list below

Select 1 course (3 units) from the Major Electives list below

Select one course from the Options list below not already taken

Select one course from the Options list below not already taken

This course is an introduction to Mexican American and Latinx Literature in the United States. The Mexican American and Latinx literary movement, particularly in California, is growing at a phenomenal rate, pushing the creative and intellectual boundaries within American Literature. In the course, we will cover a range of genres, including short stories, novels, poetry, memoirs, essays, and plays. Although Mexican American and Latinx authors have been contributing to American literature since the sixteenth century, the bulk of our attention will be paid to the Mexican American and Latinx literary movements that began in the 1950’s and extend through the present day. Students will analyze the literary works within the context of socio-economic, political, and historical movements; additionally, students will learn about the unique history, thematic concerns, and genre-bending styles of Mexican American and Latinx writers.

A pan-Latina/o, comparative, and interdisciplinary approach to major themes and issues related to the Latinx community in the U.S., including: race and racism, indigenous culture, colonialism, war, genocide, migration, transnationalism, citizenship, identity, language, gender, family, labor, neoliberalism, education, expression, and resistance. A critical examination of modern Latin American history and indigenous and African cultures connected to the Latinx diaspora, including Chicana/o, Mexican, Central American, South American, and Caribbean-American communities in the U.S.

This introductory course examines how the convergence of Indigenous, European, and African, peoples in "Latin America" created many complex and dynamic cultures and societies, in the regions we call the American Southwest (in the north), all the way to Chile and Argentina (in the south), and everything in between. This course will assess over three hundred years of history from the late fifteenth to the early nineteenth centuries. Interrogating a robust selection of primary and secondary sources will allow for an in-depth coverage of the men and women who reflected the peoples, places, events, beliefs, practices, institutions, cultures, and conflicts of their own times and will allow us to foreground the lived experience of a diverse array of “Latin Americans.” This course will also demonstrate that one cannot understand "modern" Latin America without studying its colonial past. No previous study of Latin American history is required for this course.

This introductory course provides an overview to twentieth-century Latin American history with a focus on the social circumstances and experience of people across social classes. We will consider how larger processes of change such as urbanization, revolution, civil war and U.S. intervention have all critically shaped everyday life in this region. Yet we will also focus on how Latin Americans have adapted and responded to these forces using an assortment of strategies. This course will seek to develop a critical perspective of modern Latin America by interpreting diverse forms of representation such as feature films, documentaries, literature, memoirs, and testimonios.

This course is an introduction to Mexican American and Latinx Literature in the United States. The Mexican American and Latinx literary movement, particularly in California, is growing at a phenomenal rate, pushing the creative and intellectual boundaries within American Literature. In the course, we will cover a range of genres, including short stories, novels, poetry, memoirs, essays, and plays. Although Mexican American and Latinx authors have been contributing to American literature since the sixteenth century, the bulk of our attention will be paid to the Mexican American and Latinx literary movements that began in the 1950’s and extend through the present day. Students will analyze the literary works within the context of socio-economic, political, and historical movements; additionally, students will learn about the unique history, thematic concerns, and genre-bending styles of Mexican American and Latinx writers.

Introduction to Black-American writers in fiction, poetry, drama, and the essay, beginning with the historical texts of the slave trade, and continuing to the present. Emphasis on the 20th and 21st-century writers' growth and development in relation to their historical and cultural context. Offers a broader view of World and American History through the lens of the Black writer's journey from capture in West Africa, enslavement in America, and the fight for liberation. Examines issues of Black identity and how that identity has been expressed through various forms of literature. Explores how the Black writer has used literature and specific literary devices to inspire change, radical thought, and challenge white supremacy.

Introduction to literary works of fiction, poetry, drama and the essay that reflect and explore the diversity of Asian-American experiences as well as divisions within Asian-American communities. Class explores literary expressions of cultural pride and identity, as well as reflections on racism, stereotypes, “perpetual foreigner syndrome,” the model minority myth, and internalized oppression. Course texts also explore loneliness and loss of “home,” identity confusion, generation gaps, acculturation … and the challenge of creating community and retaining culture in America. Analysis of literature in the context of the historical growth of Asian-American identities with a focus on the 20th and 21st centuries.

Survey of the Native American cultures of North America from an anthropological perspective, including cultural developments from prehistory to the present. Emphasis on the great variety of Native American perspectives and traditions, including kinship, religion, political, social and economic institutions, and attitudes towards humans, animals, and nature. Current issues including movements for social and political justice and cultural survival.

An examination of the diversity of Muslim communities in the United States with an emphasis on comparing and contrasting their histories, cultures and experiences. Topics include: patterns of migration; religious beliefs and practice; acculturation and assimilation; political involvement; education and employment; 9/11 and its aftermath; relations with the broader Muslim world. ES 3 is no longer being offered.

This course is an interdisciplinary and comparative study of race and ethnicity with a special focus on the cultures, histories, traditions, experiences, struggles and resistance of the people of the Pacific Islands and Oceania (Polynesian, Micronesian, Melanesian communities) under the broader categorization of one of the four historically defined racialized core groups in Ethnic Studies: Asian American and Pacific Islanders. It consists of an examination of Oceania's history through the pre-colonial period to present events and issues. Key themes include: racism, racialization, self-determination, imperialism, colonialism, settler colonialism, decolonization, immigration, intersecting identities, resistance, justice, liberation, solidarity, and the creative expression of the people of Oceania throughout the diaspora. Groups include: Native Hawai’ian, Samoan, Samoan American, Tongan, Maori, Tahitian. Fijian, Solomon Islanders, Chamorro, Papua New Guinea, Palauan, Marshallese, and Native American.

Issues relevant to understanding constructs of race, class, gender and culture in U. S. society from a global perspective. Factors affecting at least three major U.S. cultural communities (such as African American, Asian American, Latino American and others) including impacts of globalization, patterns of migration, permeability of cultural communities in the U.S., the cultural politics of identity and inclusion and exclusion, and other factors influencing modern U.S. society.

Processes and theories of gender and communication; emergence of sexual identity and orientation in society; the power of language and stereotypes in private discourse and public dialogue; the impact of historical, social, ethical, cultural, and psychological factors on gendered communication in multiple contexts.

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. ES 2 is no longer being offered.

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.

Exploration of intercultural and interethnic communication behavior of individuals in relationships and/or groups, personal identity formation in the American context, historical development of culturally influenced communication styles, and evolution of new, American inter- and intra-group communication. Will examine social science research models, including single subject case study, in three (3) of the five (5) following groups: African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Native/Indigenous Americans, Pacific Islander-Americans, Hispanic-Americans. Students will attend Bay Area cultural events.

Exploration of issues relating to the multicultural community in which we live today. Interpersonal relations and communication. Focus on improving the individual’s understanding of other cultures and how those cultures impact the American lifestyle. Includes exploration of myths and misunderstandings. Discussion of four specific cultures or sub-cultures from the following groups: 1) African-American, 2) Asian-American, 3) Hispanic-American, 4) Native-American, 5) Middle Eastern-American, 6) European-American, 7) Gay/Lesbian American, 8) Disabled American.

Analysis of racial and ethnic relations in the United States. Includes race, ethnicity, racism, prejudice, discrimination and stereotyping, as well as theories and patterns of intergroup relations. Focus on: African Americans, Chicanx/Latinx, Asian Americans, and Native Americans.

This course offers students a sociological analysis of the social construction of masculinity and femininity through history and cultures. Examines the debates on sex and gender and questions conventional gender assumptions and expectations. Students will have an opportunity to analyze the impact of economic and political change on gender expectations and practices. In this course students will analyze how institutions shape, enforce, and produce difference and inequality based on gender and sexuality, and they will also focus on how individuals are socialized and how they “do” and practice gender. In this course, students will also examine how the concept of gender changes as it intersects with race/ethnicity, class, and sexuality. Additionally, students are encouraged to incorporate their own sociocultural background and experiences to explain and analyze the influence of gender on their lives.