Ethnic Studies Program
Ethnic Studies is a multidisciplinary field that explores the ways that ethnicity, race, and racism shape the historical and contemporary experiences of people fo color in the United States.
Course Description and Outcomes
ES 101: Introduction to Ethnic Studies
Introduction to the multidisciplinary field of Ethnic Studies. Explores the ways that ethnicity, race, and racism shape the historical and contemporary experiences of people of color in the United States. Introduces students to a broad range of cultural and political contexts, social problems, and histories to understand how racial formation and ethnic identity constructions emerged through and maintain systems of social inequality, while also providing insight into the various modes of resistance and struggles for a just society.
- Define the major concepts, theories and methodologies within the field of ethnic studies.
- Apply critical thinking skills to explore the assumptions underlying the concepts of race and ethnicity.
- Explain how the concepts of race and ethnicity take shape in the specific historical and social contexts of the United States.
- Identify and discuss the social and historical positioning of social justice movements.
- Find and understand the connections between the content in the classroom and the events outside of it.
ES 201: Inventing Ethnic America
An examination of past and present constructions of race and ethnicity in United States culture and society and their impact on individuals, institutions, policies, and practices, with particular emphasis on contemporary America.
- Find and explain the connections between class content and current issues.
- Describe the diverse perspectives and experiences of multiple different groups within the United States, with their voices at the forefront of the curriculum.
- Evaluate legislation and policies' short- and long-term impacts on diverse groups within the United States.
- Explain how the concepts of race and ethnicity take shape in the specific historical and social contexts of the United States.
ES 211: Introduction to Native American Studies
Provides an introduction to the history, social organization, political experience, and artistic expression of indigenous peoples of the western hemisphere, focusing primarily on American Indians. Explores the various historical and contemporary struggles, concerns, and achievements of American Indians using an interdisciplinary approach. Prioritizes the voices of those within Indian communities in describing their own lives and experiences.
- Identify the diverse cultural and political groups indigenous to North America.
- Discuss the history of European encroachment in the Americas and explain with specific examples the effects of colonialism on Indigenous populations both historically and into the present.
- Trace historical representations, constructions and uses of “the Native” and discuss the ways that Native peoples have contested or engaged with these.
- Identify and discuss the many contributions American Indians have made to other peoples of the world.