ETHN - Ethnic Studies

This course introduces students to foundational concepts in the study and practice of social justice in American society, historically and at present, and in comparative global perspective. The course can include social justice topics as related to: racism; classism; religious oppression; sexism; heterosexism; transgender oppression; ableism; ageism; and environmentalism. The course will also engage students in the process of putting thought into practice by introducing various research methodologies such as quantitative, qualitative, and cultural studies approaches. Students will explore the course concepts, coupled with research methodologies, to identify and analyze social problems and to use information to formulate and engage in problem-solving strategies for social change.

Explains the origins and evolution of Native American Studies as a program, placing it within the historical, political, social and cultural context in which it developed. Students will learn why a multidisciplinary approach can be beneficial to the understanding of Native American experiences in North America. This course explores the different sets of knowledge produced by and about Native Americans and the complicated relationship between Native Americans and the United States government. By interrogating representations of American Indian identity, this course will engage students in discussions about the complexity of race, self-representation, and cultural politics.

Study of the intellectual and social origins of the discipline known as African American Studies. Key concepts, themes, and theories of the discipline will be discussed in the class.

An interdisciplinary approach to historicizing the Latine experience in U.S. history. The course examines the political and cultural dynamics of Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Cubans, and Dominicans within an historical context sensitive to changes and continuities in American history.

This course examines the interrelationship between people, social crisis, and musical practice. The course applies interdisciplinary methods to explore how music responds to the most prevailing social issues taking place in the world around us - issues such as the needs of subdominant groups, the AIDS pandemic, democracy and social justice, and cultural liberty. This course encourages diverse perspectives related to other disciplines, such as cultural studies, women studies, history, and medical anthropology.

An examination of major works by African American novelists, poets, dramatists, filmmakers, musicians, and essayists in terms of the intellectual and political concerns of their periods and locations. Cross-listed with ENGL 240.

Study of works by and about Latinos, including poetry, novels, film, drama, music, and essays. Focus on culture of people of Hispanic descent living in the United States, including Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, Dominican Americans, and Cuban Americans, with some consideration of the ongoing relations between U.S. Latinos and Latin America. (Cross-listed as ENGL 241.)

Study of a variety of works, including traditional tales, novels, poems and memoirs, produced by American Indians from historical beginnings to the present. (Cross-listed with ENGL 242.)

Study of the literature written by and often about black women, including poetry, short and long fictions, novels, drama, biography, and autobiography from the 18th century to the present.

An introductory survey of the history of early Latin America, from antiquity to the European conquest to the wars for independence in the early 19th century. Special attention is given to indigenous and African influences in the shaping of society and culture. (Cross-listed with HIST 282.)

An introductory survey of the history of modern Latin America, from the wars for independence in the early 19th century to nation-state building, reform movements, violent revolutions, and democratization in the 20th century. Special attention is given to Native American influences in the shaping of modern society. The contested role of the United States in Latin American domestic policy also is considered. (Cross-listed with HIST 283.)

Topics in Ethnic Studies not covered in detail by specific courses.

An examination of contemporary Latina literary productions in the context of representations of Latinas in mainstream U.S. society. The focus of the course is on women of Hispanic descent living and writing in the United States, including work by and about Chicanas, Puerto Ricans, Dominican Americans, and Cuban Americans. Previous course work in Latina/Latino literature not required, but some previous course work related to African American or other ethnic literature, women's literature/feminism, and/or film studies is strongly recommended.

The purpose of this course is to provide an empirical overview of the psychological processes involved in prejudice and discrimination. Students will investigate the fundamentals of how prejudice is formed against individuals with a focus on stereotypes and interpersonal discrimination, and focus on ways to decrease prejudice with the goal of social justice for all people.

Survey of the historical forces, within the African American community and elsewhere, which have shaped the African American experience. The course explores the cultural, social, and political development of African Americans from their African origins through Reconstruction.

Survey of the historical forces, within the African American community and elsewhere, which have shaped the African American experience. The course explores the cultural, social, and political development of African Americans from Reconstruction to the present.

This course emphasizes the systematic nature of oppression and the responsibility of the social work profession to advance human rights and social, economic and environmental justice. Emerging professional social workers' self-awareness is integral to the capacity to engage diverse service participants, colleagues and constituents in practice. Students will explore their own personal values, beliefs, and behavior that may impede their ability to practice social work ethically with people of diverse backgrounds. Students should leave this course with a better understanding of themselves, of diverse groups they will be working with in practice, and the capacity to engage in practices that advance human rights via the promotion of social and economic justice.

A survey of the history of North America from the perspective of Native Americans, covering topics from the period before contact through the present. Possible topics may include precontact history and societies, the challenges of contact and colonization, Indian Removal, and continuing questions of sovereignty and treaty rights.

Introduces the major topics and themes in the ethnohistory of early America from the earliest contacts between Native Americans and Europeans to the early 18th century through a comparative study of British, French, and Spanish interactions with indigenous peoples.

Native American peoples in the contemporary period. Emphasis on federal policy development, the growth of political pan-Native American movements, the Native American image in popular culture, and current issues raised in the writings of contemporary authors representing a diversity of Native American nations.

Interdisciplinary approach to race and ethnicity in the United States and other contemporary multiethnic/multiracial societies.

Topics in Ethnic Studies not covered in detail by specific courses.

Intensive individual study of some aspect of multicultural studies involving a paper or project.

Open only to African American Studies, American Indian Studies, Latino Studies, or Multiethnic Studies minors. An internship can serve as the student's capstone experience. Students proposing internships must have an approved Interdisciplinary Studies proposal which includes the internship. Additionally, they must have completed the application required by the campus Office of Internships.

Capstone seminar in which students will investigate current and contemporary issues in the field of Ethnic and Gender Studies, engage in activism on campus, and complete a research-based paper or project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Students will also compile an e-portfolio that reflects upon their experiences as Ethnic and Gender Studies students and for use in future professional development.