Core Faculty
Alberto López Pulido, PhD, CHAIR
May C. Fu, PhD
Michelle M. Jacob, PhD
Jesse Mills, PhD
Gail Perez, PhD
Affliated Faculty
Roy Brooks, JD, School of Law
Leeva Chung, PhD, Communications Studies
Bahar Davary, PhD, Theology and Religious Studies
Michelle Madsen Camacho, PhD, Sociology
Evelyn Diaz Cruz, MFA, Theatre Arts
Colin Fisher, PhD, History
Carlton Floyd, PhD, English
Joseph Jonghyun Jeon, PhD, English
Judith Liu, PhD, Sociology
Belinda Lum, PhD Sociology
Alejandro Meter, PhD, Languages and Literatures
Atreyee Phukan, PhD, English
Thomas E. Reifer, PhD, Sociology
Sandra Sgoutas-Emch, PhD, Psychology
Leonora Simonovis, PhD, Languages and Literatures
The Ethnic Studies Major
Ethnic Studies is a vibrant, interdisciplinary program that allows students to study the historical, cultural, and social dynamics of race and ethnicity in the United States. The major addresses our shared national legacy of conquest, contact, and resistance through three areas of concentration: History and Identity, Creativity and Spirituality, and Institutions and Activism.
Our core courses thoroughly ground students in theoretical perspectives related to these three themes. Within these broad categories, students are encouraged to develop their own areas of expertise, as they explore local and national communities of color. Through community service learning and internships, students are challenged to engage with issues of privilege, difference, inequality, social justice, and empowerment in an applied manner. Ethnic Studies is uniquely situated to provide students with cross-cultural competence, with an historical grounding in domestic social justice issues, and with conflict resolution skills–all essential to civic life in an increasingly diverse nation and world. Our majors are well prepared for careers in law, education, business, social work, counseling, public health, politics, and graduate study in ethnic studies.
Preparation for the Major
Nine units of lower-division courses:
ETHN 100D Introduction to Ethnic Studies (3)
ETHN 110D Ethnic Identity in the United States (3)
Three units in a lower-division elective:
ETHN 120D Introduction to African-American Studies (3)
ETHN 130D Introduction to American Indian Studies (3)
ETHN 140D Introduction to Chicano/Latino Studies (3)
ETHN 150D Introduction to Asian American Studies (3)
ETHN 294 Special Topics in Ethnic Studies (3)
Major Requirements
The major is interdisciplinary and requires 30 units of upper-division coursework to be distributed among the two core courses and the three areas of concentration:
A. History and Identity
B. Creativity and Spirituality
C. Institutions and Activism
There are six units of core classes that every student must take, the first of which, ETHN 496, should be completed at the beginning of upper-division coursework. Coursework will culminate in the capstone course, ETHN 497WC, a community-based research seminar. Students are required to take at least one course in each of the three areas of concentration and must complete at least 15 total units in one of the designated areas. Areas of concentration are designed to emphasize a thematic and comparative ethnic group focus. The area of concentration will be elected by the student with guidance from an advisor. Students are required to take at least 9 total units from the two remaining areas of concentration. In addition to the capstone course, at least one course must be a “C” or community service-learning course. Additional courses generated each semester by the curriculum program committee may also be applicable.
The curriculum layout is as follows:
I. Core Courses (six units)
ETHN 496 Research Methods (3)
ETHN 497WC Senior Thesis (3)
II. Core Areas of Concentration
A. History and Identity: The social construction and historical roots of identity formation ensure that the “personal” is always political and cultural. Courses in this area examine ethnic histories, ethnic identities, and the social processes through which we come to know things about ourselves and others.
ETHN 321C African American Panethnicity (3)
ETHN 331 Gender in Native America (3)
ETHN 355 Asian American Social Movements (3)
ETHN 364 Race, Class, and Gender (3)
ETHN 494 Special Topics in Ethnic Studies (3)
B. Creativity and Spirituality: The creative works of people of color, both sacred and worldly, serve as alternative registers of our shared narratives and experiences. Courses in this area examine art and faith communities as well as the creation, interpretation, and reception of cultural “texts.”
ETHN 323 African American Music and Culture (3)
ETHN 332 American Indian Health and Spirituality (3)
ETHN 360 Race, Religion and Social Justice (3)
ETHN 362 Ethnicity and Cinema (3)
ETHN 494 Special Topics in Ethnic Studies (3)
C. Institutions and Activism: The ongoing effects of past discrimination structure state policies and practices ensuring that racialization, social movements, and activism cycle and re-cycle in the ongoing pursuit of social justice. Courses in this area emphasize analysis of social structures in terms of how they manifest “the dominant” and the counter narrative that arise through social activism.
ETHN 322 African American Civil Rights (3)
ETHN 331 Gender in Native America (3)
ETHN 343 Chicano/Latino Studies (3)
ETHN 355 Asian American Social Movements (3)
ETHN 360 Race, Religion, and Social Justice (3)
ETHN 361 Immigration at the U.S.-Mexico Border: Ethnicity, Race and
Gender (3)
ETHN 363 Race and U.S. Social Movements (3)
ETHN 494 Special Topics in Ethnic Studies (3)
The Ethnic Studies Minor
The ethnic studies minor is an 18 unit program, consisting of six lower-division units and 12 upper-division units, including the following:
- ETHN 100D – Introduction to Ethnic Studies (3)
- ETHN 110D – Ethnic Identity in the United States (3)
- Students must take a total of 12 units of elective coursework. Students must take at least one course from each concentration and an additional course from the concentration of their choice. One course must be a “C” community-based or community service-learning course.
Ethnic Studies Courses (ETHN)
ETHN 100D Introduction to Ethnic Studies (3)
An interdisciplinary course that uses a comparative and historical perspective to examine the languages, family structures, spiritual traditions, economic and social issues, political aspirations, and values of diverse groups within the United States. Emphasis will be on African-Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Chicanos/Latinos, and Native Americans, but other groups are also discussed.
ETHN 110D Ethnic Identity in the United States (3)
This course focuses on the development, transformation, and maintenance of ethnic/racial identity. Students will learn a variety of methodologies in order to understand the social construction of identity as it is created, contested, and altered by historical and economic processes.
ETHN 120D Introduction to African-American Studies (3)
A survey course on the interdisciplinary field of African-American Studies. Students will learn basics of African-American history and culture in order to understand contemporary problems and conditions facing African-Americans
ETHN 130D Introduction to American Indian Studies (3)
This course introduces students to the field of American Indian Studies. Students engage scholarly work, film, popular press texts, and attend community events to learn about American Indian people and the current and historical forces that shape modern-day realities for American Indians.
ETHN 140D Introduction to Chicano / Latino Studies (3)
This course is an introductory survey of the field of Chicano/Latino Studies. Emphasis is placed on the historical development of the Chicano/Latino people including their Mesoamerican roots, cultural identification, political activities, and their contemporary roles and influence in United States culture, society and economy
ETHN 150D Introduction to Asian American Studies (3)
A survey course on the interdisciplinary field of Asian American Studies. Students will learn basics of Asian American history, racial formation, and cultural production.
ETHN 294 Special Topics in Ethnic Studies (3)
An in-depth analysis of selected contemporary and special topics in ethnic studies at the lower-division with specific course content to be determined by particular interest and expertise of instructor and students. May be repeated for credit with different course content. (Offered on demand)
ETHN 321C African American Panethnicity (3)
Panethnicity in the United States is the process in which people from varying cultural backgrounds and diverse ethnicities come to occupy larger-scale group identities based on racial classification. African-American communities and identities have historically been panethnic, comprised of individuals from various ethnic groups and migration histories complete with different languages, traditions, religions, and cultures. This course examines the intra-racial dynamics of African-American panethnic communities and identities in theoretical, historical, and community-based terms. Special emphasis will be given to engagement with community members around USD through guest speakers and involvement in community events.
ETHN 322 African American Civil Rights (3)
This course examines African-American perspectives on civil rights in the United States foregrounding local, national, and international American cultural politics, race dynamics, and power. Utilizing interdisciplinary approaches of literature, political science, sociology, and history, we will survey the twentieth century Golden Age of civil rights and examine the state of African-American social justice activism today.
ETHN 323 African American Music and Culture (3)
This course provides a historically grounded investigation of African-American music and culture with specific emphasis on the United States and African Diaspora in the Americas. Topics of study may include an overview of the study of African-American music; problems in defining, theorizing, and talking about black music; black music and the cultural politics of race, class, and gender; and exploration of the various musical genres and styles (i.e. spirituals, gospel, blues, “art” music, jazz, and hip hop) that impact other aspects of African-American expressive culture — art, religion/spirituality, aesthetics, and worldview.
ETHN 331 Gender in Native America (3)
This course examines gender as a social institution and its implications at both the micro (personal) and macro (societal) levels. Social, political, and historical implications for the intersections of racialized, classed, and gendered identities will be critiqued. Special attention will be paid to gender and traditional indigenous cultures and how gender relations and formations change within a colonial (historic and contemporary) U.S. context.
ETHN 332 American Indian Health and Spirituality (3)
This class examines indigenous conceptions of health and spirituality. The theory of historical trauma and the concept of sound wound are especially important analytical tools. Students in this course will ask and answer the following question: how do culture, history, and social problems influence one’s health and spirituality? Students will study the influence of the social institutions of education, religion, and the economy as indigenous peoples continue to shape the meaning of wellness in their lives. Varying traditions of healing will be examined, including the role of sacred foods in healing processes.
ETHN 343 Chicano / Latino Studies (3)
This is a survey course of the Chicano/Latino experience(s) in the United States. It examines how racial and ethnic identity is shaped by historical, political, economic, cultural, sacred, and linguistic dimensions that inform cultures and communities.
ETHN 355 Asian American Social Movements (3)
This course examines Asian American social movements from the 19th century to the present. Students will learn about the theories and practices that shaped Asian American activism and community organizing.
ETHN 360 Race, Religion and Social Justice (3)
This course examines the relationship between issues of social justice, race, and the role of religion (the sacred) in guiding us toward a more just and humane society.
ETHN 361 Immigration at the U.S.-Mexico Border: Ethnicity, Race and Gender (3)
In this course we will look at the United States-Mexico border as a scenario for emerging and contested ethnic, racial and gender identities. Drawing on the experiences of the distinct ethnic and racial groups that came to inhabit the area — namely Native Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans, Anglo Americans, African-Americans and Asians.
ETHN 362 Ethnicity and Cinema (3)
This course uses a comparative, analytical, and critical approach to the study of ethnicity and to the relationship between cinematic representations and the experiences of racialized communities. The course includes examination of multiple dimensions of media stereotypes, film history and theory, and the ways filmmakers of various ethnic and national backgrounds respond to and through mainstream cinemas. Students to engage in film analysis that is informed by an understanding of the politics of representation and the historically situated conditions of cinematic production.
ETHN 363 Race and U.S. Social Movements (3)
This course examines the relationship between race and social movements in the United States. Students will learn about how communities of color have organized grassroots movements for social, economic, and political equity.
ETHN 364 Race, Class, and Gender (3)
This course examines the intersectionality of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Students will learn how communities of color are structured by these categories of difference and how they have generated expansive identities, cultures, and epistemologies from them.
ETHN 494 Special Topics in Ethnic Studies (3)
An in-depth analysis of selected contemporary and special topics in ethnic studies, with specific course content to be determined by particular interest and expertise of instructor and students. May be repeated for credit with different course content. (Offered on demand)
ETHN 496 Research Methods (3)
A research course that covers both theoretical and methodological perspectives in Ethnic Studies. The course will focus on the application of theory to research design with an emphasis on the construction of a research proposal, how to structure a research argument, and data analysis.
ETHN 497WC Senior Thesis (3)
A seminar devoted to advanced study in the field. Students will conduct community-based research, applying theoretical perspectives to experiences with various local groups, organizations, collectives, or neighborhoods. The course is equivalent to a senior thesis project.
ETHN 499 Independent Study (1-3)
Individual study and written research. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor and program director.
