Ethnic Studies

Ethnic Studies is the critical and interdisciplinary study of race, ethnicity, and indigeneity with a focus on the experiences and perspectives of Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, Latina/o/x Americans, and other people of color within and beyond the United States. This course explores key theories, scholarly works, and ideas that have formed the basis of the broad multidisciplinary field of Ethnic Studies. Various perspectives are examined to discover the ways in which race and racism have been, and continue to be, powerful social, cultural and political forces, and their connections to other axes of stratification including gender, class, sexuality and legal status. This course examines the effects of institutional racism, coloniality, marginalization, socio-economic and political discrimination, and ethnocentrism on American ethnic and racial groups.

This introductory course in rhetoric emphasizes clear, effective written communication and preparation of the research paper.

This course provides an exploration of intellectual, psychological, social and physical factors that impact lifelong learning, well-being and success. Topics include motivation and self-efficacy; critical thinking, academic integrity and active study strategies; health issues and lifestyle choices; relating to others as a global citizen; written and oral communication; time management; career exploration; and educational planning.

ENGL 2 recommended for transfer options

See the full list: SMC GE Area III Course (opens in new window)

HIST 10 recommended if not already completed

See the full list: SMC GE Area II-A Course (opens in new window)

This introductory-level course explores historical and contemporary Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x political, social, and cultural practices and experiences in the United States. This course examines the foundations and theories of Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x Studies and contemporary approaches to studying Chicana/o/x/and Latina/o/x communities. Course topics include history, social movements, politics, community, art, spirituality, cultural production, intersectional identity formation, gender, sexuality, class, family, social justice, agency, and self-affirmation. Moreover, the course critically analyzes race and ethnicity, racialization, equity, ethnocentrism, Eurocentrism, and white supremacy.

if not used as a Required Core course

This course introduces students to the field of African American and Black studies. As a survey course, it traces the historical and current social conditions and contributions of Black and African-descended people in the U.S. It provides broad and interdisciplinary perspectives, examining and exploring significant figures, ideas, issues, and methodologies central to understanding the African American experience. Course topics include history, social movements, politics, community, art, spirituality, cultural production, intersectional identity formation, gender, sexuality, class, family, social justice, agency, and self-affirmation. Moreover, the course critically analyzes race and ethnicity, racialization, equity, ethnocentrism, Eurocentrism, and white supremacy. Students will develop critical tools, frameworks, and vocabulary for further study in the field.

if not used as a Required Core course

This course surveys artworks made by African Americans in the United States and abroad. Students will explore visual and material culture from the inception of chattel slavery in the sixteenth-century to contemporary Black Art Movements including Reconstruction and the Harlem Renaissance. Additionally, the impact of political movements on artists and their work such as the Black Liberation Movement and #BlackLivesMatter. In addition, students will consider how artists have contended with issues of race, gender, and sexuality and will examine transnational artist networks in Latin America and Europe among other places. Course content includes cross-historical phenomena such as the AIDS crisis, Afrofuturism, and the history of the Black Panther.

This course explores critical and intercultural theories and research related to Latina/o/x communication patterns, processes, media, and performance in different historical, contemporary, and political contexts. Additionally, the course explores how Latina/o/x communication is influenced by different processes, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, religion, spirituality, national origin, immigration status, ability, tribal citizenship, sovereignty, language, and/or age in different Latina/o/x communities. Lastly, the course looks at the historical and contemporary intersections between Latina/o/x communication, cultural identity, and other relevant themes, including technology and media.

This course explores the works of Afro-American writers of the essay, novel, short fiction, drama, and poetry. The course develops students’ close reading, analytical writing skills, and promotes an appreciation and a critical understanding of the cultural, historical, and aesthetic qualities of this portion of the American literary tradition.

This course will study the major literary works of Asian American writers of the essay, novel, short fiction, drama, and poetry. Through close reading and analytical writing, students will gain an appreciation and a critical understanding of the cultural, historical, and aesthetic qualities of the rich mosaic of Asian American communities. The course will explore the varied and complex nature of the Asian American experience and locate the literature of these communities in the broader context of contemporary American literature.

This course explores works by Latino-American writers living in the United States. Through critical engagement with works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, and film, students will develop close reading and analytical writing skills that promote appreciation and critical understanding of the cultural, historical, and aesthetic qualities of this portion of the American literary tradition.

Selected poems, short stories, novels, tribal tales, speeches, and memoirs of Native Americans will be examined to deepen the student's understanding of the experiences and perspectives of native peoples and cultures in what is now called North America.

This course surveys African-American history from its beginnings in Africa through slavery, abolition, the Civil Rights movement, and into the present. The course will pay particular attention to the development of internal and external definitions of freedom and equality and to the influences of African Americans on the social, economic, political, and cultural development of the United States.

This course surveys Native-American history from earliest settlement to the present, addressing such topics as colonial-era interactions with Europeans, the development of U.S. Indian policy, and the effort to reclaim sovereign rights. Focusing primarily on native peoples of the United States, this course pays particular attention to the development of internal and external definitions of freedom and equality and to the influence of Native Americans on the social, economic, political, and cultural development of America.

This course provides a comparative historical survey of the political, cultural, social, and economic experiences of Latinos/as in the United States, concentrating on major demographic groups. Topics include migration and immigrant settlement, economic integration, and the formation of group identities among and politicization of Chicanos, Central Americans, and Cuban, Puerto Rican, and other Caribbean Americans.

This course surveys the history of the US Southwest from Native-American settlement through the periods of foreign colonization and conquest to contemporary times. Focusing primarily on Mexican Americans in this border region and, more currently, throughout the nation, the course pays particular attention to the development of internal and external definitions of freedom and equality and to the influence of Mexican Americans on the social, economic, political, and cultural development of America.

This course surveys Asian American history from western colonialism, to early immigration and settlement, to the present. This course highlights transnational and intergroup relations, paying close attention to Asian American development and influences on the social, cultural, political, and economic meanings of freedom.

This course involves a sociological examination of the social, cultural, political, and economic conditions experienced by African Americans in the United States. Current and past institutional practices relating to inequality, institutional discrimination, segregation, cultural pluralism, and assimilation are analyzed. Social movements within African American communities as well as intra- and intergroup relations are also considered.

This course introduces students to the characteristics and issues facing the large pan-ethnic Latina/o population in the United States. Attention will be given to the social, cultural, economic and political factors impacting the various Latino groups, as well as how those factors contribute both to differentiate and build coalition with other groups in American society. While the experiences of the diverse Latina/o groups will be examined, particular emphasis is placed on the experiences of Mexican Americans.

This course introduces students to the social conditions and issues facing Asian/Pacific Americans. Using a sociological perspective, the pan-ethnic identity of Asian/Pacific Americans will be critically examined. Attention will be given to the social, cultural, economic, and political factors impacting the various Asian/Pacific groups, as well as how those factors impact both intra- and intergroup relations.

This course focuses on the literature written by and about the primary four United States' racial groups: African Americans, Asian Americans, Latina/o/x Americans, and Native Americans. Students will analyze representative works from major genres and explore both the commonalities and differences among the works, with a focus on confusion and conflict around race and ethnicity specific to American history and culture. The course will also examine the influence of these writers and themes on American literature and the rethinking of the American literary canon.

if not used as the Required Elective course

This course surveys ethnic groups in America from pre-contact to the present, including Native Americans, European Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos, emphasizing the forces prompting emigration and immigration, their roles in shaping American society and culture, their reception by and adaptation to American society, as well as an examination of contending theoretical models of the immigrant experience in America.

if not used as the Required Elective course

This course involves the critical examination of patterns, practices, and relations among racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Particular attention will be given to problems of ongoing discrimination, prejudice, assimilation and cultural pluralism, and power differences between groups. Interconnections between race, ethnicity, social class, gender, and other systems of inequality will be emphasized. Social movements organized within and among racial and ethnic groups that address institutional inequalities in this society will be analyzed.

if not used as the Required Elective course

Cultural Anthropology is the study of human society and culture, analyzing both similarities and differences amongst cultural groups. This course will introduce students to important socio-cultural concepts used by cultural anthropologists including material culture, social organization, religion, kinship, ritual and symbolic systems, race, ethnicity, and language amongst others. Students will examine how cultural anthropologists understand the notion of culture in the study of human behavior in different regions of the world. The ethnographic method as a key methodology will be stressed throughout this course.

This class explores the role of agitational and protest communication in the formation, processes, and goals of different historical and contemporary movements. Agitational and protest communication includes the strategies, tactics, and communication utilized by movements to resist or provide different perspectives, including those that have been excluded or silenced. Attention is given to theories, contexts, and strategies related to agitational and protest movements, as well as numerous examples of diverse protest movements in modern and contemporary history.

This course surveys American motion pictures that have been made by filmmakers representing three United States ethnic groups, including African Americans, Latino Americans, and Asian Americans. Students will also analyze Hollywood's treatment of those ethnic cultures throughout film history.

This course is a historical overview of media representations of race, ethnicity, and gender in the United States. Intersectionality of race and ethnicity with gender and other forms of difference are highlighted. Using readings from selected texts and clips from various forms of media, students critically analyze media representations and critical events in the histories and cultures of one or more of the following four historically defined racialized core groups: Native Americans, African Americans, Latina/o Americans, and/or Asian Americans. By actively engaging with anti-racist issues, students help build a diverse, just, and equitable society beyond the classroom.