Theory, Creativity, Activism

Catalog description

This class will bring together much of the literature and discussions conducted throughout your education as an Ethnic Studies major and prepare you for the application of Ethnic Studies in your post-graduate life. I have chosen to emphasize three themes that have been dominant in your Ethnic Studies curriculum: Theory, Creativity, and Activism. We will begin by critically exploring the democratic principles and imperial practices that underlie the "American system" and the political formation of The Third World. Our discussions and readings will include an examination of the contributions and limitations of multiculturalism, postmodernism, anti-colonialism and feminism, and the relevance of (ethnic) "experience" in interpreting and addressing the problems we face as a planetary civil society. The majority of the class will be dedicated to the praxis of Ethnic Studies as a creative and political force within our world today. We will read fiction and non-fiction and view films that articulate the complexities of life in North America and beyond.