Introduction to Ethnic Studies

Catalog description

This course offers an interdisciplinary approach to racial and ethnic relations, ethnicity, class, sexuality, nationality, and gender inequalities in the field of Ethnic Studies. Students examine the cultural, political, and economic practices and institutions that support or challenge ethnic inequalities, as well as historical and contemporary patterns of interaction between various racial and ethnic groups. This course introduces the field of Ethnic Studies and its fundamental theories, concepts, philosophies, and social movements towards liberation, decolonization, and self-determination in the African American, Native American, Asian American, and Chicanx/Latinx communities. Students can attend field trips to visit local historical sites and interact with museum docents at the Oakland Museum of California, Coyote Hills Tuibun/Ohlone historical site, and Mission San Jose Ohlone/Bay Miwok tour. This course addresses Ethnic Studies Core Competencies: 1) Analyze core concepts of race and ethnicity. 2) Apply theories of resistance, agency, and social justice. 3) Connect identity and lived experience to systems of power and oppression. 4) Critically analyze intersectional experiences of marginalized groups. 5) Connect classroom learning to community and social change.