Program Learning Objectives
It is expected that students who demonstrate the foregoing learning outcomes will be better prepared to understand the social, cultural, political, historical, and economic factors that have shaped their own social and occupational identities, as well as the social and occupational identities of others. This knowledge should better prepare students to work, collaborate, and interact more responsibly and effectively in an increasingly diverse and globalized workplace and world.
- Define and apply key concepts, contexts, and scholarship in Ethnic Studies.
- Demonstrate understanding of the specificities of heterogeneous communities shaped by and shaping the U.S. nation-state in addition to broad ethnic studies concepts and contexts.
- Apply inter- and multidisciplinary, comparative, and intersectional approaches to critically analyze discourses, practices, and institutions that maintain structural inequality.
- Communicate in writing and in alternative media one’s own arguments and the arguments of others within the field of ethnic studies and in at least one other discipline.
- Design and implement research projects that account for the limits and potentials of humanities and social science methodologies and acknowledge competing frameworks of knowledge to understand US racial formations.
- Apply acquired knowledge and skills toward academic, professional, personal, and community development.
Degree Requirements and Curriculum
In addition to the program requirements listed on this page, students must also satisfy requirements outlined in more detail in the Minimum Requirements for Graduation section of this catalog, including:
- 60 units of upper-division courses
- Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR)
- 2.0 GPA
- U.S. Cultural Pluralism (USCP)
Note: No Major or Support courses may be selected as credit/no credit.
| MAJOR COURSES | ||
| ES 112 | Race, Culture, and Politics in the United States (D1) (USCP) 1 | 4 |
| ES 114 | Introduction to Ethnic Studies | 4 |
| Survey Electives | ||
| Select from the following: | 8 | |
| Global Origins of Race in the U.S. (F) 1 | ||
| Introduction to American Indian Studies (F) 1 | ||
| Introduction to African American Studies (F) 1 | ||
| Introduction to Latino/a/x Studies (F) 1 | ||
| Introduction to Asian American Studies (F) 1 | ||
| Cultural Electives | ||
| Select from the following: | 12 | |
| African Americans in Popular Culture | ||
| Native Americans in Popular Culture | ||
| Asian Americans in Popular Culture | ||
| Latina/os in Popular Culture | ||
| Cultural Production and Ethnicity | ||
| ES 345 | Queer Ethnic Studies (Upper-Divison D) 1 | 4 |
| ES 350 | Gender, Race, Culture, Science & Technology (Upper-Division B) 1 | 4 |
| ES 380 | Critical Race Theory (GE Electives) 1 | 4 |
| ES 390 | Research Methodology in Comparative Ethnic Studies | 4 |
| ES 450 | Fieldwork in Comparative Ethnic Studies | 4 |
| ES 461 | Senior Project | 4 |
| Upper-Division Ethnic Studies Electives | ||
| Select ES courses at the 300-400 level 2, 3, 4 | 12 | |
| Approved Electives | ||
| Select from the Approved Electives list below 2, 3, 4, 5 | 20 | |
| SUPPORT COURSES | ||
| STAT 217 | Introduction to Statistical Concepts and Methods (B4) 1 | 4 |
| GENERAL EDUCATION (GE) | ||
| (See GE program requirements below.) | 48 | |
| FREE ELECTIVES | ||
| Free Electives 4 | 44 | |
4 units of free electives may need to be at the 300-400 level to ensure completion of the required minimum of 60 units of upper-division courses. Consult college advisor for additional information. | ||
| Total units | 180 | |
Approved Electives
| Select from the following (at least 8 units must be at the 300-400 level): 2, 3, 4, 5 | 20 | |
| The Global Environment | ||
| World Food Economy | ||
| Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Action-oriented Ethnography | ||
| Culture and Health | ||
| Native American Cultures | ||
| Queer Anthropology | ||
| Topics in Architectural History | ||
| Native American Architecture and Place | ||
| Asian Art Survey | ||
| Asian Art Topics: National, Religious, and Intellectual Movements | ||
| International and Cross Cultural Management | ||
| International Finance | ||
| International Marketing | ||
| Children's Learning and Development in Educational Settings | ||
| Children's Development in Diverse Cultures | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Critical Cultural Studies and Communication | ||
| Gender and Communication | ||
| Cities: Form, Culture and Evolution | ||
| Planning for and with Multiple Publics | ||
| Cities in a Global World | ||
| Cultural Influence on Dance in America | ||
| Economics of Poverty, Discrimination and Immigration | ||
| International Trade Theory | ||
| Sustainable Environments | ||
| Women Writers of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries | ||
| Ethnic American Literature | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| Gender in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Literature | ||
| World Cinema | ||
| Diversity in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century American Literature | ||
| LGBT Literature and Media | ||
| Climate and Humanity | ||
| Fire and Society | ||
| Gender, Race, Class, Nation in Global Engineering, Technology & International Development | ||
| Ethnicity and the Land | ||
| Indigenous Peoples and International Law and Policy | ||
| Food and Nutrition: Culture and Customs | ||
| Nutrition Education and Communications | ||
| Human Geography | ||
| Global Geography | ||
| Geography of California | ||
| Geography of Latin America | ||
| Geography of the Caribbean | ||
| Geography of International Development | ||
| United States Cultures | ||
| Survey of California History | ||
| Comparative Social Movements | ||
| World History, 1800 - Present | ||
| The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade | ||
| East Asian Culture and Civilization | ||
| Modern Middle East | ||
| Colonial Latin America | ||
| Modern Latin America | ||
| Modern Central America | ||
| African-American History to 1865 | ||
| African-American History from 1865 | ||
| Modern Japan | ||
| 20th Century China | ||
| Chinese Film and History | ||
| Modern Southeast Asia | ||
| The History of Prostitution | ||
| Precolonial African History | ||
| Modern African History | ||
| History of the American West, Southwest Borderlands, and California | ||
| American Women's History to 1870 | ||
| American Women's History from 1870 | ||
| Topics and Issues in Latin American History | ||
| Topics and Issues in Asian History | ||
| Topics and Issues in African History | ||
| Imperialism and Postcolonial Studies | ||
| Personal Health: A Multicultural Approach | ||
| Multicultural Society and the Mass Media | ||
| Global Communication | ||
| Sport and Gender | ||
| Introduction to Non-Western Musics | ||
| Jazz Styles | ||
| Music of the 60's: War and Peace | ||
| America's Music | ||
| Cultural Concepts and Structures in Music | ||
| Jazz History and Theory | ||
| Social Ethics | ||
| Feminist Ethics, Gender, Sexuality and Society | ||
| Introduction to International Relations | ||
| Introduction to Comparative Politics | ||
| The Politics of Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality | ||
| International Relations Theory | ||
| Global Political Issues | ||
| Politics of Developing Areas | ||
| U.S. and China in the Contemporary World | ||
| World Food Systems | ||
| Authoritarian and Democratic Rule | ||
| Civil Rights in America | ||
| Social Movements and Political Protest | ||
| Contemporary U.S. Foreign Policy | ||
| International Organizations and Law | ||
| Politics of the Global Economy | ||
| Voting Rights and Representation | ||
| U.S. Reproductive Politics | ||
| The Politics of Poverty | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| African American Psychology | ||
| Intergroup Dialogues | ||
| Psychology of Gender | ||
| Multicultural Psychology | ||
| Cross-Cultural International Psychology | ||
| The Social Psychology of Prejudice | ||
| Religions of Asia | ||
| Abrahamic Religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | ||
| Hinduism | ||
| Buddhism | ||
| Religion, Gender, and Society | ||
| Religion and Politics in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | ||
| Comparative Societies | ||
| International Political Economy | ||
| The World System and Its Problems | ||
| Sociology of Genders and Sexualities | ||
| Global Race and Ethnic Relations | ||
| Social Stratification | ||
| Social Change | ||
| Introduction to Hispanic Readings | ||
| Significant Works in Spanish | ||
| Chicano/a Authors | ||
| Hispanic Literature in English Translation | ||
| Chicano/Latino Writers in the United States | ||
| Advanced Literature in Spanish | ||
| Topics in Diversity on the American Stage | ||
| Global Theatre and Performance | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Women's and Gender Studies | ||
| Women, Gender and Sexuality in Global Perspective | ||
| Feminist Theory | ||
| Queer Theory | ||
| Humanities in Chicano/a Culture | ||
| Critical Issues in Latin American Studies | ||
| 1 | Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement. |
| 2 | Be aware that some courses on this list may have prerequisites and that these prerequisites may need to be taken as Free Electives. |
| 3 | Consultation with advisor is recommended prior to selecting electives; bear in mind your selections may impact pursuit of post-baccalaureate studies and/or goals. |
| 4 | If a General Education (GE) course is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree. |
| 5 | Approved Electives can be selected from any unused ES course or from the Approved Electives list. Courses not on the Approved Electives list may still be selected, but are subject to department approval. A minimum of 8 units of Approved Electives must be at the 300-400 level. |
General Education (GE) Requirements
- 72 units required, 24 of which are specified in Major and/or Support.
- If any of the remaining 48 units is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.
- See the complete GE course listing.
- A grade of C- or better is required in one course in each of the following GE Areas: A1 (Oral Communication), A2 (Written Communication), A3 (Critical Thinking), and B4 (Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning).
| Area A | English Language Communication and Critical Thinking | |
| A1 | Oral Communication | 4 |
| A2 | Written Communication | 4 |
| A3 | Critical Thinking | 4 |
| Area B | Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning | |
| B1 | Physical Science | 4 |
| B2 | Life Science | 4 |
| B3 | One lab taken with either a B1 or B2 course | |
| B4 | Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning (4 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| Upper-Division B (4 units in Major) 1 | 0 | |
| Area C | Arts and Humanities | |
| Lower-division courses in Area C must come from three different subject prefixes. | ||
| C1 | Arts: Arts, Cinema, Dance, Music, Theater | 4 |
| C2 | Humanities: Literature, Philosophy, Languages other than English | 4 |
| Lower-Division C Elective - Select a course from either C1 or C2 | 4 | |
| Upper-Division C | 4 | |
| Area D | Social Sciences - Select courses in Area D from at least two different prefixes | |
| D1 | American Institutions (Title 5, Section 40404 Requirement) (4 units in Major) 1 | 0 |
| D2 | Lower-Division D | 4 |
| Upper-Division D (4 units in Major) 1 | 0 | |
| Area E | Lifelong Learning and Self-Development | |
| Lower-Division E | 4 | |
| Area F | Ethnic Studies | |
| F | Ethnic Studies (4 units in Major) 1 | 0 |
| GE Electives in Areas B, C, and D | ||
| Select courses from two different areas; may be lower-division or upper-division courses. | ||
| GE Electives (4 units in Major plus 4 units in GE) 1 | 4 | |
| Total units | 48 | |
| 1 | Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement. |
San Luis Obispo, California 93407