ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Ethnic studies is an interdisciplinary program that uses cross-cultural comparative methods to explore the diverse histories and cultures of ethnic groups in the US to examine the formation of identities and societies in local, national, and global contexts, and to analyze the social, cultural, and political sources of bias and discrimination.
SUMMER 2014 Course Offerings
ETHN 2001: Introduction to Ethnic Studies:(FC:HU) Face to FaceMTWThF 11:30 pm-1:00 pm | Bate 2021 |Instructor: Carla Pastor
In this course we will explore ethnicity and race in the United States by examining our own experiences as well as literary and scholarly explorations of the concepts. Our goal will be to develop a critical framework that will help us better understand our multicultural society. Questions we will consider include: What is race? What is ethnicity? How does ethnicity relate to race? What is Ethnic Studies? How are ethnicity and race perceived in America? What constitutes membership in an ethnic group? How have concepts of, policies toward, and treatment of ethnic groups changed over time? How do authors explore, express, extend and resist notions of ethnicity and race in literary, scholarly, and documentary works? How can considering these works help us understand better America's past, present, and future?
*This course satisfies the Cultural Diversity Requirement and the Humanities Foundation Credit Requirement.
FALL 2014 Course Offerings
ETHN 2001: Introduction to Ethnic Studies: TTH 2:00 pm-3:15 pm |Bate 1007| Instructor: Dr. Jessie Bardill
This course provides an introduction to the concepts of race and ethnicity through literary and scholarly readings as well as our own experiences.We will explore how race and ethnicity have been constructed and tied to particular biological types, as well as how understanding the diversity within groups and between groups helps us to better understand ourselves.This exploration will involve analysis of cultural products, including commercials and news media, as well as our own engagements with new cultural experiences.At the level of systems (larger than individuals), we will learn about how race influences public perceptions, education, and incarceration as well as how policies and legislation contribute to the construction of race and ethnicity in America.
Readings
Doing Race: 21 Essays for the 21st Century ed. Hazel Markus and Paula Moya
Literature, Race, and Ethnicity by Joseph Skerrett
*This course satisfies the Cultural Diversity Requirement and the Humanities Foundation Credit Requirement.
ETHN 2001: Introduction to Ethnic Studies - Global Classroom| Instructor: Gera Miles
The main objective of this course is to introduce students to of Ethnic Studies and the interdisciplinary questions it poses about the way that race, ethnicity and racism structure our world across a range of time and places. Our course spans and reflects a range of themes and topics, including the historical formation of racial categories, issues of power and privilege, the connection between race, class, gender and sexuality, racial colorblindness, immigration and imperialism, race and education and popular culture and representation.
*This is a Global Classroom course and we will be connecting by video with students around to world, in real time, to examine and discuss these ideas on a weekly basis.
*This course satisfies the Cultural Diversity Requirement and the Humanities Foundation Credit Requirement.
ETHN 3501: Special Topic in Ethnic Studies: Ethnic Representations in Film| T Th 9:30am-10:45am |
Instructor: Dr. Su-ching Huang
This course explores the assimilation or unassimilability of various ethnic groups in the US through both independent and Hollywood cinema. We will compare Hollywood representation of various ethnic groups (such as African American, Native American, Asian American, Latino/as, Arab Americans, etc.) with works by filmmakers from these ethnic backgrounds and consider how the "ethnic" filmmakers challenge or revise those ethnic images with their own. By reexamining the definitions of "ethnic" and "American," we will explore the tensions between the two and consider how such categories have changed over time.
Readings (On Reserve in Joyner Library)
America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies. 2nd ed.
Selected Films
Aladdin(1992, Ron Clements & John Musker)
Amreeka(2009, CherienDabis)
The Butler (2013, Lee Daniels)
Crash (2005, Paul Haggis)
Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989, Wayne Wang)
The Lion King (1994, Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff)
The Night Catches Us (2010, Tanya Hamilton)
The Only Good Indian (2009, Kevin Willmott)
Shanghai Noon (2000, Tom Dey)
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005, Tommy Lee Jones)
Winter in the Blood (2013)
*This course satisfies the Cultural Diversity Requirement and the Humanities Foundation Credit Requirement.
