Requirements & Courses

The ethnic studies minor requires 24 s.h. of credit. A maximum of 6 s.h. may be used to satisfy requirements for both the foundations curriculum and the ethnic studies minor. A course may not count both toward the student’s major requirements and the ethnic studies minor requirements.

Click on the image above to link to Ethnic Studies Face Book Page.

Director
Dr. Su-ching Huang

2150 Bate Building
huangsu@ecu.edu
252.328.2423

Associate Director
Gera S. Miles Jr.

2135 Bate Building
milesg@ecu.edu
252.328.6675

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 2013

1st Summer Session 

ETHN 2001: Introduction to Ethnic Studies:(FC:HU) Face to Face
9:45am-11:15 am | Bate 2015 | Instructor: Carla Pastor (pastorc@ecu.edu)

In this course, we explore the parameters of what it means to be "ethnic" in America, from race and religion to regional considerations, through an examination of literature and culture.This exploration will be personal as well as academic in nature.The structure of the course will include both conventional and traditional activities such as games and exercises.You will be required to participate fully in class, write response papers, and prepare an individual or group project at the end of class on a specific topic relating to ethnicity.This course includes both intellectual work and emotional exploration; its aim is to help us perceive ourselves within the context of the multicultural society in which we live.

No Required Text.

*This course satisfies the Cultural Diversity Requirement and the Humanities Foundation Credit Requirement.

FALL 2013 COURSES 

ETHN 2001: Introduction to Ethnic Studies:(FC:HU) Face to Face
9:45am-11:15 am | Bate 2020| Instructor: Gera Miles (milesg@ecu.edu)


The main objective of this course is to introduce students to the academic field 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. Through lectures, readings and multimedia this course will survey a variety of issues and topics that will introduce you to this field and encourage future research and inquiry during your college career and beyond.  Additionally, this course is designed to provide students from various disciplines with a glimpse of the ways in which Ethnic Studies gives us tools to work toward building a better world.

*This course satisfies the Cultural Diversity Requirement and the Humanities Foundation Credit Requirement.

ETHN 3501: Selected Topic 
Representation of Ethnicities on Film
(FC:HU) DE (Taught Completely ONLINE)
Instructor: Dr. Su-ching Huang  (huangsu@ecu.edu)

 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/a, Arab American, etc.) with films by "ethnic" filmmakers and consider how these "ethnic" filmmakers challenge or revise those ethnic images. 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.

Films (on reserve at the Joyner Library; students who live too far away to come to Joyner may have to rent or purchase the films on their own):

Aladdin (1992, Ron Clements & John Musker)

Amreeka (2009, Cherien Dabis)

Arranged (2007, Diane Crespo & Stefan Shaefer)

The Ballad of Little Jo (1993, Maggie Greenwald)

Crash (2005, Paul Haggis)

Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989, Wayne Wang)

The Lion King (1994, Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff)

Mooz-lum (2011,Qasim Basir)

The Namesake (2007, Mira Nair)

The Night Catches Us (2010, Tanya Hamilton)

The Only Good Indian (2009, Kevin Willmott)

Shanghai Noon (2000, Tom Dey)

Slaying the Dragon: Reloaded (2011, Elaine Kim)

Sucker Free City (2005, Spike Lee)

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005, Tommy Lee Jones)

Required Text: Benshoff and Griffin. America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies. 2nd ed. 2009.

*This course satisfies the Cultural Diversity Requirement and the Humanities Foundation Credit Requirement.

ENGL 3290: Asian American Literature (FC:HU) Face to Face
MW 2:00 pm-3:15 pm | Rawl 101 |  Instructor: Dr. Su-ching Huang

This course investigates how Asian American history and socio-cultural experience register in literature and films. We'll begin with a     historical overview of Asian American immigration. We'll then study Asian American literary texts and films from the angles of labor and immigration, Japanese American internment, sexuality, gender conflict, language and identity, cultural negotiation and assimilation, etc. In addition to reading Asian American short stories, novels, plays, poems, and memoirs, we will view several Asian American films.  

*This course satisfies the Cultural Diversity Requirement and the Humanities Foundation Credit Requirement.