Ethnic Studies

Ethnic studies move across traditional academic divisions in order to consider questions of belonging and othering in new ways by bridging academic disciplines and emphasizing holistic critical thinking.

Ethnic studies support commitments to equity and justice through its methods of inquiry. You not only might see yourself more represented in the college curriculum, you might raise new questions about whose stories have been elevated and whose have been silenced. You will interrogate how cultures, communities, and identity categories change, shift, and are constructed. You will encounter new ideas about how identity relates to access and power.

Not only will you be better prepared with practical skills for multiple careers in an ever-changing world, participating in programs that include ethnic studies will transform your existing cultural wealth and knowledge through critical theory.

Important disciplines you may encounter include:

  • Black and African American studies
  • Indigenous Studies
  • Native American Studies
  • Latinx and Chicanx Studies
  • Asian and Asian American Studies
  • Migration and borderlands studies

Areas of exploration include literature, history, cultural studies, sociology, and critical theory. Your work will especially emphasize communities, movements, ideas, words, and power.

Faculty Associated With This Field
Title Expertise
Balaram, Arita Psychology, critical race and feminist studies, community-engaged methods
Coffey, Kristin Creative writing, historical fiction, ethnic American literature
Crowley, Lin Media and Chinese studies
Grossman, Zoltan Geography, Native American studies
Lal, Prita Food justice, social movements, race/gender/class inequality, Black studies
Proctor, Bradley U.S. history, African American history, American studies
Salazar, Hailey (Hailey Maria)
Williams, Sean Ethnomusicology
Selected Programs 2022-23
Title Class Standing Credits
Antisemitism Revisited: Post-Pandemic Hands-On Learning
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
2
Capstone in Humanities
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Political Economy of Fascist Politics: Consequences and Resistance
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Regeneration of Performance Arts: Indigenous Puppetry
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
Teaching English Language Learners: Culture, Theory, and Methods
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16
The Justice of Fermentation
  • Freshman
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
4
The Spanish-Speaking World: Cultural Crossings
  • Sophomore
  • Junior
  • Senior
16