Ethnic Studies

Students may earn a major or minor in ethnic studies. A secondary goal of the program is to encourage student awareness of the ethnic and culture-based dimensions and applications of other major fields. Students of literature, social sciences, education, urban planning, art history, humanities, and international studies—to name only a few—find that related ethnic studies courses can enrich their academic programs.

Courses applied to a major or minor in ethnic studies may not be used to satisfy major or minor requirements for other programs.

Upper-division courses with related subject matter offered in other departments may be included in an ethnic studies major or minor program by arrangement with a course’s instructor and the director of ethnic studies.

Specific details and course approvals must be obtained from the Department of Ethnic Studies.

Major Requirements

The Department of Ethnic Studies offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate major in ethnic studies leading to a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science degree. Majors must construct their programs in consultation with an ethnic studies advisor. The major requires a minimum of 48 credits distributed as follows:

At least 24 of the required upper-division credits must be taken in residence at the University of Oregon. Courses applied to the major must be taken for letter grades and passed with grades of mid-C or better. Majors must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.00 in courses applied to the major. Students majoring in ethnic studies may apply credits in Research (ES 401) and Reading and Conference (ES 405) toward their degree only if completed with letter grades of mid-C or better. Credits in Practicum (ES 409) may be applied toward the major on a graded or pass/no pass basis.

Minor Requirements

The interdisciplinary minor in ethnic studies requires a minimum of 28 credits distributed as follows:

Upper-division courses must be taken in residence at the University of Oregon. The minor program must be planned in consultation with an ethnic studies advisor at least two terms before graduation. Courses applied to the minor must be taken for letter grades and passed with grades of mid-C or better. Students minoring in ethnic studies may apply credits in Research (ES 401) and Reading and Conference (ES 405) only if completed with letter grades of mid-C or better. Credits in Practicum (ES 409) may be applied toward the minor on a graded or pass/no pass basis.

101 Introduction to Ethnic Studies (4) Multidisciplinary study focuses on Americans of African, Asian, Latino, and Native American descent. Topics include group identity, language in society and culture, forms of resistance, migration, and social oppression.

196 Field Studies: [Topic] (1–2R) Prereq: approval of program administrators.

198 Colloquium: [Topic] (1–2R)

199 Special Studies: [Topic] (1–5R) Recent topics include Multiethnic-Multiracial Experience; Hip-Hop Politics and Poetics; Cross-Cultural Contact in the Americas; Race, Gender, and Globalization. R when topic changes.

250 Introduction to African American Studies (4) Focuses on historical, cultural, and social issues in African America and surveys scholarship in African American studies. Cheney, Reyes-Santos.

252 Introduction to Asian American Studies (4) Focuses on historical, cultural, and social issues in Asian America and surveys scholarship in Asian American studies. Fujiwara, HoSang.

254 Introduction to Chicano and Latino Studies (4) Focuses on historical, social, and cultural issues in Chicano and Latino communities and surveys scholarship in Chicano and Latino studies. Hames-García, Martínez.

256 Introduction to Native American Studies (4) Focuses on historical, social, and cultural issues in Native America and surveys scholarship in Native American studies. Huhndorf, Klopotek.

301 Theoretical Perspectives in Ethnic Studies (4) Introduction to contemporary theoretical frameworks in the discipline of ethnic studies. Prereq: ES 101; one from ES 250, 252, 254, or 256.

310 Race and Popular Culture: [Topic] (4R) Examines the interface between race and popular culture, surveying the historical development, political significance, and social influence of popular culture in the United States. Prereq: one from ES 101, 250, 252, 254, 256. R when topic changes. Offered alternate years. Cheney, Fujiwara, Huhndorf.

330 Women of Color: Issues and Concerns (4) Contemporary social issues and feminism among women of color in the United States. ES 101 or 102 recommended preparation.

350 Native Americans and the Environment (4) Critical issues in Native American environmentalism. ES 101 or 256 recommended preparation. Klopotek.

352 Social Equity and Criminal Justice (4) Critical issues related to police, prisons, criminal justice, and racial and gender inequalities. 

370 Race, Ethnicity, and Cinema: [Topic] (4R) Examines the history and politics of race, ethnicity, and indigenousness in relation to film, including questions of production, distribution, and reception in the United States.Prereq: one from ES 101, 250, 252, 254, 256. R when topic changes. Offered alternate years. Hames-Garcia, Huhndorf, Klopotek.

399 Special Studies: [Topic] (1–5R) Recent topics include Caribbean Migrations; Asian American Women; Critical Whiteness Studies; Native Americans and Film. ES 101 recommended preparation. R when topic changes.

401 Research: [Topic] (1–21R) Prereq: majors or minors only.

404 Internship: [Topic] (1–12R)

405 Reading and Conference: [Topic] (1–21R) Prereq: majors or minors only.

407/507 Seminar: [Topic] (1–5R) Recent topics include Community Organizing; Border Studies; Native American Ethnohistory; Race, Sex, and Popular Culture. Prereq: ES 101 or 102. R when topic changes.

409 Practicum: [Topic] (1–21R) Majors or minors only.

410/510 Experimental Course: [Topic] (1–5R) Recent topics include Race, Nation, and Globalization. Prereq: ES 101 or 102. R when topic changes.

440/540 Race, Literature, and Culture: [Topic] (4R) Examines race, literature, and culture from an interdisciplinary perspective. Prereq: ES 101, 250, 252, 254, or 256 recommended. R when topic changes. Offered alternate years. 

442/542 Caribbean Literature and Politics (4) Discusses how Caribbean diaspora literature employs themes of colonialism, sexuality, racism, migration, state violence, nationalism, and identity. Prereq: ES 101. Reyes-Santos.

450/550 Race and Incarceration (4) Introduces several key questions necessary for understanding the crisis of prisons and incarceration in the United States, with an emphasis on race, gender, and class. Prereq: ES 101. Hames-Garcia.

452/552 Race and Ethnicity and the Law: [Topic] (4R) Addresses issues of social justice and the participation of Asian Americans, African Americans, Chicanos and Latinos, and Native Americans in the legal system. Prereq: ES 101 or 102. R when topic changes. Cheney, Hames-García.

456/556 History of Native American Education (4) Examines the historical conflict between traditional culture and knowledge transmission among Native Americans and the assimilationist educational system and practices of Euro-American culture. Prereq: ES 101 or 102. Klopotek.

460/560 Race, Culture, Empire: [Topic] (4R) Examines how racial discourses have informed United States domestic and foreign policy, with special attention on cultural representations of U.S. colonialism and imperialism. Prereq: one from ES 101, 250, 252, 254, 256. R when topic changes. Offered alternate years. Hames-Garcia, Huhndorf, Klopotek, Reyes-Santos.

498 Interdisciplinary Research Methods (4) Prepares majors for independent research in ethnic studies. Examines interdisciplinary methods for research on race and ethnicity. Majors or minors only. Prereq: completion of required courses for ethnic studies major except ES 499. 

499 Ethnic Studies Proseminar (4) Capstone seminar. Focuses on concluding work and experience in ethnic studies through independent research, preparation and presentation of research paper. Majors only. Prereq: ES 498; approval of program administrators.

605 Reading and Conference: [Topic] (1–9R)

607 Seminar: [Topic] (1–5R)

610 Experimental Course (1–5R)