Ethnic Studies
Courses
For course descriptions not found in the 2008-2009 General Catalog, please contact the department for more information.
Lower-Division
1A. Introduction to Ethnic Studies: Population Histories of the United States (4) This course examines the comparative historical demography of what is today the United States, focusing on the arrival, growth, distribution, and redistribution of immigrants from Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America.
1B. Introduction to Ethnic Studies: Immigration and Assimilation in American Life (4) A history of immigration to the United States from colonial times to the present, with emphasis on the roles of ethnic and racial groups in economics, power relations between dominant and subordinate groups, and contemporary ethnic and racial consciousness.
1C. Introduction to Ethnic Studies: Race and Ethnic Relations in the United States (4) This course examines the theoretical literature on race and ethnicity, focusing on issues of domination and subordination, and the historical emergence of racism and ethnic conflict. Attention is given to class and gender differences within racial and ethnic groups.
20. Introduction to Asian-American History (4) This course introduces students to key issues in Asian-American lives, with emphasis on the global historical context of migration; changing ethnic and racial consciousness; economic, social, and political status; cultural production; and family and gender relations.
87. Freshman Seminar (1) The Freshman Seminar Program is designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small seminar setting. Freshman seminars are offered in all campus departments and undergraduate colleges, and topics vary from quarter to quarter. Enrollment is limited to fifteen to twenty students, with preference given to entering freshmen.
90. Undergraduate Seminar (1) A seminar intended for exposing undergraduate students, especially freshmen and sophomores, to exciting research programs conducted by department faculty. Enrollment is limited.
97. Field Studies in Racial and Ethnic Communities (1 to 4) Supervised community field work on topics of importance to racial and ethnic communities in the San Diego County region. Regular individual meetings with faculty sponsor and final project and/or written report are required. Prerequisites: lower-division standing, completion of at least thirty units of undergraduate study at UCSD, minimum 3.0 GPA at UCSD, consent of instructor, and completed and approved Special Studies Form.
98. Directed Group Studies (1 to 4) Directed group study on a topic or in a field not included in the regular department curriculum by special arrangement with a faculty member. Prerequisites: lower-division standing, completion of at least thirty units of undergraduate study at UCSD, minimum 3.0 GPA at UCSD, consent of instructor, and completed and approved Special Studies Form.
99. Independent Study (1 to 4) Directed study on a topic or in a field not included in the regular department curriculum by special arrangement with a faculty member. Prerequisites: lower-division standing, completion of at least thirty units of undergraduate study at UCSD, minimum 3.0 GPA at UCSD, consent of instructor, and completed and approved Special Studies Form.
Upper-Division
Prerequisite: upper-division standing or consent of instructor.
100. Theories and Methods in Ethnic Studies (4) An introduction to research in ethnic studies with special emphasis on theories, concepts, and methods. Students will explore how racial and ethnic categories are shaped by gender, class, and regional experiences and will study ethnicity and race in comparative perspective.
101. Ethnic Images in Film (4) An upper-division lecture course studying representations of ethnicity in the American cinema. Topics include ethnic images as narrative devices, the social implications of ethnic images, and the role of film in shaping and reflecting societal power relations.
103. Environmental Racism (4) This course will examine the concept of environmental racism, the empirical evidence of its widespread existence, and the efforts by government, residents, workers, and activists to combat it. We will examine those forces that create environmental injustices in order to understand its causes as well as its consequences. Students are expected to learn and apply several concepts and social scientific theories to the course material.
104. Race, Space, and Segregation (4) Through in-depth studies of housing segregation, urban renewal and displacement, neighborhood race effects, and the location of hazards and amenities, this course examines how space becomes racialized and how race becomes spatialized in the contemporary United States.
105. Ethnic Diversity and the City (4) This course will examine the city as a crucible of ethnic identity exploring both the racial and ethnic dimensions of urban life in the U.S. from the Civil War to the present. (Cross-listed with USP 104.)
107. Field Work in Racial and Ethnic Communities (4) This is a research course examining social, economic, and political issues in ethnic and racial communities through a variety of research methods which may include interviews, and archival, library, and historical research. (Cross-listed with USP 130.)
108. Race, Culture, and Social Change (4) Aggrieved groups often generate distinctive forms of cultural expression by turning negative ascription into positive affirmation and by transforming segregation into congregation. This course examines the role of cultural expressions in struggles for social change by these communities inside and outside the U.S. (Cross-listed with MUS 151.)
109. Race and Social Movements (4) This course explores collective mobilizations for resources, recognition, and power by members of aggrieved racialized groups, past and present. Emphasis will be placed on the conditions that generate collective movements, the strategies and ideologies that these movements have developed, and on the prospect for collective mobilization for change within aggrieved communities in the present and future.
110. Cultural World Views of Native Americans (4) Using interdisciplinary methods, this course examines the cultural world views of various Native American societies in the United States through an exploration of written literary texts and other expressive cultural forms such as dance, art, song, religious and medicinal rituals.
111. Native American Literature (4) This course analyzes Native American written and oral traditions. Students will read chronicles and commentaries on published texts, historic speeches, trickster narratives, oratorical and prophetic tribal epics, and will delve into the methodological problems posed by tribal literature in translation.
112A. History of Native Americans in the United States I (4) This course examines the history of Native Americans in the United States, with emphasis on the lifeways, mores, warfare, cultural adaptation and relations with the European colonial powers and the emerging United States until 1870. (Cross-listed with HIUS 108A.)
112B. History of Native Americans in the United States II (4) This course examines the history of Native Americans in the United States, with emphasis on the lifeways, mores, warfare, cultural adaptation and relations with the United States from 1870 to the present. (Cross-listed with HIUS 108B.)
116. The United States-Mexico Border in Comparative Perspective (4) This course critically explores the U.S.-Mexico frontier and the social-cultural issues on both sides of the international demarcation. Social-historical and political-economic patterns illuminate border life, ethnic identity, social diversity, and cultural expression. Border ethnography is complemented by film and music.
117. Organic Social Movements (4) Examination of local responses to global change and social disruption through the examination of organic movements in indigenous societies. In-depth analysis of the Kuna Indians of San Blas, Panama; Maya-Zapatistas of Chiapas, Mexico; and Micronesians of the western Pacific.
118. Contemporary Immigration Issues (4) This course examines the diversity of today’s immigrants—their social origins and contexts of exit and their adaptation experiences and contexts of incorporation.
119. Race in the Americas (4) This course explores the genesis, evolution, and contradictions of racially heterogeneous societies in the Americas, from European conquest to the present. Topics: the social history of Native Americans, Blacks, and Asians, and their interactions with European settlers, and racial, sexual, and class divisions. Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
121. Contemporary Asian-American History (4) The course will study changes in Asian-American communities as a result of renewed immigration since 1965; the influx of refugees from Vietnam, Kampuchea, and Laos; the impact of contemporary social movements on Asian-Americans’ current economic, social, and political status.
122. Asian-American Culture and Identity (4) A survey of Asian-American cultural expressions in literature, art, and music to understand the social experiences that helped forge Asian-American identity. Topics: culture conflict, media portrayals, assimilation pressures, the model minority myth, and interethnic and class relations.
123. Asian-American Politics (4) This course will examine the development of Asian-American politics by studying the historical and contemporary factors, such as political and economic exclusion, that have contributed to the importance and complexity of ethnicity as a mobilizing force in politics. Prerequisite: upper-division standing or instructor approval.
124. Asian-American Literature (4) Selected topics in the literature by men and women of Asian descent who live and write in the United States. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. (Cross-listed with LTEN 181.)
125. Asian-American History (4) Explore how Asian Americans were involved in the political, economic and cultural formation of United States society. Topics include migration; labor systems; gender, sexuality and social organization; racial ideologies and anti-Asian movements; and nationalism and debates over citizenship. (Cross-listed with HIUS 124.)
126. Comparative Filipino and Vietnamese-American Identities and Communities (4) This course compares he historical and contemporary social, political, and economic experiences of Filipino and Vietnamese-Americans, paying particular attention to the impact of U.S. wars in the Philippines and in Vietnam on their respective lives. Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
127. Sexuality and Nation (4) This course explores the nexus of sex, race, ethnicity, gender, and nation and considers their influence on identity, sexuality, migration, movement and borders, and other social, cultural, and political issues which these constructs affect. (Cross-listed with CGS 112.)
128. Hip Hop: The Politics of Culture (4) Examination of hip hop’s technology, lyrics, and dance and its influences in graffiti, film, music video, fiction, advertising, gender, corporate investment, government, and censorship with a critical focus on race, gender, and popular culture and the politics of creative expression. (Cross-listed with MUS 152.)
129. Asian and Latina Immigrant Workers in the Global Economy (4) This course will explore the social, political, and economic implications of global economic restructuring, immigration policies, and welfare reform on Asian and Latina immigrant women in the United States. We will critically examine these larger social forces from the perspectives of Latina and Asian immigrant women workers, incorporating theories of race, class, and gender to provide a careful reading of the experiences of immigrant women on the global assembly line. (Cross-listed with USP 135.)
130. Social and Economic History of the Southwest I (4) This course examines the history of the Spanish and Mexican Borderlands (what became the U.S. Southwest) from roughly 1400 to the end of the U.S.-Mexican war in 1848, focusing specifically on the area’s social, cultural, and political development. (Cross-listed with HIUS 158.)
131. Social and Economic History of the Southwest II (4) This course examines the history of the American Southwest from the U.S.-Mexican War in 1846-48 to the present, focusing on immigration, racial and ethnic conflict, and the growth of Chicano national identity. (Cross-listed with HIUS 159.)
132. Chicano Dramatic Literature (4) Focusing on the contemporary evolution of Chicano dramatic literature, the course will analyze playwrights and theatre groups that express the Chicano experience in the United States, examining relevant actors, plays, and documentaries for their contributions to the developing Chicano theatre movement. (Cross-listed with THHS 110.)
133. Hispanic-American Dramatic Literature (4) This course examines the plays of leading Cuban-American, Puerto Rican, and Chicano playwrights in an effort to understand the experiences of these Hispanic-American groups in the United States. (Cross-listed with THHS 111.)
134. Immigration and Ethnicity in Modern American Society (4) Comparative study of immigration and ethnic-group formation in the United States from 1880 to the present. Topics include immigrant adaptation, competing theories about the experiences of different ethnic groups, and the persistence of ethnic attachments in modern American society. Requirements will vary for undergraduate, M.A., and Ph.D. students. Graduate students may be required to submit a more substantial piece of work. (Cross-listed with HIUS 180 and conjoined with HIUS 280.) Prerequisites: upper-division standing and department stamp.
135A. Early Latino/a-Chicano/a Cultural Production: 1848 to 1960 (4) Cross-disciplinary study of nineteenth and early twentieth century Latino/a-Chicano/a literature, folklore, music, testimonio, or other cultural practices. Specific periods covered will fall between the immediate aftermath of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to the Cuban revolution. Repeatable for credit when topics vary. (Cross-listed with LTSP 150A.) Prerequisites: LTSP 50B or consent of instructor.
135B. Contemporary Latino/a-Chicano/a Cultural Production: 1960 to Present (4) Cross-disciplinary study of late twentieth century Latino/a-Chicano/a literature, the visual and performing arts, film, or other cultural practices. Specific periods covered will fall between the Kennedy years to the era of neoliberalism and the creation of “Hispanic” or Latino/a identities. Repeatable for credit when topics vary. (Cross-listed with LTSP 150B.) Prerequisites: LTSP 50B or consent of instructor.
136. Topics in Chicano/a-Latino/a Cultures (4) Cross-disciplinary study of late twentieth century Latino/a-Chicano/a literature, the visual and performing arts, film, or other cultural practices. Representative areas of study are social movements, revolution, immigration, globalization, gender and sexuality, cultures of the U.S.-Mexican border, and Chicano/a-Mexicano/a literary relations. Repeatable for a credit when topics vary. (Cross-listed with LTSP 151.) Prerequisites: LTSP 50B or consent of instructor.
138. Chicano/a and Latino/a Poetry (4) A study of themes and issues in the poetic production of Latino communities in the United States. Every effort will be made to select text in Spanish but some will be bilingual. Repeatable for credits when topics vary. (Cross-listed with LTSP 153.) Prerequisites: LTSP 50B or consent of instructor.
140. Language and American Ethnicity (4) This course examines the intersection of language and ethnicity in the United States, focusing on the social and political impact of bilingualism, ethnically based English dialects, and standard and nonstandard English.
141. Language, Culture, and Inequality (4) A critical review of conceptions of language and how they have been deployed in constructing images of culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class. Topics include cultural and linguistic relativism, structuralism, symbolic and cognitive approaches, ethnomethodology, sociolinguistics, ethnography of speaking, performance, and ethnopoetics.
142. Medicine, Race, and the Global Politics of Inequality (4) Globalization fosters both the transmission of AIDS, cholera, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases and gross inequalities in the resources available to prevent and cure them. This course focuses on how race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, and nation both shape and are shaped by the social construction of health and disease worldwide.
144. Bilingual Communities in the U.S.A. (4) This course compares the many ways of “doing being bilingual” that exist among communities of speakers of varied national origins, generations, networks, localities, races, classes, and genders. Of particular interest are the varied types of bilingual individuals and linguistic repertoires that exist in communities of Native American, Chicano/Latino, and Asian origin, and the implications of shifting and hybrid linguistic identities for the drawing of community boundaries and the shaping of national language policy. Specific topics include factors that promote language loss or maintenance in families, the linguistic and cultural repercussions of code switching and word borrowing, bilingual education, linguistic profiling, and language ideologies.
145. Spanish Language in the United States (4) A sociolinguistic study of the popular dialects in the United States and their relation to other Latin American dialects. The course will cover phonological and syntactic differences between the dialects as well as the influence of English on the Southwest dialects. (Cross-listed with LTSP 162.)
146A. Theatrical Ensemble (4-4) An intensive theatre practicum designed to generate theatre created by an ensemble, with particular emphasis upon the analysis of text. Students will explore and analyze scripts and authors. Ensemble segments include: black theatre, Chicano theatre, feminist theatre, commedia dell’arte theatre. (Cross-listed with TDAC 120.)
148. Latino/a and Chicano/a Literature (4) This course will study the representation of a variety of social issues (immigration, racism, class differences, violence, inter/intra-ethnic relations, etc.) in works written in Spanish by Latino/a and Chicano/a writers. May be repeated for credit as topics, texts, and historical periods vary. (Cross-listed with LTSP 154.) Prerequisites: LTSP 50B or consent of instructor.
149. African American History in the Twentieth Century (4) This course examines the transformation of African America across the expanse of the long twentieth century: imperialism, migration, urbanization, desegregation, and deindustrialization. Special emphasis will be placed on issues of culture, international relations, and urban politics.
151. Ethnic Politics in America (4) This course will survey the political effects of immigration, ethnic mobilization, and community building in America, and the contemporary role of ethnicity in politics and intergroup relations.
152. Law and Civil Rights (4) In this course students explore the relationship between race, class, and law as it applies to civil rights both in an historical and a contemporary context. Topics include racism and the law, history of the 14th Amendment, equal protection, school desegregation, and affirmative action.
159. Topics in African American History (4) A colloquium dealing with special topics in the history of people of African descent in the United States. Themes will vary from quarter to quarter. Require-ments will vary for undergraduate, M.A., and Ph.D. students. Graduate students will be required to submit a more substantial piece of work. (Cross-listed with HIUS 183 and conjoined with HIUS 283.)
161. Black Politics and Protest Since 1941 (4) Discussion of black social, political, and intellectual experiences since the publication of Richard Wright’s Native Son. Close examination of blacks’ involvement in and relationships to Second World War, Cold War, Civil Rights Movement, Black Power Movement, Reagan Revolution, and Underclass Debate.
164. African Americans and the Mass Media (4) Examination of the media representations of African Americans from slavery to the present focusing on emergence and transmission of enduring stereotypes, their relationship to changing social, political, and economic frameworks, and African Americans’ responses to and interpretations of these mediated images. (Cross-listed with MUS 153.)
165. Sex and Gender in African American Communities (4) This course will investigate the changing constructions of sex, gender, and sexuality in African American communities defined by historical period, region, and class. Topics will include the sexual division of labor, myths of black sexuality, the rise of black feminism, black masculinity, and queer politics.
167. African-American History in War and Peace: 1917 to the Present (4) The social, political, economic, and ideological pressures generated during the international conflicts of the twentieth century have had an enormous impact on American life. This course examines how the pressures of “total war” and “cold war” shaped the African-American experience in both war and peacetime. (Cross-listed with HIUS 138)
168. Comparative Ethnic Literature (4) A lecture-discussion course that juxtaposes the experience of two or more U.S. ethnic groups and examines their relationship with the dominant culture. Students will analyze a variety of texts representing the history of ethnicity in this country. Topics will vary. (Cross-listed with LTEN 178.)
170A. Origins of the Atlantic World, c. 1450–1650 (4) An examination of interactions among the peoples of western Europe, Africa, and the Americas that transformed the Atlantic basin into an interconnected “Atlantic World.” Topics will include maritime technology and the European Age of Discovery, colonization in the Americas, the beginnings of the transatlantic slave trade, and early development of plantation slavery in the New World. (Cross-listed with HIUS 135A.)
170B. Slavery and the Atlantic World (4) The development of the Atlantic slave trade and the spread of racial slavery in the Americas before 1800. Explores the diversity of slave labor in the Americas and the different slave cultures African Americans produced under the constraints of slavery. (Cross-listed with HIUS 135B.)
172. Afro-American Prose (4) Students will analyze and discuss the novel, the personal narrative, and other prose genres, with particular emphasis on the developing characters of Afro-American narrative and the cultural and social circumstances that influence their development. (Cross-listed with LTEN 183.)
174. Themes in Afro-American Literature (4) This course focuses on the influence of slavery upon African American writers. Our concern is not upon what slavery was but upon what it is within the works and what these texts reveal about themselves, their authors, and their audiences. (Cross-listed with LTEN 185.)
175. Literature of the Harlem Renaissance (4) The Harlem Renaissance (1917–39) focuses on the emergence of the “New Negro” and the impact of this concept on black literature, art, and music. Writers studied include Claude McKay, Zora N. Hurston, and Langston Hughes. Special emphasis on new themes and forms. (Cross-listed with LTEN 186.)
176. Black Music/Black Texts: Communication and Cultural Expression (4) Explores role of music as a traditional form of communication among Africans, Afro-Americans, and West Indians. Special attention given to poetry of black music, including blues and other forms of vocal music expressive of contestatory political attitudes. (Cross-listed with LTEN 187 and MUS 154.)
178. Blues: An Oral Tradition (4) This course will examine the development of the Blues from its roots in work-songs and the minstrel show to its flowering in the Mississippi Delta to the development of Urban blues and the close relationship of the Blues with Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, and Rock and Roll. (Cross-listed with MUS 126.)
179A. Jazz Roots and Early Development (1900–1943) (4) This course will trace the early development of Jazz and the diverse traditions which helped create this uniquely American art form. We will witness the emergence of Louis Armstrong in New Orleans and examine the composer’s role in Jazz with Jelly Roll Morton and Duke Ellington. (Cross-listed with MUS 127A.)
179B. Jazz Since 1946: Freedom and Form (4) This course will examine the evolution of Jazz from 1943 to the present. The course will survey the contrasting and competing styles in Jazz from BEBOP to COOL to the avant garde and fusion. (Cross-listed with MUS 127B.)
Colloquia
180. Topics in Mexican-American History (4) This colloquium studies the racial representation of Mexican-Americans in the United States from the nineteenth century to the present, examining critically the theories and methods of the humanities and social sciences. (Cross-listed with HIUS 167.)
181. Topics in the Comparative History of Modern Slavery (4) Slavery was both a thread of continuity in the history of the Americas and distinctive institution in the specific social settings. The purpose of this course is to examine and discuss readings that explore topics in the Caribbean and the U.S. Because topics will vary, the seminar may be taken more than once for credit, with permission of the instructor. Requirements vary for undergraduates, M.A., and Ph.D. students. Graduate students are required to submit a more substantial piece of work. (Cross-listed with HIUS 164 and conjoined with HIUS 264.)
183. Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and Class (4) Gender is often neglected in studies of ethnic/racial politics. This seminar explores the relationship of race, ethnicity, class, and gender by examining the participation of working class women of color in community politics and how they challenge mainstream political theory.
184. Black Intellectuals in the Twentieth Century (4) An analysis of black cultural and intellectual production since 1895. Course will explore how race and race-consciousness have influenced the dialogue between ideas and social experience; and how other factors—i.e., age, gender, and class—affected scholars’ insights.
185. Discourse, Power, and Inequality (4) While discourse analysis has transformed numerous disciplines, a gap separates perspectives that envision discourse as practices that construct inequality from approaches which treat discourse as everyday language. This course engages both perspectives critically in analyzing law, medicine, and popular culture.
186. The Ethnic Press in the United States (4) Readings and research on news media institutions established in ethnic communities since the nineteenth century. The course will trace the emergence, development, and longevity of ethnic presses, their role in cultivating and maintaining ethnic identity, and their attempts to respond to and resist images in mainstream media.
187. Black Nationalism (4) This course will investigate the ideologies and practices of black nationalist movements in the United States and/or across the black Diaspora, focusing on their political philosophy, political culture, and gender and class structure.
188. African Americans, Religion, and the City (4) This course details the history of African American migration to urban areas after World War I and World War II and explores the role of religion in their lives as well as the impact that their religious experiences had upon the cities in which they lived. (Cross-listed with USP 132.)
189. Special Topics in Ethnic Studies (4) A reading and discussion course that explores special topics in ethnic studies. Themes will vary from quarter to quarter; therefore, course may be repeated three times as long as topics vary.
Seminars and Independent Studies
190. Research Methods: Studying Racial and Ethnic Communities (4) The course offers students the basic research methods with which to study ethnic and racial communities. The various topics to be explored include human and physical geography, transportation, employment, economic structure, cultural values, housing, health, education, and intergroup relations. (Cross-listed with USP 129.)
191A. Undergraduate Research in Ethnic Studies (4) This course is designed to help students conduct their own research rather than merely read the research of others. The course will introduce students to research paradigms in ethnic studies, familiarize them with finding aids and other library resources, and involve them in the design of research plans. Prerequisite: instructor approval.
191B. Honors Research in Ethnic Studies (4) This course is a continuation of Ethnic Studies 191 Undergraduate Research in Ethnic Studies. Students who have completed ETHN 191 and selected a faculty research advisor may enroll in this course. During the quarter the research for the honors project will be completed under the faculty advisor’s supervision. Faculty advisors will meet weekly with their honors students to oversee the progress made in carrying out the plan of research. Prerequisite: completion of 191.
191C. Honors Research in Ethnic Studies (4) This course is a continuation of Ethnic Studies 192 Honors Research in Ethnic Studies. Students who have completed ETHN 192 and are continuing to work with a faculty research advisor may enroll in this course. During the quarter the written drafts and final honors paper will be completed under the faculty advisor’s supervision. The student will meet weekly with the faculty advisor in order to prepare drafts and the final version of the honors paper. Prerequisite: insructor approval.
197. Fieldwork in Racial and Ethnic Communities (4) This course comprises supervised community fieldwork on topics of importance to racial and ethnic communities in the greater San Diego area. Regular individual meetings with faculty sponsor and written reports are required. (May be repeated for credit.)
198. Directed Group Studies (4) Directed group study on a topic or in a field not included in the regular department curriculum by special arrangement with a faculty member. (May be repeated for credit.)
199. Supervised Independent Study and Research (4) Individual research on a topic that leads to the writing of a major paper. (May be repeated for credit.)
Graduate
200A. History of Ethnic Studies (4) This course charts the origins of ethnic studies research, the emergence of dominant paradigms, and the history of race and ethnic issues across and within disciplines.
200B. Theories of Ethnic Studies (4) A critical exploration of the ways in which theories of ethnic studies have constituted as well as analyzed knowledge and ethnic identity.
200C. Controversies in Ethnic Studies (4) This course is structured around contemporary events and debates over theories, methods, and objects of inquiry in ethnic studies.
210. Research Seminar in Ethnic Studies (4) This course introduces students to the practice of original discovery research in the field of racial and ethnic studies, including articulating a research problem, placing it within theoretical discussions, selecting appropriate methods, and analyzing data.
230. Departmental Colloquium (1) This course is a forum for the presentation of recent research by guests, faculty, and students. This course may be taken for credit six times.
240. Multidiciplinary Research Methods in Ethnic Studies (4) A critical introduction to the broad range of methods used in ethnic studies research and how they have shaped social constructions of race, ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality.
241A. Community Ethnography I: Method and Theory (4) This course reviews the major tenets of ethnography using case studies of ethnographic work and critical theory pertaining to epistemological concerns in the social sciences. Critical here are the major ethical parameters of conducting ethnography in ethnic communities, the role of researchers, and the practical implications of such research.
241B. Community Ethnography II: Practicum (4) This course focuses on the practical application of ethnographic concepts and methods in actual field research in a local San Diego community. The purpose here is to provide experience in conducting ethnography through participant observation, interviews, and contributing to communities. This will include a brief overview of ethnographic method, but will focus on hands-on research, analysis, and ethnographic writing.
253. Mass Media and Ethnic Identity (4) This course examines the ways that ethnic identity influences the practices of mass media, and the ways in which mass media shape and reflect ethnic identity.
254. Race and Racism (4) This course examines inequality based on race with a focus on the institutions, symbols, and social practices which structure and maintain racism. Particular attention is given to laws and social policy which reinforce racial inequality.
257A-B. Social Theory (4-4) An intensive survey of social and cultural theory, focusing on how constructions of science, language, politics, and social inequality shaped early modernity, Romantic Nationalism, Marxism, cultural relativity, psychoanalysis, and fin de siècle social thought. The second quarter surveys poststructuralist, postmodern, feminist, Subaltern Studies, globalization, and other critiques. ETHN 257A is not a prerequisite for ETHN 257B.
259. Comparative Conquests, Colonization, and Resistance in the Americas (4) This course will offer a comparative survey of the impact of European interactions with Native nations and populations in the New World, from Peru to Canada. Readings will emphasize modes of initial interaction, patterns of European colonization, and Native adaptation and resistance, and broader changes in Native culture and cosmology as a result of conquest and colonization.
260. Transnationalism and Borderlands: The Local and Global (4) This course critically reviews the analytical frameworks of transnationalism and borderlands. The goals are to assess traditional and current social science practice on immigration, identity, and community studies, and to understand how diverse peoples engage and participate in global processes.
261. Race and Law (4) This seminar advances a critique of law’s innocence—of its claims for universality. The reading of legal and scientific texts will indicate how by incorporation existing constructions of the meanings of race, the law produces racialized modern subjects.
262. Race, Inequality, and Health (4) New critical and multidisciplinary perspectives provide tools for examining entrenched and newly emerging diseases and inequalities. This course examines medicine and public health in relationship to race, gender, sexuality, class, and nation and explores how these connections affect the distribution of health and health services locally, nationally, and internationally.
263. Language and Socialization across Cultures (4) This course will focus on the ways in which children in different ethnic and racial groups are socialized to language and through language. We will explore racial and class and gender ideologies that underpin the ways parents expect children to learn to speak; examine effective and appropriate methods for studying cultural patterns and understanding ideologies; and consider impacts of bilingualism, stigmatized dialects, immigration, religious training, and home-school conflicts in ways of speaking and using language(s). Prerequisite: graduate standing or consent of instructor.
264. War, Race, and Violence (4) This course critically examines theories and research on war, race, and violence, including everyday forms of state violence, war and the making of empire, the politics of war memory, and war refugees. Prerequisite: graduate standing or consent of instructor.
265. Critical Immigration and Refugee Studies (4) This course surveys the field of immigration and refugee studies and introduces students to recent theories and cutting-edge research in the field. Key topics: gender and migration; diaspora and transnationalism; immigration, race, and citizenship; and globalization and immigrant labor. Prerequisite: graduate standing or consent of instructor.
289. Topics in Ethnic Studies Research (4) This course is a research seminar on themes of contemporary and historic importance in ethnic studies. Themes will be determined by instructor. Course may be repeated three times for credit.
290A-B. Master’s Thesis Preparation (4-4) All graduate students are required to write a master’s thesis as part of the requirements for the master of arts in ethnic studies. Students should enroll in the thesis preparation courses in the fall and spring quarters of the second year of graduate studies.
298. Directed Reading (1-12) This is an independent research or individual guided tutorial in an area not covered by present course offerings. This course may be repeated for an indefinite number of times due to the independent nature of the content of the course.
299. Thesis Research (1-12) Open to graduate students conducting doctoral thesis research. This course may be repeated for an indefinite number of times due to the independent nature of thesis research and writing.
500. Apprentice Teaching in Ethnic Studies (4) A course in which teaching assistants are aided in learning proper teaching methods by means of supervision of their work by the faculty: handling of discussions, preparation and grading of examinations and other written exercises, and student relations.
