1.2 Minor in Ethnic Studies

Statement

This document outlines the mission, objectives, and courses necessary to create an Ethnic Studies Minor at NSC.

Reason For Document

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Entities Affected by this Document

• Academic Faculty 
• Administrative Faculty

Who Should Read This Document

• President
• Provost
• Vice Presidents
• Provost Council
• Deans/ Directors
• Academic Faculty
• Administrative Faculty

References for Additional Information

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Website Address for This Document

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Contacts

Direct any general question about the Minor in Ethnic Studies to your department's administrative office. Ifyou have questions about specific issues, contact the following offices:

Lesley Di Mare
Provost
Phone: (702) 992-2060
Email: Lesley.DiMare@nsc.nevada.edu

Mission Statement

The Ethnic Studies (ETS) program at Nevada State College is grounded in the social justice struggles and activist roots from which Ethnic Studies programs nationwide historically emerged. The interdisciplinary courses offered through ETSfocus on a variety of themes in United States history relevant to understanding the historical and contemporary experiences of culturally and ethnically diverse groups (e.g. Asian Americans, African Americans, Native Americans, and U.S. Latinas/os-Chicanas/os). ETS provides students with the methodological tools to critically examine the political, cultural, social and historical structures that have shaped the identity of underrepresented racial and ethnic communities in the United States. ETS courses emphasize comparative analysis and encourage students to engage in critical thinking by questioning established disciplinary frameworks and canons. This department requires a sequence of two courses ETS101 and ETS301 that introduces students to the major theories, debates, and issues concerning the study of social structures and cultures of American ethnic groups. The mission of ETS is to also provide students a space in which they engage in community based learning where they incorporate the knowledge they have acquired in ETS and elsewhere and apply it to service/internships with organizations in the surrounding communities of Henderson and Las Vegas.

Learning Outcomes

1. To allow students to gain a better cross-cultural understanding of American ethnic communities (e.g. Asian Americans, Native Americans, African Americans and U.S. Latinos/as-Chicanos/as),
2. To allow students to gain knowledge of the power relations that exist between underrepresented ethnic communities and dominant society.
3. To teach students the fundamental, theoretical, and political questions regarding the social construction of categories of race, ethnicity, gender, and class.
4. To reinforce comparative analysis and critical thinking within an interdisciplinary framework.
5. To encourage students to apply classroom theories and discussion to activism and community-based service-learning.
6. To prepare K-12 teachers for a culturally diverse student population; and subsequently teach material that reflects this community.
7. To encourage students to examine their own socio-political and cultural positions in relationship to underrepresented American ethnic groups.

Ethnic Studies Minor (18 credits)

A. ETS101 -Introduction to Ethnic Studies 3
B. ETS301-Theories and Methods in Ethnic Studies 3
C. Pick one course from each of the following groups.... 12 
    A. African American Studies (3 credits) 
        1. HIST 433: African-American History 
        2. ENG 495C: African American Literature 
    B. U.S. Latino/a -Chicano/a Studies (3 credits) 
        1. ETS375: Ll.S, Latino/a -Chicano/a Experience 
        2. HIST 444: Latinos in the American West 
        3. ETS488: Outlaw Genres: u.s. Third World Women's Autobiography 
        4. ENG 496A: Themes in Modern Chicano Literature 
    C. Asian American Studies (3 credits) 
        1. ETS 435 Asian American Identities in Comparative Context 
        2. ENG 490: Asian American Literature 
    D. Native American Studies (3 credits) 
        1. HIST 418:History of United States: American Indian Relations 
        2. ETS488: Outlaw Genres: U.S. Third World Women's Autobiography 
        3. ENG 494A: Native American Literature

New Course Descriptions

ENG 490: Asian American Literature

This course explores and investigates literature by American authors from various Asian backgrounds such as, but not limited to, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Indian/South Asian. We will consider literature with diverse themes and styles in a number of genres: novels, short stories, poetry, autobiography, and drama. The course will also investigate the historical, cultural, and social contexts in which Asian American literature has developed. Topically, we will explore subjects such as Asian American experiences and representations of self-identity, bicultural, and cross-cultural experience, family relationships, among others.

ETS 301 Theories and Methods in Ethnic Studies

This course is a continuation of ETS101 and will deepen your understanding of the theories, concepts and methods that have shaped the field of Ethnic Studies. There will be an emphasis on interdisciplinarity as we examine contemporary issues surrounding race, ethnicity and gender. This course will provide a more in-depth analysis of how historical legacies of social injustice contribute to present day inequalities in the U.S. We will consider closely the politics of identity and cultural citizenship by analyzing the intersections between gender, sexuality, race, class, citizenship and nation. Prerequisite(s): ETS 101

ETS 375 U.S. Latino/a -Chicano/a Experience

This interdisciplinary course will provide students with a basic understanding of U.S. Latina/o-Chicana/o history and experience. Of particular interest will be questions of identity formation especially in relationship to the rapidly growing population of U.S. born Chicanos/as, the largest minority group in the United States, and immigrant Latinas/os. We will explore the challenges faced by U.S. Latinos/as-Chicanos/as who continue to struggle for first-class citizenship and equality under conditions of social and institutional discrimination. In addition, we will read significant literary works that focus on the issues related to the Latino/a-Chicano/a experience. The major themes to be discussed are: borderlands, linguistic alienation, assimilation, acculturation, bilingualism, and cultural identity. Prerequisite(s): ENG 102

ETS 435 Asian American Identities in Comparative Context

This course will take an interdisciplinary approach to examine the many histories, experiences, and cultures that shape and define the Asian American population; that is, those persons in the United States of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, South Asian, and Southeast Asian ancestry. We will consider the following historical periods: the first wave of immigration (mid-19th to 1934), the years of exclusion and international conflict (the middle decades of the 20th century), and the second wave of immigration (post-1965). We will consider closely the experiences of Asian Americans in relationship to our understanding of American race, class, gender, and international relations. Through sociohistorical essays and creative literary works we will examine the following themes and issues: immigration to the U.S., assimilation, cultural representations, pan-Asian identity, anti-Asian discrimination, and Asian-American feminism. Prerequisite(s): ENG 102, HIST

ETS 488 Outlaw Genres: U.S. Third World Women's Autobiography

(Same as ENG 488) This course will examine non-traditional constructions of self or "outlaw"
genres such as testimonios, ethnographies, oral histories, and life stories. We will read literature by "U.S. third world" women and focus on alternative historical narratives that write marginalized communities back into history. We will ask, for example, how deterritorialization, linguistic alienation and forced assimilation contribute to the formation of identities and to cultural representation? And how do life stories challenge our conception of literacy and interpretation by problematizing fixed notions of the oral and written traditions? More importantly, we will discuss the concepts of authenticity and "truth-telling" in relationship to historical and literary narratives. Our readings of identity based multi-genre anthologies by feminists of color will explore further the relationship of testimonial writing to socio-political movements and activism. Prerequisite(s): ENG 102