UCSD Ethnic Studies Courses
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 end 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.
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.
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 America 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.
102. Racial Inequality in America: A Comparative Historical Analysis (4)
This course will examine slavery, segregation, conquest, discrimination, and exploitation as social and cultural institutions shaping contemporary life in America. The origins and implications of inequality will be explored through analysis and interpretation of primary and secondary sources.
103. American Culture and Ethnic Identity (4)
This course examines how the ethnic experience in the United States has been represented, mediated, and shaped by expressive cultural forms including literature, folklore, visual art, and mass media.
104. The Idea of Race in America (4)
This course will examine the intellectual history of race as a concept in American culture, surveying the origins and evolution of both racist and antiracist theories and beliefs.
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.
106. Ethnoracial Transformations of U.S. CommunIties (4)
course examines the rapid growth of ethnic/racial minority populations in U.S. cities: how long-term residents respond to these ethnoracial transformations, how ethnic/racial groups are not being incorporated into American institutions, and implications of these transformations for the nation.
107. Ethnographic Field Work in Racial and Ethnic Cemmunities (4)
This is a research methods course examining social, economic, and political issues in ethnic and racial communities through ethnographic field work that places the researcher directly into the social world under study. Topics are examined through field work and library research (cross-listed with USP 130.)
110. Cultural World Views of NativeAmericans (4)
using interdisciplinary methods, this course examines the cultural world views of various NativeAmerican 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.
112. History of Native Americans in the United States (4)
This course examines the history of Native Americans in the United States, with emphasis on the lifeways, mores, warfare, and relations with the United States government Attention is given to the background and evolution of acculturation up to the present day.
115. The Sociology of Indian-White Relations (4)
Students will examine historical and contemporary relations between Native American societies and the United States, paying particular attention to transformation in Indian collective identities, political power, and collective action, and to current political and economic issues (cross-listed with SOCD 181i )
119. Multiracial Societies 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 Indians, blacks, Asians, and their interactions with Europeans, and racial, sexual. and class divisions.
120. Comparative Asian-American History 1850-1965 (4)
using comparative methods of analysis, this course will examine the historical experience of Asian-Americans in areas such as immigration, settlement patterns, labor, economic development, race relations, community institutions, and occupational patterns between 1850 and 1965.
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.
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 areas social, cultural, and political development (Cross-listed with HIUS 158)
131. Social and Economic History of the Southwest 11 (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 actos, 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. The Chicana (4)
A critical study of gender, ethnicity, class, and national origin as if pertains to the Chicana The course will have a historical focus and examine literary and social science texts written by Chicana/o and non-Chicano writers.
135. Development of Chicano Literature (4)
A cross-genre survey of major works in Chicano literature from its beginning to the present with primary emphasis on contemporary works. Speaking, writing, and reading knowledge of Spanish is required (Cross-listed with Lit/Sp 150.)
136. Themes and Motifs in Chicano Literature (4)
This course is organized around some of the significant themes and ideas expressed in specific Chicano writings. The importance of these themes to particular Chicano experience is considered. Speaking, writing, and reading knowledge of Spanish is required. (Cross-listed with Lit/Sp 151)
137. Chicano Prose (4)
A study of the different genres of Chicano prose novel, short story, poetry, autobiography. Attention is given to Chicano prose styles and the historical and cultural movement in which they develop. Speaking, writing, and reading knowledge of Spanish is required. (Cross-listed with Lit/Sp 152.)
138. Chicano Poetry (4)
An analysis and discussion of major forms and modes of Chicano poetry, with primary emphasis on the developing styles of the poets and on the study of texts and authors' historical moments. Speaking, writing, and reading knowledge of Spanish is required. (Cross-listed with Lit/Sp 153.)
139. Chicano Literature in English (4)
Introduction to the literature in English by the Chicano population the men and women of Mexican descent who live and write in the United States. The primary focus is the contemporary period (Cross-listed with Lit/En 180.)
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 and Culture (4)
A survey exploring the interconnectedness of language and culture. Special areas to be emphasized include child language learning and socialization, alternative sources of knowledge, and culturally specific styles of interaction.
142. Languages of Africa (4)
Introduction to the study of African languages from various linguistic perspectives. Topics may include techniques of linguistic analysis applied to systems of sounds, word formation, sentence structure, and genetic relationships, language and society: language planning. (Cross-listed with LIGN 108.)
144. Colonialism and Culture (4)
This course examines colonial narratives, slave accounts, essays and stories by both colonizers and colonized. It also explores the issue of nationalism in determining the limits of colonialism among minority groups in the United States and in the Third World (Cross-listed with Com/Cul 179.)
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 Lit/Sp 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 THAC 120)
150. Politics of Cultural Pluralism and National Integration (4)
This course comparatively analyzes the problems posed by subnational loyalties founded on ethnic, linguistic, racial, religious, and caste identities in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Western Hemisphere. Particular attention will be given to the processes of national integration in multicultural 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.
155. The Supreme Court and the Constitution (4)
An introduction to the study of the Supreme Court and constitutional doctrine. Topics will include the nature of judicial review, federalism, race, and equal protection. The relation of judicial and legislative power will a also be examined (Cross-listed with Poli. Sci. 104A)
156. Civil Liberties-The Rights of Criminals and Minorities (4)
This course examines the legal issues surrounding the rights ot criminal suspects, as well as the rights of "marginal" groups such as aliens, illegal immigrants, and the mentally ill. It also includes a discussion of the nature of discrimination in American society (Cross-listed with Poli. Sci 104C.)
157. Ethnic Conflict in the Third World (4)
A comparative analysis of ethnic conflict and of conflict resolution by consociational methods in Lebanon, Cyprus, Malaysia, Burundi, and SouthAfrica. Comparisons will also be made with the United States, other Western countries and other Third World countries (Cross-listed with Poli, Sci 135A )
158. Immigration Policy and Politics (4)
A comparative analysis of attempts by the U.S., Western Europe, and Japan to initiate, regulate, and restrict immigration from the Third World, 1940 to present. Social and economic factors shaping immigration policies, anti-immigrant movements, and political parties in industrialized countries, (Cross-listed with Poli. Sci 150A)
169. African Society and the Slave Trade (4)
Topics include trans-Saharan trade, slavery within African societies, Atlantic slave trade, problems of numbers exported and profitability, impact of slave trade on African societies, and the abolition of the slave trade. (Cross-listed with HIAF 130.)
170. Slavery and the Atlantic World (4)
An examination of the emergence and consolidation of slave societies in regions of the Caribbean and British North America from the seventeenth through the early nineteenth centuries. (Cross-listed with HIUS 135.)
171. Slavery and Freedom in the Nineteenth Century (4)
An examination of social, cultural, and political dimensions of the transition from slave to wage labor in the era of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Gilded Age. (Cross-listed with HIUS 136.)
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 Lit/En 183.)
173. Afro-American Poetry (4)
A close reading and analysis of selected works of Afro-American poetry as they reflect styles and themes that recur in the literature (Cross-listed with Lit/En 184)
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 Lit/En 185.)
175. Literature of the Harlem Renaissance (4)
The Harlem Renaissance (1917-39) focuses on the emergence of the "NewNegro" 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 Lit/En 186)
176. Black Music/Black Texts: Communication and CulturalExpression (4)
This course explores the 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 Lit/En 187)
177. African Heritage in Contemporary Drama: African, CarIbbean, and African-American (4)
From Lorraine Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun to the latest plays of Ed Bullins, black drama has mirrored and, occasionally, forecast the mood and aspirations of black people in America. The course examines plays, playwrights, and participants in contemporary black theatre (Cross-listed with THHS 109.)
178. Introduction to Oral Music (4)
An introductory study of oral music in Western and non-Western cultures, with emphasis on the impact of oral transmission of ideas and customs. and the nature of improvisation in various indigenous cultures. Music studied includes Afro-American, African, Asian, and Oceanian. (Cross-listed with Music 126.)
179A-B. Music of Black Americans (4-4)
The first quarter of this course will investigate the vocal music of black American culture, primarily the development of the spiritual and the blues traditions, while the second quarter will critically study the history jazz in America. (Cross-listed with Music 127A-B)
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. AmerIcan Slave Communities in Comparative Perspective (4)
A reading and discussion seminar that explores topics related to the emergence, consolidation, and destruction of plantation slave regimes in regions of the Caribbean and the United States. Topics will vary (Cross-listed with HIUS 164)
182. Segregation, Freedom Movements, and the Crisis of the, Twentieth Century (4)
A reading and discussion seminar that views the origins of segregation and the social movements that challenged it between 1890 and 1970 in a comparative framework. (Cross-listed with HIUS 165)
183. Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Class
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.
189. Special Topics in Ethnic Studies (4)
A reading and discussion course that explores special topics in ethnic studies. Themes wilt vary from quarter to quarter: therefore, course may be repeated for credit.
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.
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.)
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.