Ethnic Studies Minor

View information for the Department of Ethnic Studies , including Learning Objectives for the department and its programs.

Ethnic Studies at Stanislaus State is a transdisciplinary department that applies critical, intersectional, and decolonial approaches to the study of racism, racialization, and sovereignty. The department centers the histories, contemporary experiences, and cultural expressions of Native American/Indigenous peoples, Black/African Americans, Chicano/a/xs-Latino/a/xs, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders within a regional, national, and/or global context. Integrating scholarship, art, and community engagement, the Ethnic Studies curriculum and pedagogy equip students with the analytical skills to examine racial privilege and oppression in relation to intersecting axes of power, including class, gender, sexuality, and legal status.

The major provides students with a critical understanding of complex topics, such as colonialism, imperialism, structural inequities, social movements, and liberation, fostering both personal and collective transformation. A degree in Ethnic Studies prepares students for careers in education, business, law, healthcare, social services, community organizations, and the arts. Committed to teaching and mentoring diverse students, Ethnic Studies faculty produce innovative and creative scholarship while actively working toward social change.