Please note: This is NOT the most current catalog.

Race and Ethnic Studies

http://wp.stolaf.edu/race-and-ethnic-studies/

Director, 2014-15: Bruce Nordstrom-Loeb (Sociology/Anthropology), gender, family, race and class

Faculty, 2014-15: Joshua Anderson (Political Science), American politics, political thought, race and politics; Heather Campbell (Education), reading, ESL, science; Mary Carlsen (Social Work and Family Studies), social policy, professional ethics, cross-cultural practice, family practice; Jennifer Kwon Dobbs (English), creative writing, Asian American studies, critical adoption studies (on leave); Michael Fitzgerald (History), African American History, Civil War Era; Carlos Gallego (English), Chicano/a studies, 20th century American literature, comparative ethnic studies, philosophy and critical theory, and cultural studies; David Hagedorn (Music), jazz, percussion, aural skills, percussion methods; Steven Hahn (History), early America, Native American history; Joan Hepburn (English), African American literature, drama (on leave fall semester); Abdulai Iddrisu (History), African history, Muslim societies, and diaspora studies; Heather Klopchin (Dance), ballet and dance history (on leave); Judy Kutulas (History), 20th-century American history, American women’s history, media history; Elizabeth Leer (Education), multicultural education; Kristina Medina-Vilariño (Spanish), Caribbean and Latin American literature, gender, identity, and racial theory; Jonathan Naito (English), Black and Asian British literature, Transatlantic Anglophone literature, transnational studies; Rosemary Pfarr-Baker (Education), urban and multicultural education; Rebecca Richards (English), rhetoric and composition, teaching of English, intersectionality, media studies; Matt Rohn (Art), art history, environmental studies (on leave spring semester); Susan Smalling (Social Work and Family Studies), cutural competence, LGBT issues, Native Americans; Ka Wong (Asian Studies), Chinese language, identity and culture, Asian America

The Race and Ethnic Studies program is committed to the study of people of color, primarily, though not exclusively, in the United States. The program proceeds from the recognition that race and ethnicity have been and continue to be crucial components within interlocking systems of oppression as well as powerful sites of resistance to social injustice. Our work focuses on the social, cultural, and historical contributions and lived experiences of African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos/as, Middle Eastern Americans, and new immigrants of color. Immigration to the U.S. -- historical and contemporary, voluntary and involuntary -- is an experience that unites many of these communities. As such, our program touches on the cultures and nations outside of the United States from which such people are drawn; it can also include the study of racial and ethnic minorities in other nations. Globalization has brought greater urgency to the recognition that the economic, social, and political forces to which people of color are subjected are not limited to those that originate within the nations in which they reside. Thus we also attend to transnational coalitions, experiences, and phenomena relevant to people of color in the United States and elsewhere. The Race and Ethnic Studies program is interdisciplinary, drawing upon methodologies and materials from a variety of fields in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THE MAJOR

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR

A major consists of Race and Ethnic Studies 121 or 122: Introduction to Race and Ethnic Studies plus a minimum of seven other approved courses taken in at least three departments or programs (total of eight courses). One of the seven courses may be an independent study or research, and one may be an off-campus internship or course approved by the Race and Ethnic Studies director. One may focus on race and ethnicity outside the U.S., with the director's approval. Majors are encouraged to include off-campus study in their programs. Students may wish to link a race and ethnic studies major with a major in one of the departments represented in the program. Race and ethnic studies majors are required to complete a senior project and give an oral presentation of their findings before the Race and Ethnic Studies faculty in early May of their senior year.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THE CONCENTRATION

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CONCENTRATION

A concentration consists of Race and Ethnic Studies 121 or 122: Introduction to Race and Ethnic Studies, plus four other approved courses taken in at least two departments or programs (a total of five courses).

COURSES

REQUIRED COURSE

121 Introduction to Race and Ethnic Studies

This course provides an introduction to the cultural and historical background of four groups in the United States: African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans. Emphasis is on race relations and the distinguishing characteristics of these cultures as reflected in the academic disciplines of the creative and performing arts, the humanities, the social and behavioral sciences and the general area of popular culture. Contributions to cultural pluralism are accentuated as well as the special issues of identity faced by these Americans. This course emphasizes literary texts. Counts toward American studies major and Africa and the Americas concentration.

122 Introduction to Race and Ethnic Studies

This course provides an introduction to the cultural and historical background of four groups in the United States: African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans. Emphasis is on race relations and the distinguishing characteristics of these cultures as reflected in the academic disciplines of the creative and performing arts, the humanities, the social and behavioral sciences and the general area of popular culture. Contributions to cultural pluralism are accentuated as well as the special issues of identity faced by these Americans. This course emphasizes historical texts. Counts toward American studies major and Africa and the Americas concentration.

ELECTIVE COURSE

250 Topical Seminar

Students apply interdisciplinary theories and methods to selected topics in American racial and multicultural studies. The course employs a discussion format, focusing on critical reading and analytical essays. Offered annually. May be repeated if topics are different.

294, 394 Internship

298 Independent Study

396 Directed Undergraduate Research

This course provides a comprehensive research opportunity, including an introduction to relevant background material, technical instruction, identification of a meaningful project, and data collection. The topic is determined by the faculty member in charge of the course and may relate to his/her research interests. Prerequisite: Determined by individual instructor. Offered based on department decision. May be offered as a 1.00 credit course or .50 credit course.

398 Independent Research

APPROVED COURSES

Africa and the Americas 231-232: Seminar: Africa and the Americas
American Conversations 202: Pursuits of Happiness, 1920-Present (completion of American Conversations counts for one course for Race and Ethnic Studies)
Asian Studies 123: Asia in America
Dance 246: Dance in the United States
Education 170: Urban Schools and Communities
Education 246: English Language Learners: Issues in Education
Education 260: Foundations in Education
Education 378: Multicultural Education in Hawaii: Seminar and Practicum (off-campus: Oahu, Hawaii)
Education 379: Urban Education Seminar and Practicum (off-campus: Minneapolis/St. Paul)
English 108: The Hero and the Trickster in Post-Colonial Literature
English 200: Topic: Racial Identity and Subjectivity in Literature
English 203: Asian American Literature
English 205: American Racial and Multicultural Literatures
English 251: Major Chicano/a Authors
English 345: Topics in American Racial and Multicultural Literatures
History 165: Slavery in the Americas
History 181: Civil Rights Revolution
History 277: African-American History
History 278: Civil War and Civil Rights in History and Memory
History 282: Topics in Native American History
History 288: America in the Civil War and Reconstruction Era
Music 231: History of Jazz
Music 237: World Music
Philosophy 255: Race and Social Justice
Political Science 244: Race and American Politics
Social Work 373: Just Practice
Sociology/Anthropology 234: Native North American Cultures and Religions
Sociology/Anthropology 242: Contemporary Native American Issues
Sociology/Anthropology 264; Race and Class in American Culture
Sociology/Anthropology 266: Crime and Inequality
Spanish 273: Cultural Heritage of the Hispanic U.S.

In addition, some sections of Religion 121 and Writing 111 may count toward the race and ethnic studies major or concentration, depending on topic. Petition the director of Race and Ethnic Studies for approval.