Ethnic Studies
Ethnic Studies centers the histories, epistemologies and lived experiences of minoritized peoples and Indigenous nations.
What is Ethnic Studies?
Ethnic Studies centers the histories, epistemologies and lived experiences of minoritized peoples and Indigenous Nations. Our approach is intersectional and transnational. Ethnic Studies courses challenge systems of power and oppression, and advance liberation, emancipation, and self-determining futures. Students critically analyze differences in power expressed by the state, civil society, and individuals. Students challenge social constructions of race, ethnicity, nationality, sexuality, and gender. Ethnic Studies stresses the unique perspectives, contributions, and knowledges of Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and other minoritized communities. Ethnic Studies also prepares students to do collaborative and ethical research.
Ethnic Studies Degree(s)
Ethnic Studies, BA
Ethnic Studies centers the histories, epistemologies and lived experiences of minoritized peoples and Indigenous nations. A major in Ethnic Studies trains students to understand the social dynamics that govern communities of color, teaches them about diverse histories of resistance and liberation movements, and empowers then to enact social change towards a more just world and the betterment of the lives of BIPOC and minoritized people.
Contact
Dr. Lourdes Guti茅rrez N谩jera, Program Director
gutierl2@wwu.edu | 360-650-2553
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Ethnic Studies at 色花堂 will critically assess the lived experiences of racially minoritized and colonized peoples and their dignity in the face of subjugation, dispossession, and enslavement and their afterlives.
Core concerns that we explore are colonialism, imperial circuits of migration, border imperialism, social movements and resistance, and an ever-expanding carceral state. Interdisciplinary and intersectional approaches emphasized in our program include community-led research, literary criticism, critical discourse analysis, political economy, empirical methods, and narrative production.
Students in the Ethnic Studies program can choose from 1 of 3 Fields of Study:
- Borders, Diaspora, Resistance
- Indigeneity, Policing, and Abolition
- Minoritization, Colonization, and Abolition
Related Majors
Related Minors
A major in Ethnic Studies trains students to understand the social dynamics that govern communities of color, teaches them about diverse histories of resistance and liberation movements, and empowers then to enact social change towards a more just world and the betterment of the lives of BIPOC and minoritized people. Ethnic Studies majors will have opportunities to work in and advocate for communities of color in ethical and responsible ways.
Careers
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