Ethnic Studies ETHS

ETHS-1 Introduction to Ethnic Studies

Units

3

Hours

54 lecture total (when offered in the distance education format, hours will total 162)

Advisory

Essay-writing skills and eligibility to enroll in a transfer-level English Composition course

Transfers to

CSU, UC

Grading: Pass/No Pass Option

This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of race and ethnicity in the United States. It examines social justice movements in relation to ethnic and racial groups in the United States to provide a basis for a better understanding of the socioeconomic, cultural, and political conditions among key social groups including, but not limited to, Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latina/o Americans. This course examines the systemic nature of racial/ethnic oppression through an examination of key concepts including racialization and ethnocentrism, with a specific focus on the persistence of white supremacy. Using an anti-racist framework, the course will examine historical and contemporary social movements dedicated to the decolonization of social institutions, resistance, and social justice. This course may be offered in a distance education format.

Offered: Fall 2026 (14 sections)

ETHS-5 Introduction to Asian American Studies

Units

3

Hours

54 lecture total (when offered in the distance education format, hours will total 162)

Advisory

Essay-writing skills and eligibility to enroll in a transfer-level English Composition course

Transfers to

CSU, UC

This course critically examines Asian American histories and contemporary experiences from diverse ethnic perspectives within Asian America: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipinx, Hmong, Mien, Laotian, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, Asian Indian, and Native Hawaiian. This course introduces students to the foundations, theories, and methods of Asian American Studies as an academic discipline. Drawing on scholarly works, literature, community narratives, and visual culture, students will examine issues such as immigration, racialization, exclusion, activity, and community building. The term “Asian American” can often be misleading, inclusive, exclusive, and overwhelmingly broad. Because of this, the course pays particular attention to personal narratives as we explore questions of race, class, war, imperialism, gender, sexuality, culture, memory, and agency. This course may be offered in a distance education format.

Offered: Fall 2026 (7 sections)

ETHS-8 Introduction to African American Studies

Units

3

Hours

54 lecture total (when offered in the distance education format, hours will total 162)

Transfers to

CSU, UC

This course provides an introduction to the field of African American Studies through a critical examination of African-American thought, traditions, and heritage. Students will analyze scholarly, literary, and visual resources to understand how the interdisciplinary field of African-American Studies situates cultural, economic, historical, social, and political issues relative to African Americans in the United States. Topics include the history and context of African American Studies, African civilization and diaspora, enslavement and emancipation, cultural movements such as the Harlem Renaissance and hip-hop, civil rights and social justice movements, and concepts of race, ethnicity, Afrocentricity, equality, equity, and anti-racism. This course may be offered in a distance education format.

Offered: Fall 2026 (1 section)

ETHS-11 Intersectionality of Race, Ethnicity, and Health

Units

3

Hours

54 lecture total (when offered in the distance education format, hours will total 162)

Transfers to

CSU, UC

This course introduces the student to the field of Ethnic Studies with a focus on the intersectionality of race, ethnicity, and health. The course explores such core concepts as colonization, racialization, the structures of racism, and how health is impacted by structural racism. The core concepts are explored by examining their impacts on African American and Native American communities. This course may be offered in a distance education format.

Offered: Fall 2026 (3 sections)

ETHS-15 Hip Hop Culture

Units

3

Hours

54 lecture total (when offered in the distance education format, hours will total 162)

Transfers to

CSU, UC

This course traces the evolution of Hip Hop from its African roots through the diaspora as a cultural form of expression by examining music, dancing, spoken word, philosophy, and lifestyles. Also, Hip Hop is analyzed from social, economic, and political perspectives. It is explored as a product of the African American struggle and liberation as reflected in music, poetry, lyrics, dance, artists, and major influences associated with Hip Hop. This course may be taught in a distance education format.

Not on the Fall 2026 schedule.