Ethnic Studies

The Ethnic Studies Program at Saint Mary’s College of California takes a critical multidisciplinary approach to addressing issues of power, resistance, and social justice. Ethnic Studies students learn comparative multiracial and multiethnic perspectives to examine race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, legal status, Indigeneity, and other dimensions of identity and lived experience. Born from student protests from the 1960s social movements, the field of Ethnic Studies believes in the holistic understanding of the individual and their environment in order to fully analyze social problems and enact change. The Ethnic Studies approach to teaching and learning incorporates many academic fields, including the arts, communication, global studies, history, politics, psychology, queer studies, sociology, theology and religious studies, and womens and gender studies.

Students critique dominant frameworks through an analysis of power and applied, community-based methods that center the perspectives and needs of historically marginalized communities Through coursework, research, and community engagement, Ethnic Studies students explore social constructions of identity, forms of oppression, and community building within the U.S. and beyond, with particular attention paid to African American and Black, Latinx, Native American, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. 

Ethnic Studies embodies the College’s Lasallian commitment to social justice, respect for all persons, and the fostering of an inclusive community.

Faculty

Loan Thi Dao, PhD, Professor, Director

David Quijada, PhD, Associate Professor Emeritus

Ethnic Studies Faculty Advisory Board

Nicole Brown, PhD, Sociology

Emily Klein, PhD, English

Scott Schönfeldt-Aultman, PhD, Communication

Michael Viola, PhD., Justice, Community & Leadership

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Ethnic Studies major, students will be able to:

• DESCRIBE the history and social theories relevant to a critical understanding of African American, Latino, Native American, and Asian American/Pacific Islander ethnic groups.
• EMPLOY theoretical and analytical frameworks to understand an increasingly complex, multicultural and interdependent world.
• IDENTIFY the social, historical, economic, and religious factors that have affected and continue to affect ethnic groups in the U.S.
• EXHIBIT critical thinking about issues of social injustice and the common good, and strategies for working towards social justice.

Programs

• Ethnic Studies, BA

• Ethnic Studies Minor

Courses

• ES 101 - Introduction to Ethnic Studies
• ES 201 - Creating Community
• ES 201EL - Creating Community EL

• ES 300 - Special Topics in Ethnic Studies
• ES 301 - Critical Race Theory
• ES 302 - Youth Cultures, Identities and New Ethnicities
• ES 303 - Chicana/o/x Experiences
• ES 305 - Asian American History Through Pop Culture
• ES 495 - Ethnic Studies Internship
• ES 497 - Ethnic Studies Independent Study