The American Ethnic Studies minor is an interdisciplinary program focusing on the comparative cultural heritage and experiences of various marginalized groups within the United States -- including but not limited to American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, African Americans, Latinos/Latinas, Arab Americans -- as well as on the body of scholarship and theory that has emerged around national and global issues of race and ethnicity. Course offerings cover a broad range of historical and contemporary dynamics of race and ethnicity in America, made manifest in privilege and power, cultural traditions, and social movements, as well as economic and political developments. The minor draws upon multiple disciplines and methodologies that include anthropology, art history, history, literature, rhetoric, politics, religion, and sociology. It affirms the integration of theory and practice through experiential education and civic engagement with communities of color.
Requirements for the American Ethnic Studies Minor (20 Semester Hours)
Core courses (8 semester hours)
- AES 150 Introduction to American Ethnic Studies
- AES 330 Theory and Methods in American Ethnic Studies
Elective Courses (12 semester hours): NOTE: No more than one 100-level course and no more than 2 electives from one discipline.
- AES 199, 299, 399, or 429 Topics in American Ethnic Studies
- ANTH 231 Indigenous Peoples of North America
- ANTH 351 Indigenous Peoples, Human Rights, and the Environment
- ARTH 140 African American Art
- CCM 104 Communicating Race
- CCM 261 Persuasion and Mass Media
- CCM 335W Communicating Self and Society
- CCM 344 Asian Americans and the Media
- CCM 345 Latina/o/x Communication Studies
- CCM 360 Topics in Public Discourse*
- ENGL 337 African American Literature I: Slave Narratives and Early African American Literary Tradition
- ENGL 338 African American Literature II
- ENGL 361 Modern Poetry & Poetics
- ENGL 450W Advanced Studies in Authorship*
- HIST 131W Culture, Power, Society
- HIST 259 American Jewish History
- HIST 262 Gender and Women's History in the United States
- HIST 306 History Through Biography*
- HIST 307 American Immigration History
- HIST 342 Studies in American History*
- HIST 361 African American History 1619-1865
- HIST 362 African American History 1865-present
- IDS 205 Chemawa Indian School Partnership Program (2)
- IDS 215 Willamette Academy Service Learning (2)
- IDS 343 Field Studies in Chicago
- IDS 396 Chemawa Indian School Partnership Program Internship (2-4)
- PPLE 318 Death in America
- REL 214 Religion in America
- SOC 182 Racism & White Supremacy in the U.S.
- SOC 355 Health and Society
- SOC 199, 299, 399, 429 Topics in Sociology (2-4)*
- WGS 245 Feminism, Gender, and Society
* Selected Topics Only
Indicators of Achievement
The American Ethnic Studies program is centered on developing students’ ability to critically analyze the role of race, ethnicity and power in the United States, and to effectively engage and communicate about difference. Our goal is that students completing the program understand and engage four key areas:
- The historical construction of race and ethnicity in shaping the contemporary U.S. landscape
- The political, economic and social dimensions of race and ethnicity, and the ways in which power gets embedded in these relationships
- The role of symbolic and aesthetic expressions of traditionally underrepresented racial/ethnic communities in the U.S., particularly as they serve to maintain, resist, and/or transform privilege and oppression
- The development of identity, resistance and protest movements in the context of racial and ethnic marginalization in the U.S.
Student Learning Outcomes for the American Ethnic Studies Minor
- History
- Ability to articulate significant historical questions about changing constructions of race and ethnicity over time
- Ability to articulate how historical forces shape constructions of race and ethnicity, and the impact of those constructions on particular groups at particular points in time
- Power
- Ability to articulate significant questions and demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between political, economic, and social dimensions of race and ethnicity and their relationship to institutions and systems of power
- Culture
- Ability to articulation of significant questions about the relationship between cultural expressions and efforts to maintain, resist and/or transform privilege and oppression
- Demonstration of an understanding of the connections between cultural expression and power/privilege
- Resistance
- Ability to articulate an understanding of the factors surrounding the emergence of identity, resistance and protest in contesting racial and ethnic marginalization
- Ability to critically compare expressions of resistance among different groups or at different points in time and examine their impact
Faculty
- Vincent Pham, Associate Professor, CCM Department Chair
- Maegan Parker Brooks, Associate Professor
- Seth Cotlar, Professor of History, Sabbatical Leave 2023-2024
- Ellen Eisenberg, Dwight & Margaret Lear Professor of American History
- Teresa Hernández , Assistant Professor of English
- Cindy Koenig Richards, Professor, Director of Ringe Media Lab
- Janet Lorenzen, Associate Professor of Sociology
Part-Time and Visiting Faculty
- Leslie Dunlap, Continuing Professor of History
Administrative Assistant
- Brenda Rivera Krieg, Administrative Program Coordinator
Course Listings
AES 150 Introduction to American Ethnic Studies (4)
This course examines the historical, political and social dynamics of race and ethnicity in the United States. It investigates the creation and effects of these social concepts on the experiences, identities and relations of various peoples, as well as the culture and structures of society. The course will focus on the various ways race and ethnicity are recreated in society, particularly by the media, and the way these "social constructions" perpetuate privilege and social inequality. It will critically investigate the myths and contradictions of race and ethnicity, and will attempt to understand what purposes they serve in a "color-bound" contemporary U.S. society.
- General Education Requirement Fulfillment: Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences; PDE
- Prerequisite: First and second-year students only or consent of instructor.
- Offering: Annually
- Instructor: Staff
AES 199 Topics in American Ethnic Studies (1-4)
A semester-long study of topics in American Ethnic Studies. Topics and emphases will vary according to the instructor. This course may be repeated for credit with different topics. See the New and Topics Courses page on the Registrar’s webpage for descriptions and applicability to majors/minors in other departments.
- General Education Requirement Fulfillment: Topic dependent
- Prerequisite: Topic dependent
- Offering: Occasionally
- Instructor: Staff
AES 299 Topics in American Ethnic Studies (1-4)
A semester-long study of topics in American Ethnic Studies. Topics and emphases will vary according to the instructor. This course may be repeated for credit with different topics. See the New and Topics Courses page on the Registrar’s webpage for descriptions and applicability to majors/minors in other departments.
- General Education Requirement Fulfillment: Topic dependent
- Prerequisite: Topic dependent
- Offering: Occasionally
- Instructor: Staff
AES 330 Theory and Methods in American Ethnic Studies (4)
In this course, students will become familiar with the theoretical and methodological approaches in the interdisciplinary and evolving field of Ethnic Studies. It examines the key theories and methods that give voice to the realities of people of color, as well as group relations and resistance to inequality. This course analyzes the major theoretical paradigms for understanding race and ethnicity, evaluating the strengths and limitations for each framework in helping to bring about social change. It also explores and utilizes the methods of social science, recognizing the role, contribution and limitations of scientific inquiry for interpreting social reality. Other epistemological approaches will be assessed to determine what they bring to bear on empirical realities.
- General Education Requirement Fulfillment: Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences; PDE
- Prerequisite: AES 150; junior/senior standing; and at least one elective course in AES.
- Offering: Spring
- Instructor: Staff
AES 399 Topics in American Ethnic Studies (1-4)
A semester-long study of topics in American Ethnic Studies. Topics and emphases will vary according to the instructor. This course may be repeated for credit with different topics. See the New and Topics Courses page on the Registrar’s webpage for descriptions and applicability to majors/minors in other departments.
- General Education Requirement Fulfillment: Topic dependent
- Prerequisite: Topic dependent
- Offering: Occasionally
- Instructor: Staff
AES 429 Topics in American Ethnic Studies (1-4)
A semester-long study of topics in American Ethnic Studies. Topics and emphases will vary according to the instructor. This course may be repeated for credit with different topics. See the New and Topics Courses page on the Registrar’s webpage for descriptions and applicability to majors/minors in other departments.
- General Education Requirement Fulfillment: Topic dependent
- Prerequisite: Topic dependent
- Offering: Occasionally
- Instructor: Staff