Biography

Are you interested in learning from your peers’ personal experiences? Do you enjoy frequent discussion and debate in a safe classroom environment? Ethnic Studies operates from the consideration that race and racism have been, and continue to be, profoundly powerful social and cultural forces in American society. This first semester will focus on key issues such as prejudice and discrimination, assimilation and group membership, Americanization, class, racial and ethnic identity, and gender roles that have shaped relations in American society. We will investigate the origins of white identity and white privilege and the experiences of African Americans, Asian Americans, Chicanas/os and Latinas/os, and Native Americans. We will base our work on the concrete situations of people of color and use a methodological framing that emphasizes both the structural dimensions of race and racism and the associated cultural dimensions. The purpose of this course is to educate students to be politically, socially, and economically conscious about their personal connections to local and national history. We will focus on themes of social justice, social responsibility, and social change. The course spans from past to present, from politics to social reform, allowing students to identify similar social patterns and universal qualities present in other societies, including their own. Former students have said this course helped them develop as writers, researchers, and presenters while helping them to both challenge and clarify their personal beliefs surrounding identity, citizenship, and belonging in American society. An honors option is available.

Instructor: Ms. Borbon

Honors option available to juniors and seniors. 

Prerequisites: Open to seniors and juniors, and sophomores if space is available.