Academic Catalogs

ETHS G134: Introduction to Chicana/o Studies

Course Outline of Record
Item Value
Curriculum Committee Approval Date 10/19/2021
Top Code 220300 - Ethnic Studies
Units 3 Total Units 
Hours 54 Total Hours (Lecture Hours 54)
Total Outside of Class Hours 0
Course Credit Status Credit: Degree Applicable (D)
Material Fee No
Basic Skills Not Basic Skills (N)
Repeatable No
Grading Policy Standard Letter (S), 
  • Pass/No Pass (B)
Local General Education (GE)
  • GWC Soc, Pol, Econ (GD)
California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC)
  • Cal-GETC 4 Social & Behavioral Sciences (4)
Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
  • IGETC 4 Social&Behavioral Sci (4)
  • IGETC 7 Ethnic Studies (7)
California State University General Education Breadth (CSU GE-Breadth)
  • CSU D Soc Politic Econ Inst (D)
  • CSU F Ethnic Studies (F)

Course Description

This course is identical to SOC G134. This course provides an overview of the Chicana/o historical experience and of social development in the U.S. The course will survey the Chicana/o culture, customs, politics, labor conflict, immigration patterns, achievements and contributions to society in the United States. Enrollment Limitation: SOC G134; students who complete ETHS G134 may not enroll in or receive credit for SOC G134. Transfer Credit: CSU; UC.

Course Level Student Learning Outcome(s)

  1. Course Outcomes
  2. Describe critical events in the history and culture of Chicanas/os.
  3. Identify the contributions of Chicanas/os to society and the struggle for social justice.
  4. Compare and contrast the racial and ethnic characteristics of Chicana/o identity to other Latinx cultures.

Course Objectives

  • 1. Analyze and articulate major historical trends in Mexican American communities since 1848 and the significant social, political, economic, cultural, and institutional factors that influenced changes within the community.
  • 2. Apply theory and knowledge produced by Chicana/o communities to describe the critical events, histories, cultures, intellectual traditions, contributions, lived-experiences and social struggles with a particular emphasis on agency and group-affirmation.
  • 3. Critically analyze the intersection of race and racism as they relate to class, gender, sexuality, religion, spirituality, national origin, immigration status, ability, tribal citizenship, sovereignty, language, and/or age in Chicana/o communities.
  • 4. Explain and assess how struggle, resistance, racial and social justice, solidarity, and liberation, as experienced, enacted, and studied by Chicana/o are relevant to current and structural issues such as communal, national, international, and transnational politics as, for example, in immigration, reparations, settler-colonialism, multiculturalism, language policies.
  • 5. Describe and actively engage with anti-racist and anti-colonial issues and the practices and movements in Chicana/o communities to build a just and equitable society.

Lecture Content

Chicana/o Studies as a discipline Origins and formation of Chicana/o studies Contributions and issues in Chicana/o studies Chicana/o history Imperialism and colonization Immigration, migration, and citizenship Equity Ethnocentrism Eurocentrism White supremacy Hierarchy and oppression Oral history and folklore Social movements Chicanas/os in the Civil Rights Movement Brown Berets Cesar Chavez and United Farm Workers (UFM) Society and Culture Chicana/o identity Race Ethnicity National origin Aztlan Gender and sexuality Intersectionality Border culture Art and literature Music and film Religion and spirituality Differences between Chicana/o and Latinx identity and culture  Political and socioeconomic factors Demographic characteristics of Chicanas/os Class Income inequality Institutional and systemic racism Criminal injustice Education Language rights Literacy Segregation  Environmental inequality

Method(s) of Instruction

  • Lecture (02)
  • DE Live Online Lecture (02S)
  • DE Online Lecture (02X)

Instructional Techniques

Lecture, video, or online lessons to develop course content.  Participation in group discussions on course topics.  Individual student research to develop critical thinking and writing skills related to the course.

Reading Assignments

Textbooks and supplemental assigned readings provided by the instructor.

Writing Assignments

Weekly discussions and assignments that require students to write about key concepts in each assigned chapter in response to posted assignments from the instructor.  Students are also required to comment on the work of their classmates periodically.  Critical thinking and demonstration of comprehension of reading assignments required.  Students are also required to conduct research and write a research paper or complete a project.

Out-of-class Assignments

Quizzes and assignments designed to promote application of course concepts.  Investigation of current research and policies related to course content.

Demonstration of Critical Thinking

Students demonstrate critical thinking skills and analysis through participation in weekly discussion assignments, and through conducting independent research and writing a research paper or completing a course project.

Required Writing, Problem Solving, Skills Demonstration

Critical thinking and demonstration of comprehension of reading assignments required through written assignments.  Application of course material and theories to discussions and course research papers and projects.

Eligible Disciplines

Ethnic studies: Masters degree in the ethnic studies field OR a masters degree in American studies/ethnicity, Latino studies, La Raza Studies, Central American studies, Latin American studies, cross cultural studies, race and ethnic relations, Asian-American studies, or African-American studies OR the equivalent OR see interdisciplinary studies. Masters degree required. Interdisciplinary Studies: Masters degree in the interdisciplinary area OR masters degree in one of the disciplines included in the interdisciplinary area and upper division or graduate course work in at least one other constituent discipline. Note: The interdisciplinary studies discipline is provided to allow for those cases where it is locally determined that a course must be taught by someone with qualifications that exceed a single discipline. The constituent disciplines can include any disciplines found in the Masters degree list. Masters degree required. Sociology: Masters degree in sociology OR bachelors degree in sociology AND masters degree in anthropology, any ethnic studies, social work, or psychology OR the equivalent. Masters degree required.

Textbooks Resources

1. Required Bixler-Marquez, D., Ortega, C. Chicana/o Studies: Survey and Analysis, 4th ed. Kendall Hunt (most recent), 2014 Rationale: . 2. Required Lomeli, F., Segura, D., Benjamin-Labarthe, E. Routledge Handbook of Chicana/o Studies, 1st ed. Routledge, 2019 3. Required Johnson, T. G. Spaces of Conflict, Sounds of Solidarity: Music, Race, and Spatial Entitlement in Los Angeles, ed. University of California Press (Classic), 2013 Rationale: . 4. Required Haney Lopez, I. Racism on Trial: The Chicano Fight for Justice, ed. Harvard University Press (Classic), 2004 Rationale: . 5. Required Munoz Martinez, M. The Injustice Never Leaves You: Anti-Mexican Violence in Texas, ed. Harvard University Press, 2018 6. Required Anaya Valencia, R., Garcia, S., Flores, H. Roberto Juarez Jr., J. Mexican Americans and the Law, ed. University of Arizona Press (Classic), 2004 Rationale: .

Other Resources

1. Instructor prepared materials.