The Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree in Ethnic Studies aims to develop students’ core competencies in the social sciences, arts and humanities while examining the experiences, histories and formation of diverse racial and ethnic groups in the United States and globally.
Students will analyze the interrelationships among historical background, cultural patterns, artistic expressions, and politics in order to achieve a well-rounded, in-depth understanding of the ongoing relations amongst Asian, Asian American, African, African American, Latino/a and indigenous peoples of the United States.
Transfer Options
BMCC has an articulation agreement with Lehman College so that students completing this program can transfer seamlessly into the B.A. degree in Latino Studies or the Latin American and Caribbean Studies program without any loss of credits.
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Contact
Professor Rigoberto Andino
Program Coordinator
randino@bmcc.cuny.edu
Related Communities
This program is offered in-person, online and in a hybrid format.
Requirements
Ethnic Studies Academic Program Maps
Required Common Core
| English Composition | 6 |
| Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning 1 | 3 |
| Life and Physical Sciences 1 | 3 |
| TOTAL REQUIRED COMMON CORE | 12 |
Flexible Core2
| Creative Expression | 3 |
| Individual and Society | 3 |
| Scientific World 1 | 3 |
| U.S. Experience in Its Diversity | 6 |
| World Cultures and Global Issues | 3 |
| TOTAL FLEXIBLE COMMON CORE | 18 |
| TOTAL COMMON CORE | 30 |
Curriculum Requirements
- Introduction to Ethnic Studies explores the historical formation of ethnic studies in the United States. The course examines the academic field of Ethnic Studies by raising questions about the ways that race and racism shape our experiences and world across a range of time and places. In an interdisciplinary approach, the course will introduce students to a variety of terms such as ethnicity, race, class, gender, ethnic stratification, etc. The course will also teach students a variety of methodological approaches to doing ethnic studies research and major issues in the field. It places an emphasis on relationships and conflicts between diverse groups, especially how they were treated and defined in relation to each other. Broadly speaking, this course is concerned with how these groups struggle to stake out their place in a highly unequal world.
- The Ethnic Studies capstone will focus on special topics within the field and expertise of the instructor. It will provide a culminating experience for students by allowing them to explore a topic in-depth, engage in independent research, develop their analytic abilities and critical thinking skills, and apply concepts and theories to new cases. The capstone course will introduce students to the major theoretical perspectives, the basic research methodologies and research design issues, and the central analytical models in Ethnic Studies. Over the course of the semester, each student will engage in independent research that culminates in a research paper or project and a presentation to the class. This course will help students achieve BMCC's General Education outcomes by developing their understanding of the social sciences, strengthening their communication skills and information and technology literacy, deepening their appreciation for professional values and ethics, and encouraging and assessing critical thinking skills.
Prerequisite: AFL 100
| XXX xxx | Program Electives | 9 |
| XXX xxx | Ethnic Studies Electives | 6 |
| XXX xxx | Social Sciences Elective | 3 |
| XXX xxx | Liberal Arts Elective | 3 |
| XXX xxx | General Electives1 | 3 |
Program Electives (Choose 9 credits from 1 of the following areas of study)
- Reconstructions I and II, the social Darwinist years, Civil Rights activism of the 1960's, and the cumulative effects of institutionalized racism are set in an historical framework for comparative study. The course examines the impact of urbanization, institutional racism, economic, and political policies on the life experiences of African-Americans. The dynamics of cultural, social, and political interactions within the social structure of the nation since 1865 are analyzed.
- The Asian American presence from the mid-nineteenth century to the present is studied. Three periods, 1848 to 1943, 1943 to 1965, and 1965 to the present are examined. Topics are desigend to focus on the impact of historical processes on the cultural, economic, and political experiences of diverse Asian American groups in urban and rural communities. The multi-ethnic aspects of Asian American communities are explored.
- This course surveys the long history of cross-racial and inter-ethnic interactions among immigrants, migrants, people of color and working people in the United States and the wider world from the era of mercantile capitalism in the sixteenth century to the present. By making inroads into the dynamic worlds that indigenous people, people of African and Latin American descent, European Americans, and Asian Americans made and remade, the course aims to reach across borders of all kinds, including national boundaries, to cultivate global, transnational and comparative perspectives on race and ethnicity. In particular, it places emphasis on relationships and conflicts between these diverse groups, especially how they were treated and defined in relation to each other. Broadly, this course is concerned with how these groups struggle to stake out their place in a highly unequal world.
Course Syllabus - This course studies the varied experiences of Latinos in the United States of America. Through readings, lectures, discussions and fieldwork, students will become familiar with the group and its diverse components from North, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean, while covering representative nationalities such as Mexicans, Salvadorians, Cubans, Colombians, Ecuadorians, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans. The course will survey the history and evolution of Latinos at the same time that it explores issues of culture and identity. Other topics include family, race relations, religion, education, economic incorporation and political participation. Key issues of contemporary interest will also be explored, such as Latinos and immigration, and the impact they have on local, state and nationwide elective office.
- Africa from the beginnings of the Atlantic slave trade to the end of Colonialism in the late twentieth century is examined. The effect of Colonialism on economic and cultural patterns in the African diaspora is explored.
- This course is a systematic examination of the participation of African American people in the political, economic and cultural history of the United States. The involvement of African Americans in abolitionism and in the development of social and cultural institutions in free black communities is analyzed.
- Reconstructions I and II, the social Darwinist years, Civil Rights activism of the 1960's, and the cumulative effects of institutionalized racism are set in an historical framework for comparative study. The course examines the impact of urbanization, institutional racism, economic, and political policies on the life experiences of African-Americans. The dynamics of cultural, social, and political interactions within the social structure of the nation since 1865 are analyzed.
- This course introduces Chinese culture and history, taking into account changes of tradition and inheritance in social, political, economic, and philosophical aspects. Cultural activities from ancient to modern times will also be covered in the class. A brief history of China and its contact with the west will also be explored. Discussion of criticism about the past and present in China will be encouraged. Films, guest speakers, and field visits will be integral to the class.
- The Asian American presence from the mid-nineteenth century to the present is studied. Three periods, 1848 to 1943, 1943 to 1965, and 1965 to the present are examined. Topics are desigend to focus on the impact of historical processes on the cultural, economic, and political experiences of diverse Asian American groups in urban and rural communities. The multi-ethnic aspects of Asian American communities are explored.
- Representative works reflecting the collective experiences of Asian American writers are analyzed. Fiction, poetry, drama, and non-fiction written from Chinese, Filipino, Asian Indian, Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian cultural perspectives are discussed. Prerequisite: ENG 201 or ENG 121 NOTE: ASN 339 satisfies requirements for a third semester of the English sequence.
- Survey covering from the pre-Columbian cultures, the age of discovery and exploration, colonial structures, independence movements, to contemporary Latin America, with special emphasis on the countries of the mainland (i.e., North, Central, and South America). Students will learn about the traditions and institutions of Latin American Civilization including the Iberian conquest and colonization, the role of the Catholic Church, economic and social structures, as well as problems related to government, nation-building, race and class relations, wars and Latin America's position in the world.
- This course studies the varied experiences of Latinos in the United States of America. Through readings, lectures, discussions and fieldwork, students will become familiar with the group and its diverse components from North, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean, while covering representative nationalities such as Mexicans, Salvadorians, Cubans, Colombians, Ecuadorians, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans. The course will survey the history and evolution of Latinos at the same time that it explores issues of culture and identity. Other topics include family, race relations, religion, education, economic incorporation and political participation. Key issues of contemporary interest will also be explored, such as Latinos and immigration, and the impact they have on local, state and nationwide elective office.
- This course examines the diverse peoples and cultures that have populated Latin American and the Caribbean region since pre-Columbian times. It discusses the legacy of European colonization and the subsequent struggles for independence, formation of national identities and the quest for modernization today. The course will place particular emphasis on the production of social movements that respond to social inequality, and conflicting ideologies around ethnicity, race and gender among other factors. The readings illustrate case studies that examine a wide range of topics - ecological adaptation, food production, kinship and local politics, medical and religious beliefs and artistic expressions - from small-scale rural society to large complex urban centers throughout the continent. It will also explore how globalization, intense migration, and transnationalism have generated new notions of identity in the US today.
- This course introduces the subject of urban economics in historical and social contexts rather than as a strict analytical discipline. The causes and existence of poverty in cities, the management of federal, state and local government programs, the financing of Black enterprises, and conditions of social welfare are considered. Solutions toward developing neglected economics of urban communities are proposed.
- This course analyzes the relationships between economic and social factors, and the delivery of health care services in urban communities. Attention is given to community needs related to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, mortality rates, prevention, and education. Guest lecturers and workshops are presented.
- This course surveys the long history of cross-racial and inter-ethnic interactions among immigrants, migrants, people of color and working people in the United States and the wider world from the era of mercantile capitalism in the sixteenth century to the present. By making inroads into the dynamic worlds that indigenous people, people of African and Latin American descent, European Americans, and Asian Americans made and remade, the course aims to reach across borders of all kinds, including national boundaries, to cultivate global, transnational and comparative perspectives on race and ethnicity. In particular, it places emphasis on relationships and conflicts between these diverse groups, especially how they were treated and defined in relation to each other. Broadly, this course is concerned with how these groups struggle to stake out their place in a highly unequal world.
Course Syllabus
43
Total Curriculum Credits
60
Total Program Credits
Footnotes
- Some of these credits may be satisfied by taking STEM variants.
- No more than two courses in any discipline or interdisciplinary field can be used to satisfy Flexible Core requirements.
