Raza Studies

College of Ethnic Studies
Dean: Tomás Almaguer

Department of Raza Studies
EP 103
415-338-2700
Chair: Velia Garcia

Faculty

Professors—Cordova, Cuellar

Associate Professors—Carrillo, Garcia, Murguia, Rivera

Assistant Professor—Mirabal

Lecturers—Davila, Kury

Programs

B.A. in Raza Studies
Minor in Raza Studies


Program Scope

Raza Studies is a unique multidisciplinary liberal arts program that eprepares students with the comprehensive knowledge base, critical skills, and social consciousness that enables them to function as effective leaders in an increasingly complex and diverse global society. The curriculum is critical, analytical, holistic, and cutting edge. It is designed to offer students an integrated series of major/minor core and elective courses as welll as General Education courses that help them to gain a better understanding of the historical and cultural presence and the diversity and comp[lexity of Chicanos and Latinos in the United States. The curriculum addresses Chicano/a, Mexican, Central and South American, and ?Caribbean peoples, histories, and cultures in the United States. The Raza Studies curriculum stresses the importance of critical scholarship, merging theory and practice, and developing a professional sense of social responsibility and commitment to service and civic engagement.

The Raza Studies program fosters mentoring relationships with students. A ranger of support services is offered, including advising, academic skills development, graduate school and career development workshops.

Community Internships and International Study Tours

Local community service learning internships and international study tours offer unique learning opportunities for students to enrich their academic experience. Students may earn up to six units in each of these programs. The department requires that students complete at least one three-unit 35-hour local community service learning internship for the Raza studies major. Community internships are available every semester. Faculty supervised international study tours travel to Cuba in January and in June and to Mexico in June. The study tours are designed to provide students with opportunities to interact with local people and to learn about the life, culture, and social institutions as well as the unique relationships of these countries to the U.S.

Local Community Service Learning Internships. The department maintains a database of one hundred Bay Area direct service agencies, educational institutions, and research and policy organizations. An internship fair is held in the early weeks of the semester to bring agency/organization representatives together with students looking for internships. Students are supervised in their internship placements for a minimum of 35 hours a semester. Additionally, students are encouraged to enroll concurrently in RAZA 694, a two-unit course that consists of a set of interactive on-line reflective exercises and discussions related to their community work. The community service learning internships are designed to enrich the academic experience and to prepare students for future careers.

Cuba Study Tour. Students are required to enroll concurrently or consecutively in RAZA 692 and RAZA 693, meet specified grade requirements, and have the consent of the instructor to travel to Cuba. These courses prepare students for the intensive two-week study tour of Cuban institutions of health, education, and culture.

Mexico Study Tour. Consent of the instructor and spring enrollment in RAZA 670 are required prior to travel in June. The course prepares students for two weeks of intensive study in the Mexico City area. The relationship of Mexico to the U.S., the impact of fair trade, and Mexican social movements focus the course and the study tour.

General Education and U.S. History and Government Requirements

Students may elect to complete university statutory requirements for history and government with RAZA 276 and RAZA 376. Students are encouraged to complete university Segment I, Basic Skills, requirements with RAZA or ETHS 110 and RAZA 214. Students may double count up to six units of Segment II and Segment III General Education courses for the Raza studies major.

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN RAZA STUDIES

The Raza studies major provides students with a solid grounding in the theoretical approaches and methodologies that define the field of Raza studies.  The degree program prepares students to pursue graduate and professional studies or alternatively to begin careers in the public or private sectors. The 39-unit B.A. in Raza Studies consists of a core of four three-unit courses, twelve units of courses chosen from three focus areas and fifteen units of electives chosen on advisement from the list of courses that are offered by the department.

Courses are offered in U.S. and Raza history, public and social policy issues in health, education, family, immigration, community life, politics, crime, and justice as well as courses in music, art, literature, and indigenous Raza cultures. An international component emphasizes transnational identities and global economies, social movement, and literatures of resistance.

On-line course descriptions are available.

Core Units
RAZA 215 Introduction to La Raza Studies 3
RAZA 410 La Raza Women 3
RAZA 435 Oral History and Traditions 3
RAZA 680 La Raza Community Organizing 3
Arts and Humanities Focus—Units selected on advisement from the following: 3
 RAZA 101 Contemporary Spanish  
 RAZA 225 Raza Visual Images
 RAZA 230 Introduction to Contemporary Raza Literature
 RAZA 305 Creative Writing Workshop
 RAZA 320 Art History of Raza (CSL)
 RAZA 350 Prehispanic Art of Mexico
 RAZA 360 Ethnic Literature and Cultural Dialogue
 RAZA 425 Comparative Music Folklore (CSL)
 RAZA 440 Caribbean Cultures
 RAZA 455 Resistance Literature of the Americas
 RAZA 475 Aztec Philosophy
 RAZA 490 Raza Teatro Workshop
 RAZA 520 North/South Expression
 RAZA 525 Raza Art Workshop II
 RAZA 530 Raza and the Media
 RAZA 535 Raza Journalism
 RAZA 560 Contemporary Literature of Raza
 RAZA 570 Raza Worldviews and Philosophies
 RAZA 575 Race, Culture, and Identity
 RAZA 605 Bilingual Creative Writing Workshop
 RAZA 679 Central American Literature
History Focus—Units selected on advisement from the following: 3
 ETHS 270 Raza Experience  
 ETHS 265 Issues in Raza History
 RAZA 315 Raza in California
 RAZA 320 Art History of Raza (CSL)
 RAZA 376 History of Raza in the U.S.
 RAZA 435 Oral History and Traditions: Theory and Practice (CSL)
 RAZA 450 Indigenismo
 RAZA 460 Central Americans of the U.S.: History and Heritage
 RAZA 465 Mexican Americans: History and Heritage
 RAZA 467 Caribbean Americans: History and Heritage
 RAZA 501 Latin America: National Period
 RAZA 533 Women in Latin America
Behavioral and Social Sciences Focus—Units selected on advisement from the following: 6
 RAZA 205 Cyber Raza: Culture and Community On-line (CSL)  
 RAZA 210 Latino Health Care Perspectives
 RAZA 276 U.S. Government and Constitution (CSL)
 RAZA 280 Acculturation Issues of Raza
 RAZA 410 Raza Women (CSL)
 RAZA 415 Political Economy and Raza
 RAZA 430 Race, Crime, and Justice (CSL)
 RAZA 445 Gendered Borders: Latinas and Globalization (CSL)
 ETHS 470 Raza Immigration to the U.S. (CSL)
 RAZA 500 Community Mental Health
 RAZA 510 Psychodynamics of the Raza Family
 RAZA 580 Educational Equity Issues (CSL)
 RAZA 590 Environmental Justice
 RAZA 640 Sociological Perspectives of Raza
 RAZA 660 Chicano/Latino Politics (CSL)
 RAZA 670 The U.S.-Mexico Connection: Peoples, Politics, and Culture (CSL)
 RAZA 680 Raza Community Organizing (CSL)
 RAZA 685 Projects in the Teaching of La Raza Studies (CSL)
 RAZA 692 Cuba: Health, Education, and Culture
 RAZA 693 Cuba: Community Service Learning
 RAZA 694 Community Service Learning (1-3)
 RAZA 698 Senior Seminar in Raza Studies
  Total for focus areas 12
Additional Focus Courses
Units selected on advisement 15
Total for major 39

NOTE: Students must complete at least one community service learning internship. Courses marked CSL offer internship opportunities..

MINOR IN RAZA STUDIES

The department offers a minor to students who have selected a different major but who also want to pursue a coherent course of study in the field of Raza studies. The minor program enables students to supplement a core of course work with a selection of electives that complement the major they have chosen. The minor consists of 24 units of which twelve are required core units and twelve elective units chosen on advisement.

Programs Units
RAZA 215 Introduction to La Raza Studies 3
RAZA 680 La Raza Community Organizing 3
One or both of the following: 3-6
 RAZA 410 La Raza Women  
 RAZA 435 Oral History and Traditions
  Total for core 9-12
Arts and Humanities Focus
Units selected on advisement (see list under B.A. in Raza Studies) 3
History Focus
Units selected on advisement (see list under B.A. in Raza Studies) 3
Behavioral and Social Sciences Focus
Units selected on advisement (see list under B.A. in Raza Studies) 3
Electives: Units selected on advisement 3-6
Total 24

NOTE: Students must complete at least one community service learning internship. Courses marked CSL offer internship opportunities.