2024-2025

Ethnic Studies, Minor

Ethnic Studies Program

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Coursework offered in this minor will engage students as they dissect the socially constructed concepts of race and ethnicity and discover how these concepts affect economic, political, and social phenomena. Students will have the opportunity to explore the intersection of race, class, and gender using critical thinking skills and multi-disciplinary and comparative perspectives.

  • A minor is earned in conjunction with a bachelor's degree.

    To receive a minor (18 - 24 units) at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject matter areas with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0. At least 12 units of the minor must be unique to that minor and not applied to any other minor.

In addition to University Requirements:

  • Complete individual plan requirements.

Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

No more than fifty percent of the units used to satisfy minor requirements may be used to satisfy major requirements.

Minimum Units for Completion 18
Fieldwork Experience/Internship Optional

Purpose Statement

The Ethnic Studies Program introduces students to theoretical, historical, and critical analyses of race and ethnicity in the United States, as well as to central questions, topics, and applications that have emerged in this field of inquiry around the world. Students explore ways in which race and ethnicity have historically evolved, their relationships to power and inequity, and their intersections with other axes of stratification, including gender, sexuality, class, and culture.

Using theories and methods from African American Studies, Asian American Studies, Chicano/Latino/a Studies and Native American Studies, students engage in comparative and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding a diverse society and world. Through Ethnic Studies, students will develop relationships with organizations and individuals who are multicultural and multiracial in local, regional, and global contexts. The interpersonal skills and knowledge practices of underrepresented groups will benefit students of all backgrounds in their personal, professional and career development.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students who study Ethnic Studies courses will be able to:

 

  • Acquire a critical-analytical understanding of the meaning and impact of race and ethnicity within U.S. and global contexts through analysis of the historical development and evolution of race and ethnicity; their relationship to power and inequity; and their intersections with gender, sexuality, class and culture.
  • Utilize comparative and interdisciplinary analyses and approaches to understanding the perspectives of four underrepresented groups in the U.S. (African Americans, Asian Americans, Chican@/Latin@s, and Native Americans), in local and global contexts.
  • Develop transcultural competence to successfully interact with others outside of the student’s own racial, ethnic, or sociocultural groups and to develop an in-depth knowledge of “other” cultures and peoples.
  • Understand how different racial and ethnic groups experience acculturation and assimilation differently from the dominant population.
  • Understand the systemic problems that prevent the equitable distribution and control of resources in a racially stratified society (Analyze how racism and inequality continue to affect peoples and societies today).
  • Develop the above critical skills by having high-quality small group in-depth discussions with faculty who have demonstrated their expertise in these fields through their integrated scholarship, teaching and community involvement.

 

Minor Requirements
Additional Information

  • Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.