Ethnic Studies is the interdisciplinary study that centers Asian American, Black/African American, and Chicanx/Latinx, and Native American* peoples who have experienced, survived, and resisted hegemonic systems and structures of oppression. Ethnic Studies courses in Santa Barbara Unified School District aim to educate students to be socially, politically, and economically conscious about their personal connections to local and (trans)national histories. Students in these courses will study race through the intersections of social identities such as ethnicity, culture, gender, sexuality, ability, language, immigrant status, and class. They will analyze indigeneity, aspects of (de)colonization, white supremacy, oppression and privilege, and work towards empowering themselves as anti-racist leaders who engage in social justice activism. Dialogue drives the learning and supports the belief that each person has important knowledge, experiences, and voices to share. Students will have the opportunity to cultivate intersectional solidarity with groups of people, locally and (trans)nationally, to foster active social engagement, radical healing, and critical hope.

*These are the groups traditionally included in Ethnic Studies courses at the college level and in the California State Model Curriculum

The Four Cornerstones of Ethnic Studies effectively distills and captures the essence of the field - locally defined by district ethnic studies teachers, Ethnic Studies Now! - Santa Barbara (ESN!-SB), as facilitated by ARE/Praxis - in an accessible and actionable way that guides curricular and pedagogical decisions. The following cornerstones ground teacher development that is essential to Ethnic Studies teaching and learning:

• HISTORY: 
  • Centers the lived experiences and world views of Native American; Black / African American; Asian and Pacific Islander American; Chicanx & Latinx peoples, in the first person, giving attention to both the histories of marginalization, as well as the long struggle of resistance to dehumanization, and wealth of contributions to our world, by communities of Color. 
• CRITICALITY/CRITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS: 
  • Thinking causally (cause and effect) helps students explore, identify, and begin to theorize on the “reason(s) for why things happen.”
  • Thinking historically helps students make connections between all that is happening in the present, in relation with what has happened in the past.
  • Thinking systems and power identifies the systems at the root of what is happening; it invites us to think about who has power within these systems; reflect upon the impact of structures and the decisions made within them; it equips individuals and communities to question, challenge and confront injustice. 
• KNOWLEDGE WITH PURPOSE + ACTION: 
  • Focuses on applying learning toward justice and community empowerment in service to our communities and larger society. 
• COMMUNITY & SOLIDARITY: 
  • Emphasizes collective care, mutual aid, and interconnectedness as foundational to the fabric of a healthy, vibrant, multi-racial democracy.

Beginning with the graduating Class of 2024, students complete 5 units (one semester) of Ethnic Studies. This requirement may be completed by taking English 9 Ethnic Studies, Ethnic and Social Justice Studies (ESJS), Mexican-American Literature (MAL), History of Africans in America (HAA), or Chicana/o/x & Latina/o/x Studies (ChiLat Studies). In addition, students may fulfill the Ethnic Studies graduation requirement by taking the following dual enrollment courses at SBCC:

• ETHS 101:  The Immigrant Experience in the U.S.
• ETHS 103: The American Ethnic Cultural Experience
• ETHS 120:  Race, Ethnicity, and Social Movements in the United States
• ETHS 121:  Women of Color in the U.S.
• ASAM 102: Contemporary Asian-American History
• BLST 102:  The African-American in U.S. History, from Civil Rights Movement to Present
• BLST 103:  African-American Culture
• BLST 111 The African-American Music Experience
• CHST 101:  Mexican-American (Chicano) History in the U.S.
• CHST 102:  The Chicano and Latino in U.S. History, From the 1960’s to the Present
• CHST 103:  Mexican-American (Chicano) Culture
• CHST 113: Introduction to Chicano/Mexican-American Literature
• CHST 121:  The Chicana and Other Latina Women
• CHST 131:  History of Chicano Art
• NATA 101:  American Indian:  Past and Present*
• NATA 102:  The Native American in 20th Century Society
• NATA 103:  Native American Cultural Heritage*

*Indicates a class that was not originally on our list but which would fulfill ES requirement.

Course Catalog for SBCC American Ethnic Studie