The Bachelor of Arts degree in Chicana/o Studies offers a curriculum that examines current and past experiences of Chicanas/os and other hemispheric Latina/o Americans whose origins exist south of the United States/Mexican and United States/Caribbean border. This degree places students at the center in the investigation of local issues in context with transborder questions through interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives. The core courses at the lower and upper division level will provide majors with a solid training in Chicana/o Studies while providing them the opportunity to minor or double major in a related disciplinary program.

The Minor in Chicana/o Studies affords students the opportunity to investigate the multi-dimensional culture of the Chicana/o Community in the United States. It is, by definition, interdisciplinary and seeks to provide students with a nuanced appreciation of the population. The minor offers non-majors the opportunity to investigate the historical complexities of societies and social movements and their legacies in the present.

Careers

The Chicana/o Studies major prepares students for careers in the private sector, education, government agencies, or non-profit organizations that serve communities with a significant population of people with origins from Mexico and other nations of Latin America.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the history and culture of people of Mexican and Latin American origins in the United States, specifically within the region of Southern California.
2. Analyze the literary, performativity, artistic and visual expressions of Chicanas/os and Latinas/os.
3. Distinguish variations within Chicana/o communities in respect to class, culture, ethnicity, gender, race, and sexuality.
4. Identify and discuss the major theoretical and conceptual questions informing Chicana/o Studies over time.
5. Summarize, explain, and apply social science methods for analyzing social, political, and economic phenomena relevant to the multicultural populations such as demographic trends, public policy, judicial systems, segregation, business practices, public health concerns, etc.
6. Effectively demonstrate competence in oral, written, and/or visual media to present research findings.

Summary of Units:

Students are encouraged to identify a minor, or possible second major, in a related discipline such as: Sociology, Spanish, History, Psychology, Political Science, Health Science, or English.