Don’s Comprehensive Ethnic Studies Program

Description

Ethnic Studies is an interdisciplinary field examining the culture, history, and experiences of different racial and ethnic groups. By looking at the role played by race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, etc. in shaping American society, ethnic studies provides a critical lens to examine and contextualize what is happening right nowÑand why it is happening. Ethnic Studies is one of the best chances for connection in our increasingly polarized world, growing cultural competence and critical consciousness. Students are equipped to collaborate with others amidst differences and empowered to be agents of change. Through Ethnic Studies, students donÕt just learn about historyÑstudents are enabled to be active participants in changing its course.
In Ethnic Studies, we are challenged to see the full humanity of one another, to seek alignment where lines are drawn between us. It asks us to watch ourselves when we, ourselves, draw lines or are blocked by pre-existing linesÑto ask where and why those lines are formed. In doing so, we attend to who is harmed and who is served by the lines. And then, ultimately, weÕre challenged to transform our lines into bridges. Ethnic Studies is more than an academic discipline or a set of skills. It is a commitment to a life of justice and speaking with those who have been denied their own voice. How we teach is just as important as what we teach.
As an educator, you have the unique purpose of shaping childrenÕs lives. Martin Buber defines education as the giving of Òdecisive effective power to a selection of the world which is concentrated and manifested in the educator. The relation in education is lifted out of the purposelessly streaming education of all things, and is marked off as purpose.Ó You give all the disparate and seemingly tangential information of the world a direction and present this to your students. You help them make meaning out of an overwhelming world. In some ways, this places you in the position of the keeper of official knowledge. Therefore, the knowledge you present Ð and how you present it Ð will become your studentsÕ picture of the world. In consciously working against hierarchy and towards a relational model of education, you shape a new vision of the world for your students.

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