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Department Philosophy
The Ethnic and Women's Studies Department promotes interdisciplinary study,
research, learning, and teaching about the many groups of people in society who are
socially and/or self identified through the constructs of ethnicity, culture, class,
race, religion, nationality, affectional/sexual orientation and gender. The department
gives central consideration to topics of advocacy, aesthetic expression, culture, diversity,
history, identity, ideology, power, public policy, social organization, stratification,
and worldview, and to the processes by which students can become personally and professionally
engaged with them.
Understanding the intersections, practice and effects of class, ethnicity, gender,
nationality, race, religion, and sex is imperative for learning to live in a modern,
multicultural, diversified society. The department prepares students to manage,
nurture and shape such a society, through critical understanding, leadership and
responsible action. The EWS department promotes technology as a social tool to
empower those who we serve. Technology is an instrument for social change and
a means to advance progressive models for the restructuring of society.
The department emphasizes the interrelationships between various fields of study and
takes an interdisciplinary, comparative approach to understanding U.S. social reality,
with an emphasis on the experiences of women and members of ethnic/racial groups.
The EWS Faculty demonstrate excellence in teaching, enhance their skill in the
development and evaluation of educational programs, promote alternative models of
learning, and contribute professionally to agencies and institutions in the greater
community. They are encouraged to serve as advocates to their professions and communities
in significant ways that will advance the civic goals of all humankind and the rights of
all people. They have the ability to reinvent and restructure institutional procedures
and educational programs by implementing effective new approaches and techniques to serve
all people. As innovative and sensitive agents of changes, EWS faculties address
the varied issues and problems facing the teaching profession, as well as the diverse needs
of California, the United States, and the global village. In this regard, the EWS Department
promotes the value of community partnerships and service learning by establishing relationships
with K-12 schools, community college, UC campuses, parent and youth groups, progressive unions,
civil rights associations, women’s groups, business associations, family services, and political
and elected officials.
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Department Overview
The Department of Ethnic and Women's Studies is
one of four departments housed in the College of Education and Integrative
Studies. This unique location, along with Liberal Studies, Interdisciplinary
General Education, and the Department of Education, provides EWS a critical
environment to prepare leaders and educators in the 21st century.
Founded in 1973, the Ethnic and Women's Studies
Department offers an educational program designed to equip students with the
knowledge, analytical skills and experience necessary to effectively live
and work in today's diverse society.
History, culture, and contemporary issues are explored
and analyzed through the intersecting perspectives of ethnicity, race, class
and gender. The curriculum combines an interdisciplinary knowledge of our
socio-cultural world with opportunities in service learning, internships and
community fieldwork.
The department has a strong relationship with the
campus student centers, such as: African American Student Center, Asian &
Pacific Islander Student Center, The Center-Women's Resources, Cesar E.
Chavez Center for Higher Education, Native American Student Center, Office
of Student Life, and Pride Center.
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Department Objectives
- To prepare student for social and political challenges of the 21st century.
- To provide students with the critical ability to challenge and transform existing
social and institutional attitudes regarding ethnicity, gender, and class.
- To establish leadership skills within a multi-ethnic, gendered and global society.
- To prepare K-12 teachers for a culturally diverse student population.
- To foster and support international relations and linkages
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