Who We Are, Where We've Been

The headlines are full of questions about ethnicity in America. Does immigration benefit society? What are the implications of having a black president in the White House? Are census questions about race outdated? At the University of Oregon, the Ethnic Studies Program takes an interdisciplinary approach to explore the answers to these questions and more. The program offers classes in a host of areas from history and literature, to government and cultural anthropology. Politics, health care, and education are just a few of the areas where race and culture intersect, and these intersections interest the scholars at the UO.

The program emphasizes the experiences of ethnic minorities within the United States while also comparing experiences across national boundaries. The course of study stresses a comparative approach. Although you may choose to focus on one of four areas—Native American, African American, Latino American, or Asian American studies—you’ll learn about each ethnic group in relation to others.

In our increasingly diverse society, racial and ethnic equity is central to the debate about the fairness of our laws, organizations, and policies. “It’s impossible to understand the United States without analyzing the ways in which race and ethnicity have shaped our history and society” says Shari Huhndorf, an associate professor of English and a participating faculty member in the program. A degree in ethnic studies prepares students who go on to careers as varied as law, business, and government. Cultural competency is increasingly important as the world becomes smaller and people from different cultures connect, overlap, and learn from each other. Study at the UO and learn to navigate the territory. The world needs your perspective and leadership in this important area.

• Core teaching faculty members specialize in the social and cultural issues of people of African, Asian, Latino or Latina, and Native American descent
• The Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Sexuality Studies highlights the interdisciplinary research in those areas
• The department’s advisory board consists of 12 faculty members from varying departments such as anthropology, women’s and gender studies, political science, English, and history
• All lower-division ethnic studies courses satisfy the UO multicultural requirement
• The department invites distinguished speakers for an annual lecture series to talk about issues related to ethnic studies. Past topics have included race in film and women of color
• The Oregon Students of Color Coalition brings together minority students to work toward common goals such as recruitment and retention of students from diverse backgrounds

Sample Courses

Practical Learning

Students may participate in a variety of campus organizations, including the Oregon Students of Color Coalition, the UO Multicultural Center, and more specific groups, such as the Asian and Pacific American Student Union, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanos de Aztlan (MEChA), the Black Student Union, and the Native American Student Union, as well as the Coalition Against Environmental Racism (CAER).

Local community groups welcome ethnic studies interns who work on a variety of projects such as helping to draft legislation and increase retention rates for students.

Many students also take advantage of the UO's Study Abroad Programs and travel to places such as Africa, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Asian countries.

Interdisciplinary Opportunities

Ethnic studies is one of the most interdisciplinary majors at the UO. “We offer an interdisciplinary perspective on race and ethnicity, as well as an opportunity to pursue those topics in greater depth than in traditional departments,” says Program Director Michael Hames-García. In addition to the introductory sequence and a class on theories of race, ethnic studies majors are required to take a breadth of courses from other departments that can include comparative literature, history, sociology, philosophy, anthropology, and English.

Student Work

Serra Marie Lafferty says the Ethnic Studies Department at the University of Oregon has changed her life. “It really opened my eyes," she says. "A lot of these classes have brought me to tears. It’s affected me on a deep level.” Lafferty studied in the U.S. Virgin Islands during her junior year and, after graduation, plans to become an inner-city teacher through the Teach for America program. “Hopefully ethnic studies will help me be positive and respectful in the classroom,” she says. In her thesis, she’s exploring the prison-industrial complex, prison labor, race, and immigration.

Rachel Cushman switched her major to ethnic studies after taking a Native American studies class her freshman year. “It was great to learn about history from multiple perspectives and have someone teaching me about my culture,” says Cushman, who is a member of the Chinook Nation. Since that first class, she has studied everything from the African diaspora to Caribbean literature. Cushman's newfound knowledge prompted her to become active in a variety of organizations. She was co-director of both the Native American Student Union and the UO Multicultural Center. And as a member of the Oregon Students of Color Coalition, she worked with legislators to ensure that students of color have equal access to higher education. Eventually Cushman would like to become an attorney specializing in tribal law. She says the Ethnic Studies Department “has literally been life-altering. It makes you think about your interactions with people.”

Selected Faculty Work

Associate Professor Michael Hames-García is the head of the Ethnic Studies Department. He researches published literature from prisoners in the U.S., as well as how they respond to ethical questions about the nature of freedom. “Many of them think of freedom beyond personal terms,” Hames-García says. “[For them] it’s about the sense of freedom and connectedness between people.”

Daniel HoSang, assistant professor of ethnic studies and political science, focuses primarily on racial and ethnic politics. His project Race, Direct Democracy, and the Future of Civil Rights explored the way ballot initiatives related to race, such as affirmative action and immigration policy, shape the terrain of state and national politics. His award-winning dissertation focused on California electoral initiatives, and he is completing a book on the subject, Racial Proposition: Genteel Apartheid in Postwar California.

Assistant Professor Brian Klopotek’s research interests include American Indians of the Southeastern United States, American Indian educational history, federal recognition of Indian tribes, and Native Americans and gender. Klopotek has published a variety of pieces, including Across the Great Divide: Cultures of Manhood in the American West, in which he discusses his findings on American Indian responses to hypermasculine imagery in cinema.

Assistant Professor Ernesto Martínez is the first faculty member in the ethnic studies and women’s and gender studies programs. His areas of research include American multi-ethnic literature; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer studies; U.S. Latino and Latina literature; and literary theory. Martínez also is a member of the national coordinating team for the Future of Minority Students Research Project.

The research of Assistant Professor Irmary Reyes-Santos concentrates on Caribbean literature and culture. Her courses address topics such as colonialism, class politics, and identity. Reyes-Santos currently is working on a book about racial geopolitics in the age of globalization.

Career Opportunities

Ethnic studies graduates thrive in a host of diverse careers. Some majors go on to jobs in public service. Others work for nonprofit and community organizations, or in human relations and education, or attend law school. The ability to look at issues from multiple perspectives is a skill that translates well in a variety of settings. Labor unions, hospitals, large corporations, and universities all need workers with the skills to help increase diversity and prosperity for people from all cultures.