Contact Information
(541) 346-0900
(541) 346-0904 fax
http://www.uoregon.edu/~ethnic
Undergraduate degrees: B.A., B.S.
Undergraduate minor
Ethnicity in the United States
The UO ethnic studies program critically analyzes constructions of race and ethnicity, focusing on the ways they have changed through time, their relationships to power, and their intersections with changing structures of class, gender, and sexuality. It also educates students “about the role and relevance of race and ethnicity in today’s society,” says program director Michael Hames-García. “The questions of race and ethnicity are incredibly important for understanding the world.”
As an ethnic studies major, you’ll study in an interdisciplinary environment that 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 the others. You’ll take classes that focus on specific ethnicities as well as classes that explore issues facing all groups, such as immigration, education, colonial history, labor, affirmative action, and social movements.
Your teachers will comprise core faculty members from the ethnic studies program as well as participating faculty members from a variety of other departments.
The program emphasizes the experiences of ethnic minorities within the United States while also comparing ethnic experiences
across national boundaries. “It’s impossible to understand the United States without analyzing
the ways in which race and ethnicity have shaped our history and society,” says Associate Professor
of English Shari Huhndorf, a participating faculty member in the ethnic studies program.
As a student of ethnic studies, you will develop a broader worldview while also applying your knowledge locally.
In addition, students from all around the world come to study at the UO. Scholars within the ethnic studies program are committed to service on campus that promotes the recruitment and retention of faculty and students of color and curricula that address an increasingly diverse society.
Points of Interest
- The Oregon Students of Color Coalition is an organization that brings together minority students to work toward common goals such as recruitment and retention of students from diverse backgrounds.
- 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.
- You can receive credit for practicums and internships with local organizations, which are perfect opportunities to apply your knowledge to the real world.
- The Marian Ballew Thomas Scholarship is awarded every year to an ethnic studies major or minor with a commitment to issues surrounding diversity.
- The ethnic studies program has an extensive book and film library on race and ethnicity.