Institute for Ethnic and Racial Studies

Mission Statement

The Institute for Ethnic and Racial Studies offers a rigorous interdisciplinary academic minor, which fosters an understanding of the histories, cultures, and contemporary issues of ethnic and racial groups in their national context.  The Institute seeks to affirm the identities, diverse experiences, and influences of ethnic and racial groups that have historically been oppressed in the United States. 

The Institute for Ethnic and Racial Studies is committed to providing curricular and other scholarly opportunities for UW-L students to develop the knowledge, skills, and personal dispositions that will enable them to live and function with intercultural competence in a diverse world.  The Institute collaborates with other units to sponsor academic programming, which brings important speakers and events to the campus community to advance critical discussions of ethnic and racial issues. 

Minor Requirements

The Ethnic and Racial Studies (ERS) minor is an interdisciplinary degree designed to provide students with a better understanding of the enormous diversity of American society and culture.  The ERS minor will enhance the educational experience in all degrees and programs across the university.  It will also provide students with a practical understanding of the changing racial and ethnic structure of the American economy and work place.  Career options and majors that can be paired with the ERS minor include:

·       Journalism                                                          ·       Education (all levels)

·       Business/International Business                     ·       Marketing

·       Management/International Management    ·       Philosophy

·       Peace Corps                                                        ·       International Education

·       Social Work/Sociology                                     ·       Human Services                      

·       Psychology/School Psychology                      ·       Criminal Justice

·       Community Health Education                        ·       History

·       Women’s Studies                                               ·       Human Resources/Personnel

·       Political Science/Public Administration/Law       

·       College Student Development & Administration

·       Allied Science/Medical/Nursing

Course requirements for the ERS minor consists of 24 credits, including ERS 100, 251, 490; nine credits from at least three disciplines* must be taken from the following:  ANT 101, EFN 205, ENG 205, ENG 207, ENG 460, ERS 300, ERS 400, ERS 410, HIS 306, PHL 230, POL 300, POL 342, POL 372, PSY 382, SOC 225, SOC 311, W-S 230.  The remaining credits may be taken from the following:  ANT 343, ENG 210, ENG 215, ENG 461, SPA 425, HIS 309, HIS 310.  At least 12 credits must be at the 300-400 level.

*Credits used for History or English majors may not be used for this minor.

Top

Course Descriptions

ERS 100--Introduction to Minority Cultures in the United States

An examination of the persistence of minority and ethnic problems in the United States and consideration of the contributions, parallels, similarities, and differences between and among ethnic and minority groups.

ERS 110--Myth & Reality:  An Examination of Ethnic & Racial Stereotypes

This course will trace how popular entertainment mediums such as film, television, books, comics, "wild west shows", music and cartoons have impacted perceptions of ethnic and racial groups from the early seventeenth century to the present.  Besides analyzing the persuasive power of these types of mediums, it will examine why such representations were created and why they still persist.  The mythopoeic image that surrounds American Indians, African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics and other minority groups will be juxtaposed against the historical reality that these groups have faced and the contemporary inequalities that we still must confront.

ERS/ENG 207--Multicultural Literature of the United States

This course examines cultural themes in American literature in an effort to enhance student awareness of the multi-ethnic nature of American culture.  Students engage in close reading, discussion, analysis, and interpretation of texts written by individuals from a variety of American ethnic and cultural backgrounds.  Content varies with instructor.  Prerequisite:  ENG 110 (Cross-listed with ENG 207; may only earn credit in ERS or ENG.)

ERS/ENG 210--Literature of Black America

Survey and exploration of Black American prose and poetry from their eighteenth century beginnings to the end of the Harlem Renaissance and the Depression years.  Prerequisite:  ENG 110  (Cross-listed with ENG 210; may only earn credit in ERS or ENG.)

ERS/ENG 215--African American Authors

A study of the principal post-depression (1940-present) African American authors, critics and scholars which clarifies the relationship between these writers and the general field of American literature and which illustrates their unique contributions as representatives of African American culture.  Prerequisite:  ENG 110 (Cross-listed with ENG; may only earn credit in ERS or ENG.)

ERS 251--Theories of Racial and Ethnic Relations in the United States

An introductory course that examines leading theories of racial and ethnic relations in the United States and assesses their significance and relevance in explaining historic and contemporary relations between the white majority and the racial and ethnic minorities.  It also analyzes and evaluates the impact of various laws, policies, and programs on racial and ethnic relations.

ERS 253--Introduction to Wisconsin Indians  

An introductory examination of Wisconsin Indians with specific reference to the Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Ojibwa, Oneida, Potawatomi, and the Stockbridge-Munsee communities.  Using an interdisciplinary approach, topics will include sovereignty, land use and environmental issues, education, economic development, social issues and challenges, and tribal identity.  The course will also explore each tribe's responses to both state and federal governments. 

ERS 300--Topics and Symposiums in Ethnic and Racial Studies

Topics selected by the individual  instructor or by the students and instructor together.  Special interest of both the instructor and students such as Black drama or Native American art, or other areas of concern which are either not covered or briefly dealt with in formal course work may be the vehicles for this offering.  Repeatable for credit--maximum 6.

ERS 343--American Indian Contemporary Issues  

This course is an interdisciplinary examination of American Indian contemporary experience in the United States.  It will introduce students to some of the critical issues in American Indian studies by examining the place of American Indians within the American imagination, politics and society.  The course concentrates on issues of tribal sovereignty, economics, social class and structure, and the difficulties of maintaining a tribal identity in the 21st Century.  (Cross-listed with SOC 243.)

ERS 400/500--Individual Study in Ethnic and Racial Studies

Directed reading and research under the supervision of an instructor.  Prerequisite:  permission of the instructor.  Repeatable for credit--maximum 6.

ERS 410/510--Contemporary Issues in Ethnic and Racial Studies

An introduction to ethnic minority groups in the United States today emphasizing the historical antecedents of contemporary issues with particular attention to the problems of ethnic groups and educational institutions.  Offered Sem. I.

ERS 490--Ethnic and Racial Studies Seminar

This capstone course is designed as a culminating experience for students completing a minor in Ethnic and Racial Studies.  Students will complete their ERS portfolios containing samples of all courses taken for the minor.  In addition, students will be required to write a reflective essay that reviews the course materials in the portfolios.  Students will also write a seminar research paper which analyzes some aspect of ethnic and racial experience in the United States.  Prerequisite:  ERS 100, 251, and 12 credits from core and elective courses.  Offered Sem. II.

Top

Related Courses

ANT 101--Human Nature/Human Culture

This course is designed to focus student participation on discovering and understanding what it means to be human.  The interdependency of human biology and culture are deciphered through a modern anthropological perspective.

ANT 343--North American Indians

This course concentrates on the Native peoples of North American (north of Mexico) immediately following the arrival of Europeans.  The cultural patterns of representative groups will be studied intensively in each major region of North America.  The region by region survey will be preceded by a brief discussion of the place of origin and time of arrival of the first people in the New World.  This course will not be considering contemporary Native American issues.  Prerequisite:  ARC 200 recommended.

EFN 205--Understanding Human Differences

The course will focus on human differences and the factors which influence these differences, specifically group identifications.  It will explore the interaction between misperceptions and ethnocentric perspectives which foster the development of prejudicial attitudes. It will explain the effect of prejudicial attitudes on expectations for "different" others (stereotyping) and on behavior toward those others (discrimination).  It will examine diverse groups in our society and how membership in one or more of these groups affects one's sense of identity and one's opportunities.

ENG 460--Literature of American Ethnic and Minority Cultures

Study of selected works representative of American ethnic and minority cultures, including American Indian, Chicano, and Jewish.  Emphasis will vary according to the interests of students and the instructor.  For the current content, consult the instructor or the department chairperson.  Prerequisite:  three credits in 200-level English courses.

ENG 461--American Indian Literature

A study of a broad range of American Indian literature, both traditional and contemporary, in cultural and historical contexts.  Prerequisite:  three credits in 200-level English courses.

HIS 306--History of Ethnic America

The role and impact of immigrants and ethnic minorities on the political, economic and cultural development of the United States from colonial times to the present.  Emphasis on the immigrant experience--the problems of immigrant adjustment, patterns of immigrant mobility and assimilation, and the persistence of ethnicity and ethnic tensions.  Offered once a year.

HIS 309--History of African-American Protest

This course traces the history of African-American protest strategies and movements, with a focus on the modern Civil Rights movement.  The course examines the ways in which these struggles shaped American politics generally, but focuses on major themes and problems in history of African Americans' struggles of racial justice, including questions of integration versus separatism, proposals to "repatriate" to Africa, appropriate responses to the violence of institutionalized racism, the roles and perspectives of women, European-Americans, working-class and middle-class African-Americans in anti-racist politics, and strategies for economic empowerment.  Offered once every three years.

HIS 310--Native American History

A survey of Indian history in North America from European contact to the present, with primary emphasis upon the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  A major theme to be explored will be Indian patterns of resistance to white-imposed policies.  Offered once every year.

PHL 230--Multicultural Philosophy

This survey course will examine philosophical ideas and systems that are generated from a wide range of cultural traditions.  It will first explore a variety of multicultural philosophical traditions within the United states and then within the global context.  The aim of this search will be to broaden and deepen our understanding and appreciation of the multiplicity of philosophical perspectives which are part of an increasingly diverse, interconnected, and globalized world.  Prerequisite:  PHL 100.  Offered Sem. I.

POL 300--Urban Politics

An in-depth analysis of the forms, functions, and problems of urban governments with special attention to metropolitan areas.  Field work and the materials of contemporary urban politics will be used.  Prerequisite:  POL 101 or 102.  Offered Sem. II.

POL 342--Ethnic Politics in Contemporary America

A survey of some major political philosophies of the western world from the French Revolution through the 20th Century:  Burke, Mill, Bentham, Marx, Shaw, Ford, Camus, Leary, et al.  Prerequisite:  POL 101 or 102 or 251.  Offered every other year.

POL 372--Constitutional Law III

A careful examination of U.S. Supreme Court rulings on racial and gender discrimination.  Prerequisite:  POL 101 or 102 or 221.  Offered every two years.

PSY 382--Cross Cultural Psychology

An orientation to the definitions, concepts, theories, and methodologies of cross-cultural psychology.  Included is an examination of cultural and ecological factors and their influences on perceptual and cognitive processes, personality, language, and other psychological variables.  Prerequisite:  PSY 100.

SOC 225--Racial and Ethnic Minorities

An investigation into the social dynamics shaping racial and ethnic minority experience in America.  Processes of prejudice formation and prejudice reduction are discussed.  The nature of institutional discrimination and institutional racism is analyzed in proper socio-historical context.  Minority group achievements and legacies are emphasized.  Contemporary issues and assessment of minority group progress in America are vigorously examined.

SOC 311--Rural and Urban Sociology

Basic sociological concepts and principles are applied to life in rural vs. urban communities.  Focus will be on the political economy, the culture, and social problems of rural people in comparison to urban people.  Prerequisite:  SOC 110 or 120 or 200 or ANT 101.

SPA 425--Hispanic Literature in the United States

Backgrounds, literary influence and major works of an emerging new literature of the United States, written by Hispanic minorities.  Works are read in the original language or in translation.  Prerequisite:  SPA 303, 304, 305.  Offered Sem.  II.

W-S 230--Women's Diversity:  Race, Class and Culture

This course explores the diversity of women's experience in America as it has been affected by race, ethnicity, class, and other factors, and the effects of gender on women of different groups.  Issues that have united and divided women in movements for social change are also addressed.

Top

Staff Information

Jonathan Majak, Associate Professor (Interim Director)

Jonathan A. Majak is past director of the Institute.  His interests center on race and ethnic relations.  He is also interested in ethnicity and public policy.  He has researched and written on such policy issues as immigration.  Majak is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association for Ethnic Studies (NAES).  He is the book review editor for the association's journal, Ethnic Studies Review.  Majak received in the year 2000 the Charles C. Irby award for distinguished service from the NAES.

Sarah Shillinger, Assistant Professor

Sarah Shillinger has earned a doctorate in American History from the University of Pennsylvania.  She has also received the Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities.  She specializes in the American Indian Boarding School Movement and has extensive experience with contemporary American Indian issues.  She has developed courses in Contemporary American Indian issues and  done workshops on American Indian casinos.  Dr. Shillinger is working on a series of social studies units for elementary schools

Vincent K. Her, Assistant Professor

Dr. Her holds a Ph. D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  His research focuses on Hmong American funeral text, songs and performances as cultural memory.  He has presented on a wide range of topics related to the Hmong American experience.  Through his research, writing and teaching, he hopes to be able to promote meaningful cross-cultural dialogues that can be extended beyond the boundaries of the classroom.

 

Cathy Jambois, Program Assistant