Bachelor of Arts in Race and Resistance Studies

Overview

Race and Resistance Studies (RRS) examines both the race-related processes that underlie many social problems and the multiple forms of resistance and struggle aimed at achieving racial social justice. Our analytical approach is comparative, relational, interdisciplinary, and intersectional. The program will 1) provide majors with a solid understanding of key theories and approaches through a set of core courses required of all students, 2) provide all students with an overview of key areas of concern, including histories of resistance, gender issues, transnational issues, and cultural production, 3) Allow students to choose electives emphasizing particular areas of interest, and 4) develop students' abilities to work in community organizations.

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Identify the history, objectives, and philosophies of Ethnic Studies/Race and Resistance Studies.
  2. Describe historical, cultural, economic, and comparative approaches to the study of race, class, gender, nation, and sexuality.
  3. Interpret cultural production by people of color and the ways that various forms of culture (literature, dance, murals, etc.) express agency of oppressed peoples and/or challenge social inequalities.
  4. Apply the concept of intersectionality to the analysis of gender-oppressed people of color, such as women of color, queers of color, and transgender people of color.
  5. Analyze social movements in the contestation of social hierarchies based on race, gender, sexuality, class, and/or other social determinants.
  6. Apply principles of community-engaged scholarship and community service learning.

Bachelor of Arts in Race and Resistance Studies — 36 units

Core Courses (27 units)

ETHS 300GWWriting in Ethnic Studies - GWAR3
RRS/ETHS 100Introduction to Ethnic Studies3
RRS 240All Power to the People: Comparative Freedom Movements of the "Sixties"3
RRS 250Race, Ethnicity and Power in America3
Select One:3
Disrupting Science Fiction: Race, Gender, and Alternative Futures
Sounds of Resistance: Race, Rhythm, Rhyme, and Revolution
Race, Public Art, and Creative Resistance
Select One:3
Race and Comedy in the United States
Youth Culture, Race and Resistance
Select One:3
Queer and Trans Ethnic Studies
Women, Race, and Class
RRS 590Senior Capstone3
Select One:3
Grassroots Organizing for Change in Communities of Color
Community Engaged Learning: Praxis in Race and Resistance Studies

Electives (9 units)

At least six elective units should be upper-division.

Three RRS Courses9

Complementary Studies

Bachelor of Arts students must complete 12 units of Complementary Studies outside of the primary prefix for the major and not cross-listed with the primary prefix for the major.

Students who complete two majors or a major and a minor automatically complete the Complementary Studies requirement.

Students in the Race and Resistance Studies major may also satisfy the Complementary Studies requirement by completing one of the following options:

  • 12 units from one or more of these prefixes: AFRS, AIS, AA S, or LTNS (may not be from courses that are cross-listed with RRS).
  • 12 units of a heritage, native, or foreign language.
  • 12 units as partial completion of a minor.
  • 12 units as partial completion of a certificate.
  • 12 units from a study abroad program.

Upon consultation with an advisor, students may designate a coherent group of courses complementary to the major. For example, students may complete 12 units in a related area such as health disparities; genders and sexualities; revolutionary thinkers; cultural production and representation; social justice; civic & community engagement; fantastic futures; or religiosities and spiritual movements.

With the approval of an advisor in the major, courses that fulfill the Complementary Studies requirement may be lower- or upper-division units, resident or transfer units.

First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)

  1. The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.
  2. In order to choose your English Composition A2 course and your QR/Math B4 course, please complete the online advising activities at writingadvising.sfsu.edu and mathadvising.sfsu.edu. Questions? Contact Gator Smart Start.

First-Time Student Roadmap

Transfer Student Roadmap (2 Year)

For students with an AA-T in Social Justice Studies.
SJS ADT Roadmap

General Advising Information for Transfer Students

  1. Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
  2. The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
    • a course in U.S. History
    • a course in U.S. & California Government

For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:

  • Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
  • Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.

Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.

Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).

Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.

Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.

Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.

Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs

Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet A1, A2, A3, and B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.

Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.

Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.