Race and Resistance Studies
College of Ethnic Studies
Interim Dean: Dr. Amy Sueyoshi
Race and Resistance Studies Department
Ethnic Studies and Psychology Building 210
(415) 338-1645
Chair: Dr. Jason Ferreira
Program Scope
The Race and Resistance Studies minor is an interdisciplinary program that provides undergraduate students with an approach to social justice to study race as a politically produced and contested process that begins with institutions, movements, and social problems, to examine racialized communities. The curriculum examines how race, gender, and class are co-constitutive factors of identity; how different groups are racialized in relation to one another; how social justice movements cohere and fall apart; and how groups have formed their own identities. The Race and Resistance Studies minor provides students with non-traditional, multi-ethnic, and comparative perspectives on national and transnational experiences of people of color within the U.S.
Professor
CATRIONA R. ESQUIBEL (2005), Professor of Race and Resistance Studies; B.A. (1989), New Mexico Highlands University; M.A. (1991), University of Colorado, Boulder; Ph.D. (1999), University of California, Santa Cruz.
AMY SUEYOSHI (2002), Professor of Race and Resistance Studies, Professor of Sexuality Studies; B.A. (1993), Barnard College, Columbia University; M.A. (1998), Ph.D. (2002), University of California, Los Angeles.
Associate Professor
RABAB ABDULHADI (2007), Associate Professor of Race and Resistance Studies; B.A. (1994), Hunter College of the City University of New York; M.A. (1995), Yale University; Ph.D. (2000), Yale University.
FALU P. BAKRANIA (2005), Associate Professor of Race and Resistance Studies; B.A. (1990), University of California, Berkeley; M.A. (1994), Harvard University; M.A. (1996), Stanford University; Ph.D. (2004), Stanford University.
JASON FERREIRA (2005), Associate Professor of Race and Resistance Studies; B.A. (1992), University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; M.A. (1995), Ph.D. (2003), University of California, Berkeley.
Lecturer
LARRY SALOMON (1994), Lecturer in Race and Resistance Studies; B.A. (1991), M.A. (1994), San Francisco State University; Ph.D. (2005), University of California, Berkeley.
Race and Resistance Studies, Minor — 19 - 21 units
The minor consists of 19 to 21 credits of undergraduate study.
- Only one third of the credits or no more than approximately two courses can be taken credit/no credit for the minor.
- Students must have maintained at least a 2.0 grade point average in minor courses.
- At least half of all courses towards the minor degree must be upper division at the 300 level or above.
Consistent with current University policy, courses for meeting the requirements of this minor may, as appropriate, be used simultaneously for meeting general education or credential requirements. Written declaration of the pursuit of the minor is not necessary prior to enrollment in any of its required or elective courses. Students should try to complete ETHS 100 or ETHS 110 before taking any further courses in the minor. These courses, however, may be taken concurrently. Additional courses may count towards the minor upon consultation with the Race and Resistance Studies undergraduate minor advisor.
All course work used to satisfy the requirements of the minor must be completed with a minimum grade point average of 2.0.
Introductory Courses (3 units)
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
ETHS/RRS 100 | Introduction to Ethnic Studies | 3 |
or ETHS/RRS 110 | Critical Thinking and the Ethnic Studies Experience |
Core Courses (9 units)
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
Select one course from three different sections A through D below: | 9 | |
Section A: History and Politics | ||
All Power to the People: Comparative Freedom Movements of the "Sixties" | ||
Race, Ethnicity and Power in America | ||
Race, Labor, and Class | ||
Grassroots Organizing for Change in Communities of Color | ||
National Security and the Racialization of Arabs and Muslims in North America | ||
Race, Radicalism and Revolution | ||
History of People of Color in the U.S. | ||
Section B: Popular Culture, Literature, and the Arts | ||
Race, Gender, and Science Fiction | ||
Race, Sports, and Society | ||
Cultural Dialogues and Ethnic Literature | ||
Arab Media Images in America: Impact on Arab Americans | ||
Contemporary Arabic and Arab American Literature | ||
Youth Culture, Race and Resistance | ||
Section C: Gender and Sexuality | ||
Coloring Queer: Imagining Communities | ||
Women, Class, and Race | ||
Section D: Diasporas and Transnationalism | ||
Islamophobia: Roots, Development and Contestation of Hatred | ||
Arab American Identity: Memory and Resistance | ||
Palestine: Ethnic Studies Perspective | ||
South Asian Diaspora | ||
Gender and Modernity in the Muslim and Arab Worlds |
Community Service Learning (1 - 3 units)
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
Select one from below or as 1 - 3 CSL units attached to any course listed in the minor. | 1-3 | |
Asian American Community Health Issues | ||
Community Service Learning | ||
Community Service Learning | ||
Community Service Learning |
Ethnic Specific Course from AA S, AFRS, AIS, or LTNS (3 units)
Choose one course on advisement, from a different department than the one used to fulfill the CSL requirement.)
Elective Courses (3 units)
Choose one from below or any course from above, including from the ethnic-specific departments or programs, not used to satisfy basic requirements.
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
AFRS 466 | Black Lives Matter: Race and Social Movements | 4 |
COUN 450/RRS 460 | AIDS and People of Color in the U.S. | 3 |
ENG/ETHS 637 | Experimental Novel: 1950-1980 | 3 |
ETHS 590 | Ethnic Studies Travel Study | 1 |
ETHS 685 | Projects in the Teaching of Ethnic Studies | 3 |
ETHS 697 | Field Research or Internship in Ethnic Studies | 1-3 |
ETHS 699 | Independent Study | 1-3 |
ETHS/HIST 473 | Unfree Labor in Early America | 3 |
RRS/SOC 330 | Comparative Race and Ethnicity in the U.S.: Class, Gender and Nation | 3 |
RRS/LTNS 580 | Educational Equity | 3 |
SOC 580 | Educational Equity | 3 |
RRS 625 | Mixed Race Studies: A Comparative Focus | 3 |
RRS 670/HIST 462 | Making Whites: Race-making in America | 3 |
RRS 100 Introduction to Ethnic Studies (Units: 3)
History, objectives, and philosophy of Ethnic Studies. Student's personal, educational and career development in a pluralistic society and an institute of higher education. [CSL may be available]
(This course is offered as ETHS 100 and RRS 100. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- D1: Social Sciences
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 101 Introduction to Arab and Muslim Communities (Units: 3)
Introduction to Arab and Muslim communities studies in U.S. and Americas and Asian and African ancestral homelands. Employing Arab, Muslim, Ethnic, Race and Resistance, Gender and Sexuality, American Middle East, Diasporas, Ethnicity Studies and Social Movement theory.
Course Attributes:
- C2: Humanities
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 103 Introduction to Pacific Studies (Units: 3)
Examination of historic and contemporary issues related to Pacific Islander communities in the United States across the Pacific Islander diaspora.
(This course is offered as RRS 103 and AIS 103. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- U.S. History
- D2: Social Sciences: U.S. Hist
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 110 Critical Thinking and the Ethnic Studies Experience (Units: 3)
Basic skills involved in understanding, criticizing, and constructing arguments by using materials reflective of experiences of ethnic/racial groups in the U.S.
(Note: In order for this course to satisfy General Education, students must earn a C- or CR or higher grade if taken fall 2014 or later.)
Course Attributes:
- A3: Critical Thinking
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
RRS 201 SFSU's Palestinian Cultural Mural and the Art of Resistance (Units: 3)
Critical investigation of the roles public art plays in transnational social justice movements, historically and currently. Examination of the history and legacy of Palestine Cultural Mural at San Francisco State University.
Course Attributes:
- C2: Humanities
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 212 Edward Said (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: RRS 101.
Course Attributes:
- C2: Humanities
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 224 Arab-American History, Community, and Activism (Units: 3)
Introduction to Arab-American history, community, and organizational development in the United States.
Course Attributes:
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 230 Muslims in America: Communities and Institutions (Units: 3)
Examination of the emergence of identifiable Muslim communities through the U.S. and focuses on migration patterns, the ethnic makeup of such communities, gender dynamics, political identity, and conversion to Islam.
Course Attributes:
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Social Justice
RRS 240 All Power to the People: Comparative Freedom Movements of the "Sixties" (Units: 3)
Introduction to the history and comparative survey of the African American, Chicana/o, Native American, and Asian American protest and liberation movements of the "Long Sixties" (1945-1975). [CSL may be available] [Formerly ETHS 240]
Course Attributes:
- U.S. History
- D2: Social Sciences: U.S. Hist
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Social Justice
RRS 250 Race, Ethnicity and Power in America (Units: 3)
Critical examination of political concepts, processes and constructions of power that center race and ethnicity within a comparative analysis of American ideals, institutions and laws. Includes a study of constitutional issues and state and local governmental processes. [Formerly ETHS 250]
Course Attributes:
- U.S. Govt CA State Local Govt
- D3: Social Sciences: US CA Gov
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Social Justice
RRS 252 Beyond Bars and Borders: Race and the Carceral State (Units: 3)
Examination of the intersection of race and the carceral state. A comparative exploration of how diverse communities of color have experienced and struggled against racialized regimes of incarceration and displacement. Highlights how these racialized regimes that center on controlling the movement (or lack thereof) of communities of color are shaped by class, gender, and nation. Studies race and the carceral state in both domestic and global/transnational terms.
RRS 255 Voices in Exile: Arab and Muslim American and Civil Liberties post-9/11/2001 (Units: 3)
Changes post 9/11/2001, focusing on how Arab and Muslim Americans are affected. The case of the LA8, Sami Al-Arian, and Rasmeah Odeh will be used as a case study to analyze how government actions have affected Arab and Muslim Americans' civil liberties.
Course Attributes:
- D1: Social Sciences
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 260 Introduction to Arab and Arab American Feminisms (Units: 3)
Writings by Arab and Arab American feminists to explore assumptions on and about Arab and Arab American experiences in the United States from multiple geographical sites, spiritualities, occupations, sexualities, class backgrounds, and generations.
Course Attributes:
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 276 Race, Activism and Climate Justice (Units: 3)
Examination of the intersection of race, socio-economics, political ecology and climate change on a global scale; overview of the scientific evidence for anthropogenic causes and impacts; and exploration of environmental justice, political ecology, disparate impacts on different peoples and activism on global and local levels.
Course Attributes:
- B2: Life Science
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Environmental Sustainability
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 280 Race, Gender, and Science Fiction (Units: 3)
Science fiction as a way of examining intersections of race, gender, and sexuality. Includes histories such as slavery, removal, and colonization. Discussion of reproductive technologies. [Formerly ETHS 280]
Course Attributes:
- C3: Humanities: Literature
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
RRS 282 Art and Cultural Practices of Oceania (Units: 3)
Acquire an understanding of the relationships of art, culture, and power to Pacific peoples through the various forms of art found within Oceania. The practice of critical analytical skills in art criticism.
RRS 285 Race, Sports, and Society (Units: 3)
Examines connections between race, "politics" and high-profile professional sports in the United States and abroad. Multiple issues explored using interdisciplinary approach, including critical race theory and socio-historical and socioeconomic constructs. [Formerly ETHS 285]
Course Attributes:
- D1: Social Sciences
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
RRS 290 Sounds of Resistance: Race, Rhythm, Rhyme, and Revolution (Units: 3)
Examination of intersection of music and freedom movements within and across communities of color. Comparative exploration of how music reflects and shapes social struggle, flowers out of people's interconnected histories and cultures, promotes both critical consciousness and collective action, and serves as a multifaceted weapon in the fight for human liberation. Studies music and social movements in both domestic and global/transnational terms.
RRS 295 Race, Public Art, and Creative Resistance (Units: 3)
Introduction to the history of public arts among communities of color, from Los Angeles, Albuquerque, San Antonio, and New York. How have artists made use of public art -- posters, Teatro, murals, billboards, "walking murals," puppetry, among others -- to contest racist caricature and stereotyped images of people of color. How have they promoted new visions of community, of society, of social justice? (Plus-minus letter grade only)
RRS 303 Health and Wellness among Pacific Islanders (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 or consent of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- E1: Lifelong Learning Develop
- UD-B: Physical Life Science
- Social Justice
RRS 304 Decolonize Your Diet: Food Justice and Gendered Labor in Communities of Color (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 or consent of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- UD-B: Physical Life Science
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Environmental Sustainability
RRS 305 Arab American Art and Artists of the Diaspora (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of the instructor.
(This course is offered as RRS 305 and ARAB 305. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
RRS 310 Arab Revolutions and Social Movements (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 or consent of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- UD-D: Social Sciences
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 312 Arab and Arab American Literary Expressions (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of the instructor.
(This course is offered as RRS 312 and ARAB 312. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 315 Arab-American Immigration, Society, Identity, and Culture (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: ENG 214 or equivalent.
Course Attributes:
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
RRS 330 Comparative Race and Ethnicity in the U.S.: Class, Gender and Nation (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Restricted to students with upper-division standing; successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4; or consent of the instructor.
(This course is offered as RRS 330 and SOC 330. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- UD-D: Social Sciences
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Social Justice
RRS 333 Race and Independent Cinema (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: Restricted to upper-division Cinema majors and minors and Race and Resistance Studies minors; CINE 200*, CINE 202*, CINE 204*, CINE 211*, and CINE 212* or equivalents with grades of C or better; or consent of the instructor.
(This course is offered as CINE 333 and RRS 333. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
RRS 350 Race, Labor, and Class (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Upper division standing or consent of instructor.
RRS 360 Cultural Dialogues and Ethnic Literature (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 or consent of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
RRS 365 Race and Comedy in the United States (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 or consent of the instructor.
RRS 370 Islamophobia: Roots, Development and Contestation of Hatred (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4; ETHS 100 or RRS 100; or consent of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- UD-D: Social Sciences
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 375 Queer Arabs in the U.S. (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Upper division standing or consent of instructor.
Course Attributes:
- Social Justice
RRS 380 Coloring Queer: Imagining Communities (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Restricted to students with upper-division standing; successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4; or consent of the instructor.
(This course is offered as RRS 380 and SXS 380. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Social Justice
RRS 410 Grassroots Organizing for Change in Communities of Color (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Restricted to upper-division standing; successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4; or consent of the instructor.
(This course is offered as RRS 410 and SOC 410. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- UD-D: Social Sciences
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Social Justice
RRS 420 Arab American Identity: Memory and Resistance (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 or consent of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- UD-D: Social Sciences
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 430 Arab Media Images in America: Impact on Arab Americans (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 or consent of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- UD-D: Social Sciences
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 433 Pacific Islanders in Film: Re-Presenting Oceania Through an Indigenous Lens (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor.
Course Attributes:
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
RRS 435 National Security and the Racialization of Arabs and Muslims in North America (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4; RRS 100 or ETHS 100; or consent of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- UD-D: Social Sciences
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 450 Contemporary Arabic and Arab American Literature (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4; upper-division standing; or consent of the instructor.
(This course is offered as RRS 450 and ARAB 450. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
RRS 460 AIDS and People of Color in the U.S. (Units: 3)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 or consent of the instructor.
(This course is offered as COUN 450, RRS 460, and SXS 460. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- UD-D: Social Sciences
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Social Justice
RRS 480 Youth Culture, Race and Resistance (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 or consent of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- UD-D: Social Sciences
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Social Justice
RRS 490 Race, Art, and Social Justice (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Upper division standing or consent of instructor.
RRS 520 Race, Radicalism and Revolution (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Upper division standing or consent of instructor.
RRS 566 Gender and Modernity in the Muslim and Arab Worlds (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: ENG 214 or equivalent.
(This course is offered as WGS 566 and RRS 566. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 571 Women, Class, and Race (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 or consent of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Environmental Sustainability
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 580 Educational Equity (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Restricted to upper-division standing; successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4; or consent of the instructor.
(This course is offered as LTNS 580, SOC 580, and RRS 580. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- UD-D: Social Sciences
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Social Justice
RRS 600 History of People of Color in the U.S. (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 or consent of the instructor.
(This course is offered as RRS 600 and HIST 466. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- U.S. History
- UD-D: Social Sciences
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Social Justice
RRS 620 Colonialism, Imperialism and Resistance (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4; ENG 214 or equivalent; or consent of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- UD-D: Social Sciences
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 625 Mixed Race Studies: A Comparative Focus (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 or consent of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- UD-D: Social Sciences
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Social Justice
RRS 630 Palestine: Ethnic Studies Perspective (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 or consent of the instructor.
Course Attributes:
- UD-D: Social Sciences
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 655 Comparative Border Studies: Palestine and Mexico (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: ETHS 100 or consent of instructor.
Course Attributes:
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Environmental Sustainability
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 657 South Asian Diaspora (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 or consent of the instructor.
(This course is offered as RRS 657 and AA S 541. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
Course Attributes:
- UD-D: Social Sciences
- Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
- Global Perspectives
- Social Justice
RRS 670 Making Whites: Race-making in America (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Upper division standing or consent of instructor.
(This course is offered as RRS 670 and HIST 462. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)
RRS 690 Methods in Race and Resistance Studies (Units: 3)
Prerequisite: Upper division standing.
RRS 694 Community Service Learning: Praxis in Race and Resistance Studies (Units: 1-3)
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of the instructor.
RRS 699 Independent Study (Units: 1-3)
Prerequisite: Consent of adviser, instructor, and program coordinator.