U.S. Ethnic Studies Minor

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The U.S. Ethnic Studies minor allows students to approach the study of race and ethnicity in the United States from multiple perspectives in order to gain a broad foundational knowledge of the field. The curriculum investigates the role of community, history, and politics on racial identity and the experience of race and ethnicity in the historical and contemporary United States, often connecting local and domestic issues with their larger global contexts. The interdisciplinary nature of the minor is consistent with the nature of the field of Ethnic Studies and facilitates a holistic approach to the study of race and ethnicity. Courses focus on issues around race in three thematic categories: Arts and Culture, History and Politics, and Power and Institutions.

At least 18 hours distributed as follows:

Courses for the U.S. Ethnic Studies minor must be chosen from at least three disciplines, and no more than two courses used to fulfill the requirements of other majors, minors, or concentrations may be used for this minor. Special topics or other courses may be substituted with the approval of the program director.

ETHN 100 - Introduction to U.S. Ethnic Studies (4)

One course from Arts and Culture:

AIIS 210 - American Indian Film Studies (4)
ANTH 339 - Intersections of Gender in the Americas (4)
ARTH 365 - Art Since 1945 (4)
ARTH 386 - Arts of the African Diaspora (4)
ASTR 301 - Indigenous Perspectives on the Sky (4)
LIT 328 - Ethnic Literatures (4)
LIT 346 - Readings in Gender and Sexuality (4) (“Queer of Color Literature and Theory”)
LIT 488 - Seminar in a Major Author (4) (Toni Morrison)
MUSC 343 - African American Music: Slavery to Swing (4)
MUSC 344 - African American Music: R&B to Hip Hop (4)

One course from History and Politics:

One course from Power and Institutions:

Additional Information

University-wide minimum requirements for a minor: 1) one-half of the hours required for a minor must be completed in residence at UNC Asheville, to include at least 6 hours at the 300-400 level; 2) students must have a cumulative grade-point-average of at least 2.0 on minor courses taken at UNC Asheville.