{"id":15384,"date":"2020-07-25T11:22:45","date_gmt":"2020-07-25T18:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=15384"},"modified":"2020-07-25T11:22:47","modified_gmt":"2020-07-25T18:22:47","slug":"csu-undergrads-must-take-an-ethnic-studies-or-social-justice-class-starting-in-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2020\/07\/25\/csu-undergrads-must-take-an-ethnic-studies-or-social-justice-class-starting-in-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"CSU UNDERGRADS MUST TAKE AN ETHNIC STUDIES OR SOCIAL JUSTICE CLASS STARTING IN 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By NINA AGRAWAL<\/a> STAFF WRITER JULY 22, 2020 (LATimes.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the first major change to general education across its system in decades, all 430,000 undergraduates attending Cal State universities must take an ethnic studies or social justice course, a requirement approved by CSU trustees Wednesday following a fierce two-day debate that left some longtime social activists in the awkward position of voting \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The requirement will take effect starting in the 2023-24 academic year in the nation\u2019s largest four-year public university system. Five trustees voted against it \u2014 including State Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and social justice activists Lateefah Simon and Hugo Morales \u2014 who said it did not hew closely enough to the definition of ethnic studies. One trustee abstained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two questions dominated their debate: What should an ethnic studies requirement include? And who should decide: faculty, trustees or state lawmakers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to hold with fidelity to what ethnic studies is and has been and what those who framed it and have been fighting for 52 years have asked for,\u201d Thurmond said at the meeting Wednesday, referring to the discipline\u2019s focus on the experience of four oppressed groups in the U.S.: African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos and Indigenous peoples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morales asked to rename the proposal as simply a \u201csocial justice\u201d requirement. \u201cThis is about social justice, which we have championed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Chancellor Timothy P. White said that disciplines evolve, and the requirement his office was advancing offers students more choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEthnic studies has matured,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s deep, it\u2019s powerful, but it\u2019s more than what it used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new requirement creates a three-unit, lower-division course requirement \u201cto understand ethnic studies and social justice.\u201d The requirement could be met by a traditional ethnic studies course or by a class focused on social justice or social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many were opposed to White\u2019s plan \u2014 including educators and activists \u2014 and prefer a bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), that more narrowly defines the requirement, limiting it to ethnic studies courses. AB 1460, which passed both the Assembly and Senate, will go back to the Assembly for concurrence next week before being sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s desk. If he signs it, that requirement will supersede the one approved by the CSU Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve asked you to join the Legislature and support 1460, not put us in the same position we were in 1967, where we as entities were trustees fighting faculty, fighting students,\u201d Weber, former president of the National Council for Black Studies, said during public comment Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questions about the content and mission of ethnic studies courses \u2014 which have also been raised in the discussion over whether to mandate a requirement at the K-12 level<\/a> \u2014 go back half a century, when students and faculty at San Francisco State went on strike to create the first-ever ethnic studies department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe CSU is really proud of its heritage as the birthplace of ethnic studies,\u201d said Loren Blanchard, executive vice chancellor for academic and student affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blanchard said the new requirement \u201celevates\u201d the study of the four racial and ethnic groups that traditionally comprise ethnic studies to the same level as the natural and life sciences, the arts and humanities. It also \u201cmakes room for the voices and experiences of other oppressed and marginalized groups,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The requirement, for instance, could also be met with classes in Jewish or Muslim studies, LGBTQ studies or social justice, including courses on social change and social movements in the U.S., historical and cultural perspectives in disability studies, and health disparities in urban communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the system to stand up and say we\u2019re going to make three units be ethnic studies and social justice is important,\u201d said Alison Wrynn, associate vice chancellor for academic programs, innovations and faculty development, in an interview prior to the meeting. \u201cOur students see themselves with multiple identities. \u2026 Our requirement is going to give them that opportunity to really see themselves in the curriculum.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But trustee Silas Abrego objected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s be clear,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is not a requirement for ethnic studies. A student could meet this requirement without ever having to take an ethnic studies course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The California Faculty Assn. has formally opposed the chancellor\u2019s proposal and endorsed Weber\u2019s bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCFA is severely disappointed in today\u2019s decision,\u201d President Charles Toombs, a professor of Africana studies at San Diego State said in a statement after the vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toombs said the chancellor\u2019s proposal did not reflect adequate consultation with ethnic studies faculty in particular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the overwhelming number of ethnic studies faculty are people of color, the lack of inclusion of their expert voices is a potent and real example of how systemic racism works in the CSU,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simon, an advocate for civil rights and racial justice, said she had received emails and phone calls from ethnic studies leaders around the country who expressed dissatisfaction with the proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is not in my conscience at at this moment to support this,\u201d she said. \u201cThat pains me [because] I understand the work put in \u2026 I understand the 50-plus year quest for ethnic studies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The systemwide Cal State Academic Senate opposes Weber\u2019s bill, arguing that state legislators are improperly interfering in matters of higher education curriculum, setting a dangerous precedent. Some Cal State officials cited those faculty concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we were in a different state, we would be scared out of our wits by the idea that the Legislature would be telling us what we should be teaching,\u201d trustee Rebecca Eisen said. \u201cThis is our responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Board Chair Lillian Kimbell agreed. \u201cIf we don\u2019t vote to approve this proposal, essentially what we are doing is ceding to the Legislature their right to create policy on what we teach,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is a protest against that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nina Agrawal<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nina Agrawal is a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times. She previously reported for WLRN-Miami Herald News and for the Latin American affairs magazine Americas Quarterly. A Southern California native, Agrawal is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University\u2019s Graduate School of Journalism and School of International and Public Affairs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By NINA AGRAWAL STAFF WRITER JULY 22, 2020 (LATimes.com) In the first major change to general education across its system in decades, all 430,000 undergraduates attending Cal State universities must take an ethnic studies or social justice course, a requirement approved by CSU trustees Wednesday following a fierce two-day debate that left some… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15384"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15384"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15385,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15384\/revisions\/15385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}