Comparative Ethnic Studies is the study of social identity and power. In this program, students will explore the diverse racial and ethnic identities in contemporary society, and the ways that these identities shape national policy and popular culture.
Major Requirements
The Committee Interdisciplinary Major submajor in Comparative Ethnic Studies requires completion of at least 33 credits in approved Comparative Ethnic Studies and Comparative Ethnic-related courses. Students may count towards the major a maximum of 9 credits in a single curricular area outside of Comparative Ethnic Studies. A minimum of 18 credits must be completed in L&S courses, and at least 15 credits must be at the upper-division level (courses numbered 300 and above) taken in residence at UWM. Completion of the College’s research experience in the major is required. ETHNIC 550 or another suitable course approved by the coordinator satisfies this requirement. Students must attain at least a 2.0 GPA on all major credits attempted at UWM. In addition, the College requires that students earn a 2.0 GPA on all credits in the major, including transfer work.
The following are required:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Survey | ||
| ETHNIC 101 | The Multi-Racial Origins of American Cultures | 3 |
| ETHNIC 102 | Transnational Migrations: People on the Move | 3 |
| Comparative Methods | ||
| Select at least 3 credits from the following: 1 | 3 | |
| Queer Migrations | ||
| Advanced Topics in Comparative Ethnic Studies: (subtitle) | ||
*** 150 | Multicultural America 2 | |
| Track Electives | ||
| Select option A or B below | 18 | |
| Internship | ||
| ETHNIC 489 | Internship in Ethnic Studies, Upper Division | 3 |
| or HMONG 489 | Internship in Hmong Studies, Upper Division | |
| Capstone | ||
| ETHNIC 550 | Senior Seminar in Comparative Ethnic Studies: | 3 |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
- 1
Students may count a maximum of three courses from this group toward the major requirements.
- 2
Offered in the following curricular areas: Anthropology, Art, English, Film, History, Sociology, Urban Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies.
Track Electives
A. Hmong Studies
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ETHNIC/HMONG 265 | Hmong Americans: History, Culture, and Contemporary Life | 3 |
| ETHNIC 250 | Selected Topics in Ethnic Studies: | 3 |
| HIST 287 | The Vietnam War | 3 |
| Select nine additional credits in consultation with the Program Coordinator | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
B. Student-Created Focus
Students complete 18 credits selected in consultation with the coordinator from the list of approved courses.
Approved Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHRO 203 | Indigenous Religions | 3 |
| AFRIC 100 | Black Reality: Survey of African-American Society | 3 |
| AFRIC 102 | Survey of African-American Literature | 3 |
| AFRIC 111 | Introduction to African-American History to 1865 | 3 |
| AFRIC 112 | Introduction to African-American History, 1865 to the Present | 3 |
| AFRIC 125 | Economics of the Black Community | 3 |
| AFRIC 163 | Black Racial and Cultural Identity | 3 |
| AFRIC 205 | The Poetry of African, African-American, and Caribbean Writers | 3 |
| AFRIC 210 | The African-American Novel | 3 |
| AFRIC 215 | Introduction to Black Social and Cultural Traditions | 3 |
| AFRIC 235 | African Americans and South Africa | 3 |
| AFRIC 250 | Black Women and White Women in the Contemporary United States | 3 |
| AFRIC 261 | Survey of African-American Political Philosophy | 3 |
| AFRIC 300 | Urban Violence | 3 |
| AFRIC 314 | The School in African-American Life | 3 |
| AFRIC 319 | African American Urban History | 3 |
| AFRIC 320 | Black Cultures in Latin America and the Caribbean | 3 |
| AFRIC 322 | Order and Disorder: The Quest for Social Justice | 3 |
| AFRIC 334 | Survey of Black American and Black Brazilian Societies | 3 |
| AFRIC 341 | Black Politics and City Government | 3 |
| AFRIC 344 | Global Black Social Movements | 3 |
| AFRIC 350 | The Black Family | 3 |
| AFRIC 351 | Sexuality, Gender, and Health in Africa and the Diaspora | 3 |
| AFRIC 369 | Black Popular Culture and Digital Media | 3 |
| AFRIC 372 | African-American Literary Movements: The Harlem Renaissance | 3 |
| AFRIC 411 | Change in African-American Communities | 3 |
| AFRIC 412 | Blacks and the United States Constitution | 3 |
| AFRIC 414 | The Black Woman in America, Africa, and the Caribbean | 3 |
| AFRIC 416 | Race and Social Justice in the United States | 3 |
| AFRIC 417 | Race, Class and Gender in Southern Africa | 3 |
| AFRIC 418 | Race, Class, and Gender in Latin America and the Caribbean | 3 |
| AFRIC 420 | The Political Economy of Slavery | 3 |
| AFRIC 450 | Cultural Transmissions: Black Africa and Black America | 3 |
| AFRIC 451 | Rites of Passage in Black Societies | 3 |
| ANTHRO 213 | American Indian Peoples of Wisconsin | 3 |
| ANTHRO 225 | The Aztec Empire | 3 |
| ANTHRO 310 | Archaeology of Middle America | 3 |
| ANTHRO 311 | The World of the Ancient Maya | 3 |
| ANTHRO 314 | American Indian Societies and Cultures | 3 |
| ANTHRO 320 | Peoples and Cultures of Africa | 3 |
| ANTHRO 322 | Europe in Anthropological Perspective | 3 |
| ANTHRO 325 | Japanese Culture and Society | 3 |
| ANTHRO 326 | Peoples and Cultures of South Asia | 3 |
| ANTHRO 328 | Comparative Studies of Music, Race, and Gender in Nationalism | 3 |
| ANTHRO 335 | American Indians of the Southeast | 3 |
| ANTHRO 355 | Globalization, Culture, and Environment | 3 |
| ANTHRO 441 | Nature, Knowledge, and Technoscience in Anthropological Perspective | 3 |
| ANTHRO 442 | Humanitarianism in Global Perspective | 3 |
| ANTHRO 447 | The Global Politics of Human Rights | 3 |
| COMPLIT 365 | Literatures and Cultures of the Americas: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 209 | Language in the United States | 3 |
| ENGLISH 210 | Global Englishes | 3 |
| ENGLISH 276 | Introduction to American Indian Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 277 | Introduction to Ethnic Minority Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 278 | Introduction to World Literatures Written in English: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 279 | Introduction to U.S. Latino/a Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 280 | Introduction to Asian-American Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 281 | Introduction to African-American Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 285 | Modern Irish Language and Literature in Translation | 3 |
| ENGLISH 332 | LGBTQ+ Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 372 | Survey of American Indian Literature | 3 |
| ENGLISH 373 | Survey of Ethnic Minority Literature | 3 |
| ENGLISH 374 | Survey of U.S. Latino/a Literature | 3 |
| ENGLISH 375 | Survey of Asian American Literature | 3 |
| ENGLISH 376 | Survey of African-American Literature to 1930 | 3 |
| ENGLISH 377 | Survey of African-American Literature, 1930 to the Present | 3 |
| ENGLISH 463 | Writers in African-American Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 517 | Studies in African-American Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 518 | Studies in Irish Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 520 | Studies in American Indian Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 522 | Studies in World Literature Written in English: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 523 | Studies in U.S. Latino/a Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 524 | Studies in Asian-American Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 631 | Seminar in African-American Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 632 | Seminar in American Indian Literature: | 3 |
| GEOG 114 | Geography of Race in the United States | 3 |
| GEOG 309 | Nationalities and Nations of the World | 3 |
| GEOG 410 | Gendered Geographies | 3 |
| HIST 175 | East Asian Civilization to 1600 | 3 |
| HIST 176 | East Asian Civilization Since 1600 | 3 |
| HIST 180 | Latin American Society and Culture | 3 |
| HIST 210 | The Twentieth Century: A Global History | 3 |
| HIST 215 | History of Capitalism | 3 |
| HIST 229 | History of Race, Science, and Medicine in the United States | 3 |
| HIST 243 | History of Women in American Society | 3 |
| HIST 262 | North American Indian History to 1887 | 3 |
| HIST 263 | North American Indian History Since 1887 | 3 |
| HIST 267 | The History of Latinos in the United States | 3 |
| HIST 268 | History of the American West | 3 |
| HIST 269 | Asian Americans in Historical Perspective | 3 |
| HIST 271 | The 1960s in the United States: A Cultural History | 3 |
| HIST 287 | The Vietnam War | 3 |
| HIST 358 | The Jews of Modern Europe: History and Culture | 3 |
| HIST 363 | Germany: Hitler and the Nazi Dictatorship | 3 |
| HIST 364 | The Holocaust: Anti-Semitism & the Fate of Jewish People in Europe, 1933-45 | 3 |
| HIST 379 | Introduction to Jewish History | 3 |
| HIST 380 | Buddhism: A Cultural History | 3 |
| HIST 386 | Africans in World History: Communities, Cultures, and Ideas | 3 |
| HIST 387 | Modern Africa | 3 |
| HIST 392 | The History of Southern Africa | 3 |
| HIST 393 | History of Mexico | 3 |
| HIST 394 | History of Japan to 1600 | 3 |
| HIST 395 | History of Japan Since 1600 | 3 |
| HIST 435 | Ethnic America: To 1880 | 3 |
| HIST 436 | Immigrant America Since 1880 | 3 |
| HIST 445 | African Americans from Slavery to Freedom | 3 |
| HIST 446 | African Americans Since the Civil War | 3 |
| HIST 460 | The History of Poverty in America | 3 |
| HIST 463 | History of the American City | 3 |
| HIST 468 | The American Feminist Movement | 3 |
| HIST 473 | History of Wisconsin Indians | 3 |
| HIST 474 | Topics in North American Indian History: | 3 |
| JAMS 111 | Gender and the Media | 3 |
| LINGUIS 430 | Language and Society | 3 |
| LINGUIS 432 | Urban Dialects | 3 |
| POL SCI 215 | Ethnicity, Religion and Race in American Politics | 3 |
| PSYCH 578 | Psychology of Race, Ethnicity, and Health | 3 |
| SOCIOL 233 | Social Inequality in the United States | 3 |
| SOCIOL 235 | Social Change in the Global Economy | 3 |
| SOCIOL 323 | Perspectives on Latino Communities | 3 |
| SOCIOL 324 | Race and Ethnicity in Global Contexts | 3 |