Comparative Ethnic Studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines issues of social identity and power, in contemporary and historical contexts. The field centers on questions of race, gender, and sexuality. Students are free to select from a range of courses in the Ethnic Studies program, and to include coursework they do from around the university their academic programs.
Unique to UWM, our program offers courses covering the Hmong diaspora. Wisconsin is home to the third largest Hmong American population in the US, making UWM a great place to learn about this population.
The Committee Interdisciplinary Major with a focus in Comparative Ethnic Studies is also one of a handful of majors that requires an internship prior to graduation, thereby ensuring that students leave college with hands-on experience from the local community. The program is administered by the College of Letters and Science interdepartmental Comparative Ethnic Studies Advisory Committee.
A certificate in Comparative Ethnic Studies is also available for students seeking something closer to a minor.
Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BA Degree Requirements | 58-77 | |
| Major Requirements | 33 | |
| General Electives | 10-29 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
Course of Study – Bachelor of Arts Degree
Complete 120 credits including 75 credits in the College of Letters & Science and with 36 of the 75 credits in L&S upper-level (numbered above 300) courses.
The College requires that students must complete in residence at UWM at least 15 credits in upper-division (numbered 300 or above) courses in their major. The College also requires that students complete at least 30 credits overall in residence at UWM. For additional residency and transfer credit limitations, see L&S Undergraduate Policies and Regulations.
Students are also required to complete University-wide General Education Requirements and the specific L&S requirements listed below.
To complete a major, students must satisfy all the requirements of the major as stated in this catalog. Students who declare their majors within five years of entering the UW System as a degree candidate may satisfy the requirements outlined in any catalog issued since the time they entered. Credits used to satisfy the major also may be used to satisfy other degree requirements.
University General Education Requirements (GER)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Oral and Written Communication | ||
| Part A | ||
| Achieve a grade of C or better in the following course: | ||
| ENGLISH 102 | College Writing and Research (or equivalent) | |
| Part B | ||
| Course designated as OWC-B; may be completed through a major-specific course requirement | ||
| Quantitative Literacy | ||
| Part A | ||
| Earn at least 3 credits with a grade of C or higher in one of the following courses or an equivalent course, or achieve a placement code of at least 30 on the mathematics placement test (or other appropriate test, as determined by the Mathematical Sciences Department) | ||
| Mathematical Literacy for College Students II | ||
| Contemporary Applications of Mathematics | ||
| Introduction to College Algebra | ||
| Algebraic Literacy II | ||
| Introduction to Logic - Critical Reasoning 1 | ||
or PHILOS 111 | Introduction to Logic - Critical Reasoning | |
| College Algebra | ||
Or equivalent course | ||
| Part B | ||
| Course designated as QL-B; may be completed through a major-specific course requirement | ||
| Arts | ||
| Select 3 credits | 3 | |
| Humanities | ||
| Select 6 credits | 6 | |
| Social Sciences | ||
| Select 6 credits | 6 | |
| Natural Sciences | ||
| Select 6 credits (at least two courses including one lab) | 6 | |
| UWM Foreign Language Requirement | ||
| Complete Foreign Language Requirement through: | ||
Two years (high school) of a single foreign language | ||
Two semesters (college) of a single foreign language | ||
Or equivalent | ||
| UWM Cultural Diversity Requirement | ||
| One course from the Arts, Humanities, or Social Sciences must also satisfy UWM's Cultural Diversity requirement | ||
- 1
Math 111 and Philosophy 111 are jointly offered and count as repeats of one another. Students cannot receive credit for both courses.
College of Letters & Science Requirements
The degree requirements in the College of Letters and Science build on the University General Education Requirements to provide a broad base of knowledge as well as an array of skills cited by employers as critical to professional success: critical thinking, problem solving, oral and written communication, ability to work well with others, and adaptability to change.
For the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), you must complete the UWM General Education Requirements as well as these L&S requirements: the International requirement, the Breadth requirement, and the Research requirement. The International requirement develops your potential for cross-cultural understanding in a globalizing world. The Breadth requirement ensures that you take classes in a wide variety of subjects, across humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. The Research requirement calls for you to build your critical thinking and oral and written communication skills through conducting an independent research project, usually in your major.
For the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) you will also complete the Language other than English requirement, to further develop your understanding of cultures through language.
I. Total Credits and Upper-Division Courses Requirement
Students must complete 120 credits including 75 credits in the College of Letters & Science and with 36 of the 75 credits in L&S upper-level (numbered above 300) courses.
II. Language other than English Requirement
Students doing the BA must fulfill the language other than English requirement by either successfully completing the fourth semester of university work or equivalent in one language other than English, or by successfully completing the second semester of university work or equivalent in two languages other than English (including all world languages and American Sign Language).
Language courses (including American Sign Language) other than English taken in high school may be used to satisfy all or part of this requirement. One year of high school language equates to one semester of college work. Proficiency tests approved by the Languages faculty may be used to satisfy all or part of this requirement.
Completion of the L&S Language Requirement also satisfies the university-wide Language other than English GER, but not vice versa.
III. International Requirement
To meet the International Requirement, students must successfully complete some three course (minimum 9 credits) combination of
- language other than English (not including American Sign Language) at 3rd semester level or above, and/or
- non-language courses with L&S approved international content (see Courses Approved for the L&S International Requirement for course options).
IV. Breadth Requirement
In addition to completing the University General Education Requirements, L&S students must complete the Breadth requirement.
The L&S Breadth requirement calls for 6 credits each in L&S courses designated L&S Humanities, L&S Natural Sciences, and L&S Social Sciences breadth. One of the L&S Natural Science breadth courses must be a laboratory or fieldwork course. These courses must be beyond and in addition to courses in those areas used to satisfy General Education Requirements.
Please refer to the list of Courses Approved for the L&S Breadth Requirement.
V. The Major
The College of Letters and Science requires that students attain at least a 2.0 GPA in all credits in the major attempted at UWM. In addition, students must attain a 2.0 GPA on all major credits attempted, including any transfer work. Individual departments or programs may require higher GPAs for graduation. Some departmental majors require courses from other departments. Contact your major department for information on whether those credits will count as part of the major GPA. The College requires that students must complete in residence at UWM at least 15 credits in upper-division (numbered 300 or above) courses in their major.
Research Requirement
Within their majors, students must complete a research experience approved by the L&S faculty. A list of courses satisfying the research requirement in each major can be found here.
VI. The Minor
Students are encouraged to consider completing a minor, but it is not required. To complete a minor, the College of Letters and Science requires that students attain at least a 2.0 GPA in all credits in the minor attempted at UWM. In addition, students must attain a 2.0 GPA on all minor credits attempted, including any transfer work. The minor must contain at least 9 credits in upper-division (numbered 300 and above) courses.
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 321 | Contemporary Issues of the American Indian | 3 |
| SOCIOL 323 | Perspectives on Latino Communities | 3 |
| SOCIOL 324 | Race and Ethnicity in Global Contexts | 3 |
Committee Interdisciplinary Major: Comparative Ethnic Studies Learning Outcomes
Students graduating from the Comparative Ethnic Studies BA and certificate programs will be able to:
- Synthesize and apply interdisciplinary explanations for historical and contemporary conflicts based in race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality.
- Identify and assess different theoretical frameworks for explaining social change and relationships between actors, institutions, and ideas of identity.
- Interpret the complexities of social identity for public policy as well as cultural formations.
Letters & Science Advising
During your time at UWM, you may have multiple members of your success team, including advisors, peer mentors and success coaches. Letters & Science students typically work with at least two different types of advisors as they pursue their degrees: professional college advisors and faculty advisors. L&S college advisors advise across your entire degree program while departmental faculty advisors focus on the major.
College advisors are located in Holton Hall (or virtually for online students) and serve as your primary advisor. They are your point person for your questions about navigating college and completing your degree. College advisors will:
- Assist you in defining your academic and life goals.
- Help you create an educational plan that is consistent with those goals.
- Assist you in understanding curriculum, major and degree requirements for graduation, as well as university policies and procedures.
- Provide you with information about campus and community resources and refer you to those resources as appropriate.
- Monitor your progress toward graduation and completion of requirements.
Faculty advisors mentor students in the major and assist them in maximizing their development in the program. You will begin working with a faculty advisor when you declare your major. Faculty advisors are an important partner and will:
- Help you understand major requirements and course offerings in the department.
- Explain opportunities for internships and undergraduate research and guide you in obtaining those experiences.
- Serve as an excellent resource as you consider potential graduate programs and career paths in your field.
Students are encouraged to meet with both their college advisor and faculty advisor at least once each semester. Appointments are available in-person, by phone or by video.
Currently enrolled students should use the Navigate360 website to make an appointment with your assigned advisor or call (414) 229-4654 if you do not currently have an assigned Letters & Science advisor. Prospective students who haven't enrolled in classes yet should call (414) 229-7711 or email let-sci@uwm.edu.
College of Letters and Science Dean's Honor List
GPA of 3.750 or above, earned on a full-time student's GPA on 12 or more graded credits in a given semester.
Honors College Degree and Honors College Degree with Distinction
Granted to graduating seniors who complete Honors College requirements, as listed in the Honors College section of this site.
Commencement Honors
Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or above, based on a minimum of 40 graded UWM credits earned prior to the final semester, will receive all-university commencement honors and be awarded the traditional gold cord at the December or May Honors Convocation. Please note that for honors calculation, the GPA is not rounded and is truncated at the third decimal (e.g., 3.499).
Final Honors
Earned on a minimum of 60 graded UWM credits: Cum Laude - 3.500 or above; Magna Cum Laude - 3.650 or above; Summa Cum Laude - 3.800 or above.