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. The program is administered by the College of Letters and Science interdepartmental Comparative Ethnic Studies Advisory Committee.
Unique to UWM, our program offers courses covering the Hmong diaspora. Wisconsin is home to the third largest Hmong American population in the U.S., making UWM a great place to learn about this population.
The Undergraduate Certificate program in Comparative Ethnic Studies is also available for students seeking something closer to a minor. Certificates are similar to minors in terms of credit requirements but draw on coursework from multiple fields of study rather than from a single department.
Eligibility
The Certificate in Comparative Ethnic Studies is open to all students seeking a bachelor's degree from UWM, to students who previously have received a bachelor's degree from UWM or any other accredited college or university, and to those who do not plan to pursue a college or university degree (non-degree students) but who have a strong interest in this subject. To be admitted to the University as non-degree students, individuals must meet regular University admission requirements. Students who complete the certificate as part of their undergraduate work are awarded the certificate at the time of graduation. Students already possessing a bachelor's degree and non-degree students receive the certificate upon completion of the program requirements.
Requirements
To receive the certificate, the student must earn a minimum of 21 credits as stated below, at least 12 from UWM, with a grade point average of 2.750 or better. A minimum of 9 credits must be earned in upper-division (numbered 300 and above) courses. At least 18 credits must be taken in the Ethnic curricular area; the other 3 credits may be selected from the approved list of elective courses. Students may discuss their specific needs and programs of study with the program coordinator, Rachel Buff. Substitutions for credits in the Ethnic curricular area are subject to the approval of the Program Coordinator.
Students interested in the undergraduate certificate should register with the Comparative Ethnic Studies Program Coordinator by the beginning of their junior year, at the latest.
Courses for the certificate must include the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| ETHNIC 101 | The Multi-Racial Origins of American Cultures | 3 |
| ETHNIC 102 | Transnational Migrations: People on the Move | 3 |
| ETHNIC 550 | Senior Seminar in Comparative Ethnic Studies: | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select 12 credits from approved electives table below. | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 21 | |
Approved Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 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 210 | The African-American Novel | 3 |
| AFRIC 228 | Introduction to Black Political Economy | 3 |
| AFRIC 250 | Black Women and White Women in the Contemporary United States | 3 |
| AFRIC 261 | Survey of African-American Political Philosophy | 3 |
| AFRIC 265 | Psychological Effects of Racism | 3 |
| AFRIC 300 | Urban Violence | 3 |
| AFRIC 312 | The Church in African-American Life | 3 |
| AFRIC 314 | The School in African-American Life | 3 |
| AFRIC 319 | African American Urban History | 3 |
| AIS 105 | Anishinaabe Ethnobotany: Plants in Anishinaabe Culture | 3 |
| AFRIC 321 | Black Workers in the 21st Century | 3 |
| AFRIC 322 | Order and Disorder: The Quest for Social Justice | 3 |
| AFRIC 326 | Economic Problems of Black Business | 3 |
| AFRIC 341 | Black Politics and City Government | 3 |
| AFRIC 350 | The Black Family | 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 416 | Race and Social Justice in the United States | 3 |
| AFRIC 420 | The Political Economy of Slavery | 3 |
| AIS 106 | Anishinaabe Ethnobotany: Plants in Anishinaabe Philosophy | 3 |
| AIS 262 | North American Indian History to 1887 | 3 |
| AIS 263 | North American Indian History Since 1887 | 3 |
| AIS 276 | Introduction to American Indian Literature: | 3 |
| AIS 314 | American Indian Societies and Cultures | 3 |
| AIS 321 | Contemporary Issues of the American Indian | 3 |
| AIS 372 | Survey of American Indian Literature | 3 |
| AIS 473 | History of Wisconsin Indians | 3 |
| AIS 474 | Topics in North American Indian History: | 3 |
| AIS 520 | Studies in American Indian Literature: | 3 |
| ANTHRO 150 | Multicultural America | 3 |
| ANTHRO 213 | American Indian Peoples of Wisconsin | 3 |
| ANTHRO 314 | American Indian Societies and Cultures | 3 |
| ANTHRO 335 | American Indians of the Southeast | 3 |
| ANTHRO 565 | Seminar in Regional Archaeology: (Great Lakes Late Prehistory) | 3 |
| ANTHRO 641 | Seminar in Anthropology: (American Indian Material Culture) | 3 |
| ARABIC 164 | Arabs and Islam in America | 3 |
| ARTHIST 355 | American Folk Art | 3 |
| ECON 248 | Economics of Discrimination | 3 |
| ED POL 561 | Education Issues in American Indian Communities | 3 |
| ED POL 579 | Current Topics in Cultural Foundations of Education: (Anti-Racist Education) | 1-6 |
| ED POL 621 | History of Native Education and Policy Development | 3 |
| ED POL 625 | Race Relations in Education | 3 |
| ENGLISH 150 | Multicultural America | 3 |
| ENGLISH 276 | Introduction to American Indian Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 277 | Introduction to Ethnic Minority Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 280 | Introduction to Asian-American Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 281 | Introduction to African-American 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 520 | Studies in American Indian Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 523 | Studies in U.S. Latino/a Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 524 | Studies in Asian-American Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 624 | Seminar in Modern Literature: (After Beckett - Contemporary Anglo-American Drama) | 3 |
| ENGLISH 631 | Seminar in African-American Literature: | 3 |
| ENGLISH 632 | Seminar in American Indian Literature: | 3 |
| FILM 150 | Multicultural America | 3 |
| GEOG 114 | Geography of Race in the United States | 3 |
| GERMAN 341 | Undergrad Seminar in German-Amer Studies: Germans in Wisconsin & Milwaukee | 3 |
| HIST 150 | Multicultural America | 3 |
| HIST 229 | History of Race, Science, and Medicine in the United States | 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 269 | Asian Americans in Historical Perspective | 3 |
| HIST 404 | Topics in American History: | 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 473 | History of Wisconsin Indians | 3 |
| HIST 474 | Topics in North American Indian History: | 3 |
| HMONG 265 | Hmong Americans: History, Culture, and Contemporary Life | 3 |
| ITALIAN 242 | Topics in Italian American Studies: | 3 |
| ITALIAN 243 | Topics in Italian American Film: | 3 |
| JEWISH 101 | Jewish Culture in America: History, Literature, Film | 3 |
| JAMS 450 | Race and Ethnicity in the Media | 3 |
| LATINX 101 | Introduction to Latino Studies | 3 |
| PHILOS 271 | Philosophical Traditions: (Western Great Lakes American Indian Philosophy) | 3 |
| POL SCI 215 | Ethnicity, Religion and Race in American Politics | 3 |
| SOCIOL 224 | Race and Ethnicity in the United States | 3 |
| SOCIOL 321 | Contemporary Issues of the American Indian | 3 |
| SOCIOL 323 | Perspectives on Latino Communities | 3 |
| URB STD 360 | Perspectives on the Urban Scene: (The History of Milwaukee's Ethnic and Racial Communities) | 3 |
| WGS 150 | Multicultural America | 3 |
Comparative Ethnic Studies Certificate 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.