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Ethnic, Cultural Minority, and Gender Studies is a degree category that consists of the following common degrees:
- Read more about Gender Studies
The field of gender studies explores what gender is and how it affects the way the world works. It was born out of an acknowledgement that we have for a long time viewed the world from several default perspectives: white, male, straight, and cisgender — relating to people whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds to their birth sex.
Students of gender studies approach and examine this disparity through the lenses of history, humanities, social sciences, theory, and global context. They come to understand and learn to apply gender theory from the perspectives of feminist theory, queer theory, and men and masculinity studies. In short, they develop appreciation of human diversity and awareness of intersectionality, the acknowledgement that multiple social categories — race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, and socioeconomic status — interact and intersect to influence lived experiences.
- Read more about Ethnic Studies
Ethnic studies explores ethnicity and race from the interrelated perspectives of history, politics, economics, religion, and social and cultural realities. The field considers and examines the experiences of underrepresented minorities in the United States. It questions the origin and continuity of racism within the general context of American society and institutions. And ultimately, it seeks to provide its students with a critical understanding of contemporary society and a catalyst for social change and social justice.
- Read more about Deaf Studies
The Deaf Studies curriculum is composed of courses in American Sign Language (ASL), Deaf culture, Deaf education, and Deaf history. Classes cover the linguistic structure, grammar, and vocabulary of ASL, as well as the sociocultural impacts related to being deaf or hard of hearing. Programs prepare students to work as sign language interpreters for the Deaf community in life and in the work world and introduce them to the field of ASL interpretation and translation.