Gain new perspective with Graceland’s Race and Ethnic Studies Minor.
A Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Minor is a genuinely interdisciplinary field at its origins and in practice, as well as an internationally recognized academic field. In this program, students will explore race and ethnicity in various social, political, and historical contexts. Using race and ethnicity studies as a framework, students enrolled at Graceland will use their new knowledge to look critically at cultures of power and domination and understand struggles within certain marginalized communities.
Generation Z, currently replacing millennials on college campuses, is not only the most racially and ethnically diverse peer generation in America’s history, but this generation has also expressed a deep interest in the social questions of racism, racial divides, and the promise of inclusion and diversity. At its core, this area of study is about people and about getting to know and working with people of different backgrounds and cultures. Graceland’s minor in critical race and ethnic studies will include 18 semester hours of courses that include Race and Ethnicity in the United States, Intercultural Communication and Critical Theory, as well as elective courses in the areas of culture, theory, and history.
The critical race and ethnic studies minor includes courses of study that will give students a foundational theoretical grounding on a wide range of topics. Students will find themselves in a multidisciplinary environment that will prepare them for careers across several industries. What they’ll learn through this minor will support careers in everything from law to the arts.
The interdisciplinary minor in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies requires 18 s.h.:
Core Requirements 9 s.h.
3 s.h. of electives from each of the following lists (9 s.h. total)
Culture:
Theory:
History:
An examination of concepts that have application to communication across cultural boundaries, with emphasis on relating them to effective intercultural communication skGE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities. ELO4 Global Learning - World Citizenship, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace, GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities. +This course is only offered every other year.
An examination of the various landmark theories, such as rhetorical, Marxist, and feminist to analyze popular culture, with an emphasis on the importance of communication in the production and consumption of culture. Students will study the development of culture by applying different theories or 'lenses' to cultural artifacts including music, movies, advertisements, clothing, etc. GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities +This course is only offered every other year.
Analysis of various societal subgroups and how such groups recognize and deal with dehumanizing biases. Students learn to relate effectively to various groups to foster understanding and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion. Emphasis on self-awareness in human relations issues and how this awareness can be translated into positive relationships. Introduction to ethnographic analysis and pedagogical, curricular, and social considerations involved in working with and educating various societal subgroups. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace, GE3E Liberal Learning-Social Sciences
A survey of multi-ethnic U.S. literature, including African American literature, Latino/a literature, Asian American literature, Native American literature, and American Jewish literature. As a complement to literary texts, students will also examine a range of introductory theoretical texts in the interdisciplinary field of ethnic studies. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. ++ This course is on a four-year cycle.
Advanced study of literary, cultural, and moving image theory, and the application to written and filmic texts. +This course is only offered every other year.
An investigation of the role of literature as a vehicle for social change. With a focus on the literatures of emancipatory social movements, this global survey course includes a range of modern authors who merged the personal with the political. Students examine how literature and narrative forms of storytelling function as a means of engaging ethical and social concerns, and eliciting emotions in readers-from rage and defiance to observation and understanding-that might serve to promote social justice. ELO5 Humanities - Peace, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace +This course is only offered every other year.
Explores cultural systems of meaning and attendant issues of power, particularly in terms of class, gender, nation, race, nature, and sexuality. Emphasis on commercial and media culture. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. +This course is only offered every other year.
A history of the people of African descent in the Americas, including the United States, as well as the Caribbean, Central and South America. Issues of survival and resistance, the persistence of racism and white supremacy, and struggles for freedom, across countries and time periods, will be stressed. ELO5 Histories - Equality, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace, GE3B Liberal Learning-Histories.
A history of the peoples of the Americas, from their arrival in the western hemisphere through the 19th century. Topics to be addressed include Native American societies and states, the encounter with Europe, the long colonial period, and struggles for political and economic independence. ELO5 Histories - World Citizenship, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace
A history of the peoples of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, from the 19th century to the present. Topics to be addressed include struggles for political and economic independence, social movements, and the influence of North American and other outside powers. ELO5 Histories - World Citizenship, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace
A study of the history of the creation and evolving interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, with emphasis on important issues decided by the Supreme Court. ELO5 Histories - Equality, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace. +This course is only offered every other year.
Introduces the field of peace studies with a survey of the historical and philosophical bases for peacemaking, patterns of conflict resolution, nonviolence, history of peace movements, world order models, alternative futures, positive peace, and career options. ELO5 Histories - Peace, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace
An examination of different conceptions of ethical social relationships and ethical behavior. Considers varying accounts of theories of value and right action with critical analysis of systemic and social influences on individual and collective interactions. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace.
Examines immigration in an interdisciplinary way, focusing on how politics affects, obscures or exacerbates inequalities of power, wealth and safety among immigrant populations worldwide. Explores motives for migration across or within states, the means by which people migrate, and the reception immigrants receive in their destination countries. ELO4 Global Learning - Equality, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace
The study of how people think, feel, and behave in social situations. Attention given to research and application to social perception, interaction, and influence. Prerequisite: PSYC1300 or SOCI1300.
Study of psychological theories and empirical findings relating to variations in cultures. Prerequisite: PSYC1300. ELO4 Global Learning - World Citizenship, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace.
Christian theology is a centuries-long conversation about the meaning of Jesus’ life and message. As theologians have interpreted their faith, they have often pondered questions of justice and peace. How can the nonviolent message of Jesus challenge cultures of oppression? Can war ever be ‘just’? What insights might theological traditions offer to help critique forces that perennialize poverty? What ethical resources can Christian traditions apply to environmental degradation or the search for gender justice? This course explores such questions by focusing them through the thought of key theologians from across the centuries: e.g., Augustine of Hippo, Julian of Norwich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Letty Russell. We explore how these thinkers’ questions and proposals remain ethically meaningful in the contemporary World. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Peace, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace.
Examines the basic sociological concepts and theories of race and ethnicity. Particular focus will be given to the social construction of race, as well as the causes and consequences of racism, immigration, education and residential segregation, environmental inequality, and social justice movements.
Examines the origins, nature, and processes of social change movements. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 Introduction to Sociology or PEAC2200 Introduction to Peace Studies and sophomore standing.
Examines the intersection of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and other minority statuses and the relationships to personal identity and social structure. Helps to develop an awareness and understanding of diverse values, life-styles, beliefs, and attitudes of various racial, cultural, and ethnic minorities. Focuses on the social, legal, economic, and political aspects of prejudice and discrimination on socially disadvantaged groups. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 (with grade of C or better) and senior standing.
Explores contemporary literature, visual culture, and digital media in translation produced in the Hispanic Caribbean (Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic). Through the examination of literary, digital, and visual materials, including narrative prose, paintings, murals, films, and performances, students will be exposed to multiple interpretations (new and traditional) of concepts such as citizenship and gender, sexual, and racial identities in the Hispanic Caribbean and its diasporas, particularly in the United States. Taught in English. ELO4 Global Learning – Equality, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace
An examination of concepts that have application to communication across cultural boundaries, with emphasis on relating them to effective intercultural communication skGE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities. ELO4 Global Learning - World Citizenship, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace, GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities. +This course is only offered every other year.
An examination of the various landmark theories, such as rhetorical, Marxist, and feminist to analyze popular culture, with an emphasis on the importance of communication in the production and consumption of culture. Students will study the development of culture by applying different theories or 'lenses' to cultural artifacts including music, movies, advertisements, clothing, etc. GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities +This course is only offered every other year.
Analysis of various societal subgroups and how such groups recognize and deal with dehumanizing biases. Students learn to relate effectively to various groups to foster understanding and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion. Emphasis on self-awareness in human relations issues and how this awareness can be translated into positive relationships. Introduction to ethnographic analysis and pedagogical, curricular, and social considerations involved in working with and educating various societal subgroups. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace, GE3E Liberal Learning-Social Sciences
A survey of multi-ethnic U.S. literature, including African American literature, Latino/a literature, Asian American literature, Native American literature, and American Jewish literature. As a complement to literary texts, students will also examine a range of introductory theoretical texts in the interdisciplinary field of ethnic studies. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. ++ This course is on a four-year cycle.
Advanced study of literary, cultural, and moving image theory, and the application to written and filmic texts. +This course is only offered every other year.
An investigation of the role of literature as a vehicle for social change. With a focus on the literatures of emancipatory social movements, this global survey course includes a range of modern authors who merged the personal with the political. Students examine how literature and narrative forms of storytelling function as a means of engaging ethical and social concerns, and eliciting emotions in readers-from rage and defiance to observation and understanding-that might serve to promote social justice. ELO5 Humanities - Peace, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace +This course is only offered every other year.
Explores cultural systems of meaning and attendant issues of power, particularly in terms of class, gender, nation, race, nature, and sexuality. Emphasis on commercial and media culture. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. +This course is only offered every other year.
A history of the people of African descent in the Americas, including the United States, as well as the Caribbean, Central and South America. Issues of survival and resistance, the persistence of racism and white supremacy, and struggles for freedom, across countries and time periods, will be stressed. ELO5 Histories - Equality, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace, GE3B Liberal Learning-Histories.
A history of the peoples of the Americas, from their arrival in the western hemisphere through the 19th century. Topics to be addressed include Native American societies and states, the encounter with Europe, the long colonial period, and struggles for political and economic independence. ELO5 Histories - World Citizenship, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace
A history of the peoples of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, from the 19th century to the present. Topics to be addressed include struggles for political and economic independence, social movements, and the influence of North American and other outside powers. ELO5 Histories - World Citizenship, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace
A study of the history of the creation and evolving interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, with emphasis on important issues decided by the Supreme Court. ELO5 Histories - Equality, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace. +This course is only offered every other year.
Introduces the field of peace studies with a survey of the historical and philosophical bases for peacemaking, patterns of conflict resolution, nonviolence, history of peace movements, world order models, alternative futures, positive peace, and career options. ELO5 Histories - Peace, ELO5 Histories - Equality and Peace
An examination of different conceptions of ethical social relationships and ethical behavior. Considers varying accounts of theories of value and right action with critical analysis of systemic and social influences on individual and collective interactions. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace.
Examines immigration in an interdisciplinary way, focusing on how politics affects, obscures or exacerbates inequalities of power, wealth and safety among immigrant populations worldwide. Explores motives for migration across or within states, the means by which people migrate, and the reception immigrants receive in their destination countries. ELO4 Global Learning - Equality, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace
The study of how people think, feel, and behave in social situations. Attention given to research and application to social perception, interaction, and influence. Prerequisite: PSYC1300 or SOCI1300.
Study of psychological theories and empirical findings relating to variations in cultures. Prerequisite: PSYC1300. ELO4 Global Learning - World Citizenship, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace.
Christian theology is a centuries-long conversation about the meaning of Jesus’ life and message. As theologians have interpreted their faith, they have often pondered questions of justice and peace. How can the nonviolent message of Jesus challenge cultures of oppression? Can war ever be ‘just’? What insights might theological traditions offer to help critique forces that perennialize poverty? What ethical resources can Christian traditions apply to environmental degradation or the search for gender justice? This course explores such questions by focusing them through the thought of key theologians from across the centuries: e.g., Augustine of Hippo, Julian of Norwich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Letty Russell. We explore how these thinkers’ questions and proposals remain ethically meaningful in the contemporary World. ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Peace, ELO3 Ethical Thinking and Action - Equality and Peace.
Examines the basic sociological concepts and theories of race and ethnicity. Particular focus will be given to the social construction of race, as well as the causes and consequences of racism, immigration, education and residential segregation, environmental inequality, and social justice movements.
Examines the origins, nature, and processes of social change movements. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 Introduction to Sociology or PEAC2200 Introduction to Peace Studies and sophomore standing.
Examines the intersection of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and other minority statuses and the relationships to personal identity and social structure. Helps to develop an awareness and understanding of diverse values, life-styles, beliefs, and attitudes of various racial, cultural, and ethnic minorities. Focuses on the social, legal, economic, and political aspects of prejudice and discrimination on socially disadvantaged groups. Prerequisite: SOCI1300 (with grade of C or better) and senior standing.
Explores contemporary literature, visual culture, and digital media in translation produced in the Hispanic Caribbean (Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic). Through the examination of literary, digital, and visual materials, including narrative prose, paintings, murals, films, and performances, students will be exposed to multiple interpretations (new and traditional) of concepts such as citizenship and gender, sexual, and racial identities in the Hispanic Caribbean and its diasporas, particularly in the United States. Taught in English. ELO4 Global Learning – Equality, ELO4 Global Learning - Equality and Peace
Our outstanding faculty will guide students in exploring race in society and teach them how to take their learnings into the world beyond graduation.
At its basics, a Critical Race and Ethnic Studies minor will prepare students to enter the workforce as well-informed citizens with different perspectives, an open mind, and a heart for justice. There are careers where this minor is extremely relevant, but for almost any career, a minor in ethnic studies is applicable and a huge asset when employers are looking to hire. A critical race and ethnic studies minor from Graceland University can help to prepare you for these careers:
…and other exciting areas.
Some consider Ethnic Studies the heart of liberal arts education. People come to our college campus from many different backgrounds and places and like any aspect of society, our students must learn how to be loving, supportive, and understanding members of society. The Critical Race and Ethnics Studies minor encourages students to have greater understanding, to promote social justice, and to confront poor societal narratives.
Students will learn how to interact and engage with an increasingly diverse population, something that will be invaluable to any employer in a student’s future.
Some other benefits of race studies:
99% of students on the Lamoni campus receive financial aid.
As you consider college, you want a simple, easy-to-understand formula designed to ensure that the one-of-a-kind Graceland Experience is within reach for your family. Undergraduate tuition includes our unique Transformational Leadership major, and we offer generous financial aid and scholarships to all of our students, making Graceland as affordable, if not moreso, than most public universities.
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