Program: Chicano and Chicana Studies, B.A.
Environmental Justice in Chicana/o Communities Option
Program Description
The major in Chicano and Chicana Studies is a 33-unit program designed to give the student special preparation in the discipline of Chicana/o Studies with an emphasis in environmental justice through a combination of lower and upper division core requirements.
Students in Chicano and Chicana Studies, B.A.—Environmental Justice in Chicana/o Communities Option may not declare a double major/option within the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies.
Program Requirements
1. Lower Division Required Courses (9 units)
CHS 261 Race, Racism, and the Sciences (3)
CHS 262CS/LCS Student Leadership for Chicana/o Climate Resilience and Fieldwork (2/1)
CHS 270SOC/F Fieldwork in Barrio Studies (1/2)
2. Upper Division Required Courses (18 units)
CHS 331 Chicana/o Decolonizing Research Methods (3)
CHS 308D/DL Days of the Dead: Chicana/o Perspectives on Death, Spirituality and Art and Lab (2/1)
or CHS 409 Chicana/o Art Studio in Painting (3)
CHS 367 Public Policy in Chicana/o Communities (3)
CHS 448 Chicana/o Public History (3)
3. Upper Division Electives (6 units)
Select two courses from the following:
AAS 440 Urbanization and Asian American Communities (3)
AFRS 488 Sustainability and Environmental Justice in African and African Diaspora Communities (3)
AIS 304 American Indian Law and Policy (3)
CAS 355 Environment, Development and Social Exclusion in Central America (3)
CHS 347 Indigenous Intellectual History (3)
CHS 350 Religions and Spiritualities in Chicana/o Communities (3)
CHS 361 Urbanization and the Chicana/o (3)
CHS 362 Contemporary Indigenous Migrations and Diasporas (3)
GEOG 316 Environmental Geography (3)
GEOG 370 Water, Society, and the Environment (3)
GEOG 375 Environment, Economy, and Development (3)
GEOL 496ECS Geology and Environmental Justice (3)
RS 370 Religion and Environmental Justice (3)
SUST 300 Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Sustainability (3)
URBS 400 Planning for the Natural and Built Environment (3)
URBS 415 The California Environmental Quality Act for Urban Planners (3)
URBS 425 Social Policy, Environmental Justice and the City (3)
4. General Education (43 units)
Undergraduate students must complete 43 units of General Education as described in this Catalog, including 3 units of coursework meeting the Ethnic Studies (E.S.) requirement.
6 units are satisfied by the following courses in the major: CHS 261 satisfies 3 units of Area 4 Social and Behavioral Sciences and fulfills the Information Competence requirement; CHS 331 meets 3 units of Upper Division Area 4 Social and Behavioral Sciences. The Ethnic Studies (E.S.) requirement is met through coursework in the major.
5. Campus Requirements (6 units)
Undergraduate students must complete 6 units of Campus Requirements as described in this Catalog. CHS 270SOC/F meets the Lifelong Learning requirement.
Total Units in the Major: 33
General Education Units: 37
Campus Requirement Units: 3
Additional Units: 47
Total Units Required for the B.A. Degree: 120
Contact
Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies
Chair: Gabriel Gutierrez
Jerome Richfield Hall (JR) 148
(818) 677-2734
chicanostudies@csun.edu
Program Learning Outcomes
Students receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Chicano and Chicana Studies will be able to:
- Demonstrate an ability to think critically, analytically and creatively about the Chicana/o experience in the local and global society.
- Demonstrate competency in oral, written and research skills.
- Demonstrate an understanding of creative and performance arts.
- Acquire a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of Chicana/o history, culture, arts, language and sociopolitical issues.
- Acquire the leadership skills that will promote social change in Chicana/o communities and broader society.
Students receiving an option in Environmental Justice in Chicana/o Communities will be able to:
- Critically assess environmental and public policy and how it impacts Chicanx/Latinx communities.
- Apply Chicanx, Latinx, and/or Indigenous Hemispheric Traditional* Ecological Knowledge (TEK), community cultural wealth, and epistemologies to address climate change.
- Engage in the creation, deconstruction, and historical interpretation of narratives related to the material conditions of Chicana/o communities and public history.
- Develop as leaders who are able to collaborate with community members and organizations, as well as government agencies to promote climate resilience and a just transition in diverse communities.
- Be effective researchers able to design and implement environmentally related projects and/or creative activities that address social justice issues.
*Hemispheric traditional ecological knowledge comes from Mexico and other parts of Latin America.