Academics

Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies Major

The Bachelors of Arts major in Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies requires 30 semester hours of CRES-prefixed and CRES-approved courses passed with a grade of “C-” or better and a maximum of 12 hours below the 30000 level. A minor in any field is required. Courses counted for the CRES major may not be counted for any other major or minor (except for the Associated Requirements, which may be double-counted for multiple programs of study).

Requirements

Core Courses (6 hours)

CRES 20003: Gateway Seminar in Critical Race Theory, 3 hours

CRES 40003: CRES Capstone Seminar, 3 hours

Recommended Core Course

CRES 10103: Engaging Difference and Diversity in America, 3 hours

Electives (24 hours)

The eight required courses must meet the following criteria:

1. Students must take at least five courses in CRES or in its associated disciplines which have at least 50% of their content related to race/ethnicity.
2. Students must take at least one course that considers the larger context surrounding race and ethnicity, including intersections with class, gender, or sexuality and/or larger systems of power or contestation surrounding race and ethnicity. The approved courses have at least 25% of their content related to race/ethnicity.
3. Students must take at least one course of the eight courses that focus on race and ethnicity outside the U.S.
4. Students must take at least six upper division courses in CRES or in its associated disciplines.
5. No more than five of the eight courses can focus on a particular race or ethnic group.
6. No more than five of the eight courses can be in any single discipline.

Note: If students take CRES 10103, it can count as one of their eight elective classes.

For more information on CRES and the Current List of Courses, see: Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies

Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies Minor

The minor in Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies requires 18 semester hours of CRES-prefixed and CRES-approved courses passed with a grade of “C-” or better and a maximum of 9 hours below the 30000 level. Courses counted for the CRES minor may not be counted for any other major or minor.

Requirements

Recommended Core Course

CRES 10103: Engaging Difference and Diversity in America, 3 hours

Core Courses (3 hours)

CRES 20003: Gateway Seminar in Critical Race Theory, 3 hours

Electives (15 hours)

The five required courses must meet the following criteria:

1. Students must take at least three upper division courses in CRES or in its associated disciplines from any of the program’s course subcategories.
2. No more than three of the five courses can focus on a particular race or ethnic group.
3. No more than three of the five courses can be in any single discipline.

Note: If students take CRES 10103, it can count as one of their five elective classes.

Students may also take CRES 30003 Interdisciplinary Inquiry and/or CRES 40003 Capstone Seminar to fulfill the elective requirement.

For more information on CRES and the Current List of Courses, see: Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies

Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies Emphasis

The emphasis in Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies requires 15 semester hours of CRES-prefixed and CRES-approved courses passed with a grade of “C-” or better and a maximum of 9 hours below the 30000 level. Courses counted for the CRES emphasis may be counted for other majors or minors.

Requirements

Recommended Core Course

CRES 10103: Engaging Difference and Diversity in America, 3 hours

Core Courses (3 hours)

CRES 20003: Gateway Seminar in Critical Race Theory, 3 hours

Electives (12 hours)

The five required courses must meet the following criteria:

1. Students must take at least two upper division courses in CRES or in its associated disciplines from any of the program’s course subcategories.
2. No more than two of the four courses can focus on a particular race or ethnic group.
3. No more than two of the four courses can be in any single discipline.

Note: If students take CRES 10103, it can count as one of their five elective classes.

For more information on CRES and the Current List of Courses, see: CRES Courses.

African American and Africana Studies is a critical and scholarly engagement of African American and African Diasporic Life. The interdisciplinary discourse focuses on critical race theory, ethics, politics, religion, medicine, gender, history, language and literature. Students seeking the minor must complete 18 hours.

Requirements

• To include 6 hours chosen from:

AAAS 10103 Engaging Difference and Diversity in America
AAAS 10203 Introduction to African American Studies
ENGL 20593 Introduction to Literatures of the Global African Diaspora

Select the remaining 12 hours from courses that carry the AAAS attribute from at least three different departments.

Additional Requirements:

• No more than nine (9) hours may be taken throughout the minor program in any one department
• At least nine (9) hours must be at the 30000 level or above
• Courses may not count for both major and minor requirements. For example, if a student seeks an African American and Africana Studies minor and a religion major, RELI 30343 (Black Religion in the U.S.) could count toward the requirements for the minor or the major, but not both.

For more information on AAAS and the Current List of Courses, see: African-American and Africana Studies.

African American and Africana Studies is a critical and scholarly engagement of African American and African Diasporic Life. The interdisciplinary discourse focuses on critical race theory, ethics, politics, religion, medicine, gender, history, language and literature.

Students seeking the emphasis must complete 15 hours.

Requirements

To include 6 hours chosen from:

AAAS 10103 Engaging Difference and Diversity in America

AAAS 10203 Introduction to African American Studies

ENGL 20593 Introduction to Literatures of the Global African Diaspora

HIST 30833 The Civil Rights Movement in America

POSC 31523: The Civil Rights Movement in America

RELI 10043: Understanding Religion: Society and Culture

Select the remaining 9 hours from courses that carry the AAAS attribute from at least three different departments.

Emphasis students may count AAAS approved courses towards the emphasis as well as another major or minor. They also may concentrate their AAAS electives in a single department.

Emphasis students in a program requiring a minor must complete a minor in another disciplinary field.

For more information on AAAS and the Current List of Courses, see: African-American and Africana Studies.

Latinx studies is available as a minor on both the BA and BS degrees. Latinx studies is an interdisciplinary program that critically examines cultural, political, historical, religious and social conditions of Latinx communities in the United States, providing students a larger awareness of diversity in the U.S. society.

Requirements

The Latinx Studies minor requires 18 hours to include Introduction to Latinx Studies. The remaining 15 hours are to be chosen from at least three different departments.

For more information on LTNO and the Current List of Courses, see Latinx Studies.

CRES Graduate Certificate

Required Core Courses: 10 hours

• CRES 60003 Graduate Introduction to Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies: 3 hours. (See attached syllabus for the course)

• CRES 70001 Portfolio: 1 hour (See below for more details and attached syllabus for the course)
• Elective Course (Either CRES prefix or CRES approved): 3 hours (See below for more details)
• Elective Course (Either CRES prefix or CRES approved): 3 hours

CRES Graduate Certificate Portfolio CRES 70001 (1hour):  

To earn a Graduate Certificate in CRES, students must complete the following and demonstrate the appropriate competencies when applicable:

• Present at an academic conference that engages with issues, areas of study, or research that align with the work outlined in the students CRES Graduate Certificate coursework.
• Demonstrate an application of knowledge gained in the Graduate Certificate coursework either through scholarship and/or community service.

• Develop (and when possible implement) a lesson plan that speaks to the various commitments of the CRES program.