Crossing Borders, Making Connections: The Humanities and Ethnic Studies

FAIN: AC-234498-16

CSU, Bakersfiled (Bakersfield, CA 93311-1022)
Mark Dustin Knepp (Project Director: June 2015 to December 2015)
Liora Gubkin (Project Director: December 2015 to November 2017)
Mark Dustin Knepp (Co Project Director: December 2015 to November 2017)

An eighteen-month collaborative project for faculty to develop an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies.

During this project, faculty from six different disciplines in the humanities and three disciplines in the social sciences will develop interdisciplinary expertise in Ethnic Studies in order to offer an interdisciplinary BA in Ethnic Studies. Participants will meet monthly and co-lead discussions of assigned readings that address ethnicity from various perspectives. Participants will work with two expert visiting scholars and two community organizers to expand knowledge of underrepresented and hidden minorities in the Central Valley. Local organizers will facilitate meetings between faculty and minority community leaders in order to develop applied learning opportunities for students and assess potential partnerships between community and university. Public events include a panel discussion “Ethnic Diversity in the Valley” and two major multicultural learning events: a Tamalada and a Basques in California exhibit.