The department of Ethnic Studies offers an interdisciplinary curriculum designed to foster an understanding of the histories and cultures of racial and ethnic groups in their local, national, and global contexts. The program emphasizes studies of race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, and the historical processes of slavery, colonial conquest, immigration, and globalization, among other subject areas.

Upon completion of the baccalaureate degree, students in ethnic studies are expected to: Comprehend how racial and ethnic identities are constructed, negotiated, or contested over time, cultures, and geographical space; Employ diverse analytical resources, case studies, and comparative modes of study as critical cognitive tools to address issues of difference; Articulate general principles that shape ethnic relations and their intersections with gender, sexuality, and class in structural contexts of power;