Ethnic Studies Critical Thinking Courses & Reverse Achievement: Qualitative Report

1. Ethnic Studies Critical Thinking Courses & Reverse Achievement: Qualitative Report Teresa Williams-Leon Asian American Studies Department College of Humanities

2. GuidingQuestions • Why did students take ”critical thinking classes” in ethnic studies instead of other “traditional” disciplines? • How did taking ethnic studies courses help in student academic performances in other non-ethnic studies courses? • What benefits have students (underrepresented and better-served) found in taking ethnic studies courses. –personally, psychologically, socially, academically? • What connections are students able to make from taking ethnic studies courses to their sense of being a college student and belonging as a member of society? • How has the “Race, Racism & Critical Thinking” courses provided tools for students to understand their lives in the larger context of the world and problem-solve, make changes? • What does academic success look like to students? What would be a manifestation of “academic success” for students? • How has “Race, Racism and Critical thinking” courses in ethnic studies helped to shape what “academic success” means to students? Have students’ definitions shifted at all? If so, how? If not, why?

3. Dr. EunaiShrake looked at the academic years 2015-27 and found that there are a number of courses offered within the College of Humanities at CSUN in which Latina/o and African American students (who fall under the categorization of “underrepresented minority groups” ) have achieved higher than majority of “better served” students (i.e. white and Asian American students. Her focus was on the quantitative data. This DC project provides a qualitative companion to the above findings. It examined Critical Thinking classes in AAS (201) and in CHS (202) Fall 2018: Spring 2019 AAS (11 sections) AAS (10 sections) CHS (9 sections) CHS (12 sections) *11 separate syllabi of the total 22 sections offered in spring 2019 examined. *4 class visitations and observations were made to four different sections. *10 students interviewed: 5 students were “underrepresented minority groups members,” 3 were AAPIs (university identifies as “better served”) & 2 were students who would fit the category of “white” and “better served.” *Instructors in these classes were consulted (focus was on students) Overview of Data

4. Findings Naming One’s Intersectional Identity: Visibility, Voice • When one’s families, images, stories, names, and experiences (beyond “race” but including “race”) are reflected in the curricular content of the class, it served to boost self esteem, promoted a sense of worthiness, and helped make the class materials relevant to students’ well being. “Being visible” in terms of the multiple identities of students (e.g. race, ethnicity, gender, class and sexual orientation) in a field that places “race” at the center of study, gave a legitimacy to their existence on campus (in higher education). This often led to students saying, “ethnic studies is easy.” “Easy” meant, the possibility of achieving higher grades (A’s and B’s) “with ease.” And furthermore, the “effort” placed in the coursework had positive outcomes for the students. Acknowledging of Group Oppression and Marginalization of Self: •  For students who felt feelings of “unworthiness” especially as first generation students or racially or linguistically marginalized students in higher education, taking critical thinking courses that focused on “race” and “racism” gave them deeper understanding to place their lives in a larger structural context. Using Analytical Tools to Deconstruct: • Once an understanding of one’s self and one’s group identity in the larger context have been put forth, students felt that breaking down and deconstructing what they had been taught (e.g. dominant narratives) prior to taking ethnic studies (in particular the “Race, Racism Critical Thinking” course and learning about “multiple ways to understand social phenomena” or “historical events,” gave them a richer multi-faceted foundation. Becoming Agents of Social Change: • The exploration of interpersonal, sociohistorical, and structural combinations of race and racism in the curriculum gave students tools to understand their lives in a broader context and gave them problem-solving tools. What once seemed hopeless and futile when it came to their families’ lives had become opportunities to participate in bringing about change (positive change in their lives). It gave them agency.

5. Concluding Thoughts • The correlation between knowing, seeing and understanding oneself in relation to others, in relation to history and current social realities to academic success is demonstrable in qualitative & quantitative data. • Connecting ourselves to what we learn, what we know, and what we achieve goes beyond the specificity of aspects of students’ identities and positively impacts “the underrepresented” and “the better served.” • Larger scale qualitative data collection of both “underrepresented minority students” and “better served” students and their experiences in ethnic studies classes beyond the exploratory scope of this project is recommended. • In an exponentially growing & diversifying society that so often feeds off of polarized views of “race” and “difference,” without understanding “power” and “access to resources” this is all the more reason to have all students gain the benefits of ethnic and area studies courses.