California State University, Sacramento
Department of Ethnic Studies

ETHN 195 Fieldwork in Ethnic Studies Dr. Timothy P. Fong Fall 2009 Section 1 (TTH 4:30-5:45)

Office: 463 Amador Hall Hours: TTH, 1-3 p.m., W 10-12 p.m. or by special arrangement.  No drop ins! Call office to make an appointment. Phone: 278-6646 Fax: 278-5856 E-mail:Through SacCT Only!

Catalog Description:

Allows students, with faculty supervision, to work closely with ethnic minority community.  Students may work with a community agency, community organization, or other site with instructor approval.  Requires students to display knowledge, understanding, and application of research methods in problem solving.

Course Objectives:

This course is designed to be a capstone seminar that serves as a bridge between academic preparation and applied fieldwork activities.  Students at the end of this course will:

• Acquire first-hand knowledge from an active learning experience.
• Model the importance and meaning of service learning and community service.
• Understand the relationship of this mode of learning to the major.
• Assess Ethnic Studies Student Learning Objectives and apply theoretical and conceptual knowledge to real life situations.
• Generate first-hand knowledge regarding the ethnic group experience.
• Understand the socio-cultural responsibility to provide service to others.

Required Reading:

Johnnella Butler (ed.) Color-Line to Borderlands: The Matrix of American Ethnic Studies (University of Washington Press, 2001)

Readings on Reserve (R)

References:

Ethnic Studies Student Learning Objectives (SLOs)

Sac State Community Engagement Center

Service Learning for Students

California State University Community Engagement Center

Campus Compact (Campus Compact is a national coalition of more than 1,100 college and university presidents - representing some 6 million students - dedicated to promoting community service, civic engagement, and service-learning in higher education.)

Serve.gov (This is a Federal government site that makes it easy for you and all Americans not only to find ways to serve in your communities, but also to create and promote your own service projects.)

Barack Obama on Community Service on the Day Before Inauguration

Course Requirements:

Attendance: Since we only meet periodically, your attendance is vitally important for enhancing the quality of class discussion. 

Fieldwork:  Students are expected to spend a minimum of 30 hours at the fieldwork site during this semester.  Several sites and projects have already been arranged for you. You may choose your own site (with faculty approval) or the instructor will help you find another appropriate site. You will write Fieldwork Logs in which you record your activities and observations. Fieldwork logs may be submitted on-line through SacCT!

Students must complete a Service Learning Conduct Guidelines and Limitations Form, a Consent Form and an Emergency Contact and Information Form prior to beginning your service learning fieldwork.

Lastly, you are required to submit a Service Learning Time Log and a Fieldwork Site Supervisor Report Form at the end of the course.

Reflections Papers: You will be asked to write short reflection papers throughout the semester. These assignments serve to help assess your understanding of course readings, the Ethnic Studies SLOs, and your fieldwork experience. In addition these reflection papers serve as the basis for class discussions and as possible partial drafts of your Final Term Paper.

Final Term Paper: Students will compare and contrast Ethnic Studies course content with selected Ethnic Studies Content Mastery Student Learning Objectives. The paper will also analyse your experiences as an Ethnic Studies major with your own self-development. Click here for Final Term Paper Guidelines.

Portfolio:  This is a compilation of work from this course and other Ethnic Studies courses.  Your materials should be placed in a clean three ring binder. You will need labeled index dividers to clearly separate different sections of the portfolio.  Page 1 of your portfolio will be a cover page including your name, the semester, and the title "Portfolio for Ethnic Studies 195."  Your portfolio should also have a table of contents.  The work in the portfolio is to be typed and thoroughly edited. This is a professional presentation of your abilities and competencies. 

The portfolio is expected to look professional and reflect your understanding of Ethnic Studies Student Learning Objectives. In SacCT you will find the Ethnic Studies 195 General Portfolio Directions and Portfolio Rubric forms that clearly indicates what is expected in a portfolio and how it will be assessed.

Grading:

Your course grade Credit/No Credit will be determined by your performance on the following:

• Attendance at ALL class meetings where update reports of activities will be given.
• Satisfactory reports from site supervisor.
• Satisfactory completion of ALL reflective papers and Fieldwork Logs.
• Satisfactory completion of the final term paper.
• Satisfactory completion of the Ethnic Studies Portfolio.
• All written work must be turned in on the day it is due.

Course Schedule

Week 1 Introduction
Sept. 1

Sept. 3
Reading: Rev. Jaimie Washington, "Social Justice in Higher Education: From Awareness to Action" (R)

Week 2 Foundations of Ethnic Studies
Sept. 8
Reading: Takaki, "Multiculturalism: Battleground or Meeting Ground?"

Sept. 10
Reading: Butler, "Ethnic Studies as a Matrix for the Humanities, the Social Sciences, and the Common Good "

Week 3 Foundations of Ethnic Studies
Sept. 15
Reading: DuHart, "Ethnic Studies in U.S. Higher Education"

Sept. 17
Discuss Fieldwork Placements and Expectations

Week 4 Foundations of Ethnic Studies
Sept. 22
Reading: Marable, "The Problematics of Ethnic Studies"

Sept. 24
Discuss Fieldwork Placements and Expectations
Reflection 1 Due!

Week 5  No Class! Begin fieldwork if you have not already started. Students must complete a Service Learning Conduct Guidelines and Limitations Form, a Consent Form and an Emergency Contact and Information Form prior to beginning your service learning fieldwork!

Week 6 No Class! Fieldwork Log 1 Due! Submit through SacCT

Week 7 Ethnic Studies Student Learning Objectives (General Ethnic Studies + Asian American Studies)
Oct. 13
Readings: Scott, "Ethnic Studies: Preparing for the Future (R) and Sobredo, et al., "Ethnic Studies Community Collaboration and Activism: Bridging Theory and Practice" (R)
Reflection 2 Due!

Oct. 15
Reading: Hirabayashi &Alquizola, "Whither the Asian American Subject?"
Reflection 3 Due!

Week 8 No Class!

Week 9  No Class! Fieldwork Log 2 Due! Submit through SacCT

Week 10  Ethnic Studies Student Learning Objectives (Chicano/a Studies + Native American Studies)
Nov. 3
Readings: Flores, "Thirty Years of Chicano and Chicana Studies"
Reflection 4 Due!

Nov. 5
Readings: Cook-Lynn & Howe, "The Dialectics of Ethnicity in America: A View from American Indian Studies"
Reflection 5 Due!

Week 11 No Class!

Week 12 No Class!

Week 13 Ethnic Studies Student Learning Objectives (Pan-African Studies)
Nov. 24
Readings: Jones, "Ideology to Institution: The Evolution of Africana Studies"
Reflection 6 Due!

Nov. 26-27 Thanksgiving!

Week 14 No Class! Fieldwork Log 3 Due! Submit through SacCT

Week 15 Review Ethnic Studies Learning Objectives and Discussion on Final Term Paper
Dec. 8
Discuss drafts of final term paper

Dec. 10
Discuss drafts of final term paper

Final Term Paper, Student Learning Outcome Matrix, and Portfolios Due December 17!