Environmental Justice in Chicana/o Communities

The major in Chicano and Chicana Studies is a 33-unit program designed to give the student special preparation in the discipline of Chicana/o Studies with an emphasis in environmental justice through a combination of lower and upper division core requirements.

Students in Chicano and Chicana Studies, B.A.—Environmental Justice in Chicana/o Communities Option may not declare a double major/option within the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies.

Students receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Chicano and Chicana Studies will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an ability to think critically, analytically and creatively about the Chicana/o experience in the local and global society.
  2. Demonstrate competency in oral, written and research skills.
  3. Demonstrate an understanding of creative and performance arts.
  4. Acquire a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of Chicana/o history, culture, arts, language and sociopolitical issues.
  5. Acquire the leadership skills that will promote social change in Chicana/o communities and broader society.

Students receiving an option in Environmental Justice in Chicana/o Communities will be able to:

  1. Critically assess environmental and public policy and how it impacts Chicanx/Latinx communities.
  2. Apply Chicanx, Latinx, and/or Indigenous Hemispheric Traditional* Ecological Knowledge (TEK), community cultural wealth, and epistemologies to address climate change.
  3. Engage in the creation, deconstruction, and historical interpretation of narratives related to the material conditions of Chicana/o communities and public history.
  4. Develop as leaders who are able to collaborate with community members and organizations, as well as government agencies to promote climate resilience and a just transition in diverse communities.
  5. Be effective researchers able to design and implement environmentally related projects and/or creative activities that address social justice issues.

*Hemispheric traditional ecological knowledge comes from Mexico and other parts of Latin America.

1. Lower Division Required Courses (9 units)

  • CHS 261 Race, Racism, and the Sciences (3)
  • CHS 262CS/LCS Student Leadership for Chicana/o Climate Resilience and Fieldwork (2/1)
  • CHS 270SOC/F Fieldwork in Barrio Studies (1/2)

2. Upper Division Required Courses (18 units)

  • CHS 331 Chicana/o Decolonizing Research Methods (3)
  • CHS 308D/DL Days of the Dead: Chicana/o Perspectives on Death, Spirituality and Art and Lab (2/1)
  • or CHS 409 Chicana/o Art Studio in Painting (3)
  • CHS 367 Public Policy in Chicana/o Communities (3)
  • CHS 448 Chicana/o Public History (3)
  • CHS 467 Environmental Justice and Chicana/o Communities (3)
  • CHS 497 Senior Seminar in Chicana/o Studies (3)

3. Upper Division Electives (6 units)
Select two courses from the following:

  • AAS 440 Urbanization and Asian American Communities (3)
  • AFRS 488 Sustainability and Environmental Justice in African and African Diaspora Communities (3)
  • AIS 304 American Indian Law and Policy (3)
  • CAS 355 Environment, Development and Social Exclusion in Central America (3)
  • CHS 347 Indigenous Intellectual History (3)
  • CHS 350 Religions and Spiritualities in Chicana/o Communities (3)
  • CHS 361 Urbanization and the Chicana/o (3)
  • CHS 362 Contemporary Indigenous Migrations and Diasporas (3)
  • GEOG 316 Environmental Geography (3)
  • GEOG 370 Water, Society, and the Environment (3)
  • GEOG 375 Environment, Economy, and Development (3)
  • GEOL 496ECS Geology and Environmental Justice (3)
  • RS 370 Religion and Environmental Justice (3)
  • SUST 300 Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Sustainability (3)
  • URBS 400 Planning for the Natural and Built Environment (3)
  • URBS 415 The California Environmental Quality Act for Urban Planners (3)
  • URBS 425 Social Policy, Environmental Justice and the City (3)

4. General Education (43 units)

Undergraduate students must complete 43 units of General Education as described in this Catalog, including 3 units of coursework meeting the Ethnic Studies (E.S.) requirement.

6 units are satisfied by the following courses in the major: CHS 261 satisfies 3 units of Area 4 Social and Behavioral Sciences and fulfills the Information Competence requirement; CHS 331 meets 3 units of Upper Division Area 4 Social and Behavioral Sciences. The Ethnic Studies (E.S.) requirement is met through coursework in the major.

5. Campus Requirements (6 units)

Undergraduate students must complete 6 units of Campus Requirements as described in this Catalog. CHS 270SOC/F meets the Lifelong Learning requirement.

Total Units in the Major: 33
General Education Units: 37
Campus Requirement Units: 3
Additional Units: 47
Total Units Required for the B.A. Degree: 120