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Major Requirements

In addition to adhering to General Education and School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Requirements, the Critical Race and Ethnic Studies major requires at least 44 units (some of which simultaneously meet general education requirements). Courses in the major must be taken for a letter grade, and specifically may not be taken on a pass/no pass basis unless the course is only offered on a pass/no pass basis. The below information can be found on the course catalog.

Undergraduate students who wish to major or minor in CRES, take CRES courses, or who have any other questions about CRES courses or the CRES program may contact School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts student advisor Brenda Maldonado-Rosas.


Lower Division Major Core Requirement [4 units]

Complete the following course:

CRES 001: Introduction to Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Units: 4


Upper Division Major Core Requirement [12 units]

Complete the following courses:

CRES 100: Theories in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Units: 4

CRES 110: Interdisciplinary Methods in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Units: 4

CRES 190: Senior Capstone Units: 4


Theory Requirement [4 units]

Complete one of the following courses:

ANTH 100: History of Anthropological Thought and Practice Units: 4

ANTH 111: The Anthropology of Globalization Units: 4

CRES 120: Race, Law and Civil Rights Units: 4

CRES 123: Comparative Race and Ethnicity in the United States Units: 4

CRES 145: Black Consciousness and African Freedom Units: 4

GASP 160: Film Theory and Criticism Units: 4

HIST 100: The Historian’s Craft Units: 4

PHIL 104: Ethical Theory Units: 4

PHIL 134: Modern Philosophy Units: 4

SOC 100: Sociological Theory Units: 4

WRI 120: Rhetorical Theory Units: 4


Non-United States Requirement [8 units]

Complete two of the following courses:

ANTH 110: Migration, Diaspora and Transnational Belonging Units: 4

ANTH 111: The Anthropology of Globalization Units: 4

ANTH 113: Urban Anthropology Units: 4

ANTH 116: Indigenous Activism in the Americas Units: 4

ANTH 117: The Anthropology of Citizenship Units: 4

ANTH 142: Archaeology of Colonialism Units: 4

ANTH 170: Ethnographic Methods Units: 4

CRES 027: Local Harvest, Global Industry: History of the Production and Consumption of Food Units: 4 or HIST 027 

CRES 119: Topics in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Units: 4

CRES 141: The African Diaspora in Latin America Units: 4 or HIST 141 

CRES 144: Ancient Africa: Crossroads of the World Units: 4 or HIST 144 

CRES 150: Asians in the Americas Units: 4

CRES 151: British Romanticism and India Units: 4 or ENG 110 

CRES 159: History of Iran Units: 4 or HIST 159 

CRES 160: History of Women and Gender in the Middle East Units: 4 or HIST 160 

ENG 063: 20th Century Women Writers Units: 4

ENG 104: Postwar, Postcolonial, Postmodern Literature and Culture: 1945 to the present Units: 4

ENG 109: Encounters with Islam in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century British Literature Units: 4

ENG 118: Literature and Philosophy Units: 4

ENG 132: Human Rights and Literature Units: 4

ENG 137: Problems in Literature: Islam in English Literature from the Crusades to the War on Terror Units: 4

GASP 065A: Bollywood Units: 4

GASP 158B: Women, Gender, and Art in Islamic Cultures Units: 4

HIST 127: Local Harvest, Global Industry: History of the Production and Consumption of Food Units: 4

HIST 141: The African Diaspora in Latin America Units: 4

HIST 142: Topics in Latin American History Units: 4

HIST 143: West Africa and the Making of the Atlantic World Units: 4

SPAN 111: Empire, The Postcolonial, and Representation: Reading East & West Units: 4

SPAN 140: Latin American Colonial Literature Units: 4

SPAN 143: Latin American Literature since Independence Units: 4

WRI 121: International Rhetoric Units: 4


Additional Elective Requirement [16 units]

Complete four of the following courses. At least two must be upper division. This list will continue to expand as relevant new courses enter the campus course catalog.

ANTH 150: Race and Human Variation Units: 4

ANTH 172: Ethnohistory Units: 4

CCST 113: Latino and Immigrant Health Units: 4 or PH 113 

COGS 005: Introduction to Language and Linguistics Units: 4

CRES 020: Introduction to Asian American Studies Units: 4

CRES 101: Race and the Media Units: 4

CRES 102: Race, Gender, Sexuality Units: 4

CRES 119: Topics in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Units: 4

CRES 120: Race, Law and Civil Rights Units: 4

CRES 121: Critical Refugee Studies Units: 4

CRES 122: Comparative Immigrations Units: 4

CRES 123: Comparative Race and Ethnicity in the United States Units: 4 or HIST 123 

CRES 124BR: African American History 1877 to Present: Research Units: 4 or HIST 124BR 

CRES 183: Intersectionality Units: 4 or SOC 183 

ECON 111: American Economic History Units: 4

ENG 031: Introduction to African-American Literature and Culture Units: 4

ENG 064: LGBT Fiction Units: 4

ENG 113: U.S. Latino/a Literature Units: 4 or SPAN 113 

ENG 114: Latinos/as in Children’s Literature and Film Units: 4 or SPAN 114 

ENG 115: Chicano/a Literature Units: 4 or SPAN 115 

ENG 117: Literature of California Units: 4

ENG 155: Toni Morrison and James Baldwin Units: 4

GASP 003: Introduction to Visual Culture Units: 4

GASP 007: Music in Society Units: 4

GASP 076A: Social Dance, Social Bodies Units: 4

GASP 119: Topics in Public Art Units: 4

GASP 144A: Art for Social Change Units: 4

GASP 171: Museums as Contested Sites Units: 4

GASP 175: Race and Nationalism in American Art Units: 4

HIST 017: Twentieth-Century America Units: 4

HIST 107: Topics in Urban History Units: 4

HIST 123: Comparative Race and Ethnicity in the United States Units: 4

HIST 124A: African American History to 1877 Units: 4

HIST 124B: African American History 1877 to Present Units: 4

HIST 129: Introduction to Chicano History Units: 4

HIST 132: Intelligence and National Security, 1945-2000 Units: 4

HIST 133: Topics in Nineteenth Century U.S. History Units: 4

POLI 106: Urban Politics Units: 4

POLI 127: Race, Gender, and Politics Units: 4

PSY 124: Health Disparities Units: 4

PSY 151: The Psychology of Stereotyping and Prejudice Units: 4

PSY 152: Psychological Perspectives on Cultural, Racial and Ethnic Diversity Units: 4

SOC 038: Sociology of Race and Racism Units: 4

SOC 110: Social Movements, Protest and Collective Action Units: 4

SOC 111: Environmental Sociology Units: 4

SOC 118: Hate Crime Units: 4

SOC 130: Social Stratification Units: 4

SOC 145: Sociology of Health Units: 4

SOC 160: Gender and Society Units: 4

SOC 180: Advanced Issues in Race and Ethnicity Units: 4

SOC 181: Chicanos in U.S. Society Units: 4

SOC 182: Current Topics in Immigration Units: 4

SOC 185: Topics in Sociology Units: 4

SPAN 112: Chicano/a Literature Written in Spanish Units: 4

SPAN 175: Spanish in the U.S. Units: 4

SPAN 177: Sociolinguistics and Latino Health Units: 4

WRI 140: Topics in Ethnic Writing Units: 4


Transfer Students

Transfer students who wish to major in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies should complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) at their community college. Transfer students may not be admitted to the Critical Race and Ethnic Studies major without specific major preparation. Below is the current Transfer Selection Criteria for the Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Major.

Transfer Selection Criteria

To be admitted to the Critical Race and Ethnic Studies major transfer students must meet the following requirements:

Applicants will, at the time of admission have completed at minimum the following course (or the equivalent) with a “C‐” or better:

CRES 001: Introduction to Critical Race and Ethnic Studies