Department of Comparative Ethnic Studies

Overview

The Department of Comparative Ethnic Studies offers a unique opportunity to study the social, economic, and political forces that have shaped the historic experience of diverse ethnic communities in the United States in the last five hundred years and that continue to determine our future. Our approach is multidisciplinary and comparative. We seek to enhance student abilities to appreciate our differences and to negotiate our way through an increasingly interconnected world so that we may become better informed, caring, citizens

Vision

Comparative Ethnic Studies (CES) participants challenge the unequal distribution of power and privilege within and between ethnic and racial groups in the United States and around the world. CES provides the knowledge and the tools to realize social justice.

Mission

The Department of Comparative Ethnic Studies (CES) offers a multidisciplinary, comparative, and, ultimately, a transformative approach to the study of the psycho-social, cultural, political, historical, narrative, and economic expressions and experiences of racialized groups in the United States and interconnected global communities. Through their excellence in teaching, research, and community service, CES scholars facilitate understanding of how the social constructions of race impact the social fabric of our historical and contemporary world, and prepare community members to actively and critically engage in their civic responsibilities, especially with respect to social justice.

OPENING HORIZONS, CROSSING BOUNDARIES

At the brink of the 20th anniversary of the founding of Comparative Ethnic Studies at Washington State University, the department continues the task of understanding, recapturing and analyzing both the contemporary and historic developments of communities of color. Composed of top-rated scholars and students, CES provides a socially relevant curriculum, bridging the gap between intellectual dreaming and movements of social change.

The continued evidence of racism and other forms of oppression in our region, across the nation, and throughout the world demonstrates the pressing need for CES not only at WSU, but at universities throughout the United States. Challenging students to examine history, culture, and their everyday lives with a new critical lens, CES represents both a rigorous academic project and a challenging force to injustice.

CES hopes to assist students and the larger campus community in gaining an understanding of today's racial problems. Through your participation in our new and expanding initiatives and projects, the potential for challenging existing assumptions and inequalities exists. These new programs include the following opportunities: