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Chicano Studies
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Majors & Minors

Chicano Studies Handbook, Fall 2009 (PDF)

What can I do with a Major in Chicano Studies? (PDF)

Chicano Studies Scholarships for Majors!

Scholarship Application (PDF)

The Guillermo Rojas Scholarship

Named after Professor Emeritus of Chicano Studies, the $500 Rojas Scholarship provides final semester assistance for students majoring in Chicano Studies with 21 hours or less of coursework to complete. This award acknowledges the perseverance of a student and an on-going commitment to intellectual growth of as a way of honoring the many years of service that Professor Rojas gave to students and the Department of Chicano Studies department at UMTC. It is designed to provide assistance to those deserving students who need support to complete their undergraduate degree. Students will be asked to submit an application that includes a 2 page single-spaced essay on how being a Chicano Studies major has contributed to their intellectual growth. Submissions due by April 09, 2009. Students intending to graduate in Summer 2009, Fall 2009, or Spring 2010 are eligible to apply. The winning essay will be posted on the department website.

Best Chicano Studies Essay Award

This $500 scholarship will be awarded to the best essay written by a student currently majoring in Chicano Studies within the current academic year (Summer 2008-Spring 2009) for a Chicano Studies class. Students must submit the assignment guidelines with the essay. Papers should be at least 5 pp. in length and as long as allowed by the assignment. A nomination letter from the student’s faculty for the course for which the paper was written must accompany the submission. Submissions due by April 09, 2009. Winning essay will be posted on the department website.

¡Adelante! Scholarship for Newly Declared Majors

This scholarship is intended to support new majors who have declared in the current academic year (Summer 2008-Spring 2009). Students will be asked to submit an application that includes a 2 page single-spaced essay on why they decided to become a Chicano Studies major and what they hope this degree will help them achieve. Submissions due by April 09, 2009. The winning essay will be posted on the department website.

Selection Committee and Timeline

A three person scholarship committee comprised of faculty and/or staff and at least one community member will be formed in March of 2008. The committee will review all applications and select scholarship recipients by April 09, 2009.

Academic Program: B.A. in Chicano Studies

Below is information for those who are interested in receiving a major or minor in Chicano Studies. Please check with Paula Walsh, Chicano Studies' regional academic advisor, on a regular basis to ensure that you are fulfilling all requirements in a timely fashion. Paula's contact information can be found on our staff page.

The B.A. in Chicano studies is designed to meet the needs of students preparing for graduate school or for careers serving Chicana/o-Latina/o constituencies, careers such as public and business administration, marketing, public relations, education, politics, government and minority affairs, as well as careers in which the graduate would work in an international or multicultural environment. The degree is also designed to prepare students for graduate and advanced professional study in programs in which a minority affairs focus would be an asset. Chicano studies majors take courses offered in two broadly defined fields of study, Humanities and Social Science. Humanities content includes courses designed to increase the student's awareness of Chicana/o culture, as well as intellectual, aesthetic, literary, historical, ethical, and human values. Social Science content includes courses which analyze social institutions and how they affect the individual and also emphasize contemporary Chicana/o issues as they relate to the larger society. Areas of study include political science, anthropology, economics, sociology, and history.

Among the strengths of the interdisciplinary Chicano Studies major is a stress on furthering critical thinking and effective oral and written communication skills. These skills are developed across the Department's curriculum, which incorporates the arts and literature, cultural studies, history, the various social sciences, and policy studies. The program's curriculum explores the dimensions of race, ethnicity, culture and identity, gender, and class in the United States, both historically and in contemporary times. It prepares students in an array of theories, methodologies, technologies, and teaching approaches that provide a thorough undergraduate and graduate education. The curriculum focuses on the practical application of Chicano Studies for career development in selected professions and service to the community based on an understanding of the humanities, social sciences, and the arts. Chicano Studies provides an excellent preparation for students interested in teaching. It is also an exceptional major for graduate education in a range of professional and academic fields. Moreover, it provides an outstanding preparation for a variety of positions in community organizations, social and public service, and the private sector. In all, it is an ideal major of choice that provides a strong intellectual and critical foundation for success in a polyglot and multicultural world whose traditional disciplinary boundaries and forms of representation are being redefined in Chicano Studies.

With a B.A. in Chicano Studies you will be prepared to enter graduate school or contribute to the advancement of the social, cultural, personal and political well-being of your community as an educator, researcher, community leader, or community advocate.

Course Descriptions

Chicano Studies course descriptions (PDF)

Degree Requirements

Effective Fall 2009
Major Requirements: Students must complete at least 120 credits to graduate. The major requires 36 credits, of which at least 30 must be upper division, and includes 18 credits of major core requirements as listed below. Students should confer with faculty and their major adviser to select courses intended to meet their professional goals and intellectual interests. With approval of the department chair, up to 3 upper-division courses (maximum 9 credits) related to the discipline may be taken outside the dept. and counted towards the major. CHIC 1112 is foundational and should be completed during the first or second year. Courses at 3xxx offer more focused opportunities to examine history, society, culture, literature, and gender. Student must take all courses A/F, have achieved a C- or better, and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA in all Chicano Studies Courses.

Required Courses

Core Requirements: 18 credits

  • CHIC 1112 (3 credits): Introduction to Chicano Studies: Critical Paradigms and Methodoliges
  • CHIC 3212 (3 credits): Chicana Studies: La Chicana in Contemporary Society
  • CHIC 3275: (3 credits): Service Learning in the Chicano/Latino Community
    or CHIC 3374 (3 credits): Migrant Farmworkers in the U.S.: Families, Work and Advocacy
  • CHIC 3444 (3 credits): Chicana and Chicano History: 1821-1945
    or CHIC 3446 (3 credits): Chicana/o History: WWI, El Movimiento and the New Millenium
  • CHIC 3213 (3 credits): Chicano Music and Art
    or     CHIC 3507 (3 credits): Introduction to Chicana/o Literature
  • CHIC 4901W (3 credits): Proseminar: Senior Project

Senior Projects

Unless otherwise approved through consultation with a supervising professor, Senior Projects are designed to be a capstone intellectual experience for majors that requires completion of a substantial research project (15 page minimum) designed by each student in accordance with their intellectual and professional interests. Students are encouraged to start thinking about the final project during the fall semester of their senior year or immediately after completing all the course requirements. Students should begin discussions with their adviser and begin a library search that indicates a bibliographical collection supporting their topic. Students should sign up for CHIC 4900 and CHIC 4901 simultaneously in order to maximize the benefit of faculty advice and structured guidance to ensure timely completion of their project.

Minor Requirements

Minor Requirements: The minor requires successful completion of 18 credits of 3xxx or 4xxx classes within the Chicano Studies curriculum. Students should confer with faculty and the Chicano Studies advisor to select courses intended to meet their professional goals and intellectual interests.

Student must take all courses A/F, have achieved a C- or better, and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA in all Chicano Studies Courses.

Grading Policies & Grieving Procedures

In accordance with the policy of the College of Liberal Arts, the Department of Chicano Studies utilizes two grade options, the A - F and S - N.

Students who dispute their grades or who have a grievance arising from a course or directed study should first attempt to resolve differences with the instructor or teaching assistant in question. If this does not work, the student may ask the chairperson of the Department of Chicano Studies to mediate. If no satisfaction is obtained, the student may request a meeting of a departmental grievance committee, which consists of faculty members, teaching staff, and a civil service representative. This committee will make a judgment on the matter.

Declare Major/Minor Forms