Hub City: An Introduction to Ethnic Studies Proposed Course for - - PDF document

Hub City: An Introduction to Ethnic Studies Proposed Course for 2020-2021

Submitted by the CUSD Ethnic Studies Advisory Committee

Course Description

Ethnic Studies in Compton Unified School District (CUSD) is the interdisciplinary study of historically marginalized populations who have experienced, survived, and resisted systems and structures of oppression. This Ethnic Studies course aims to educate students to be politically, socially, and economically conscious about their personal connections to local and (trans)national histories. By studying the histories of race, ethnicity, gender, and culture, students will cultivate respect and empathy for individuals and intersectional solidarity with groups of people, locally and (trans)nationally, to foster active social engagement, radical healing, critical hope, and community building. The course prepares students to participate in concurrent or subsequent social studies and literature courses with a solid understanding of historical trends and more developed historical thinking skills. The course develops academic skills in reading, analysis, writing and presenting historical narratives and action research. Students will also explore their creative and artistic talents in their production of knowledge and social change. This survey of U.S. history gives students opportunities to work with and understand the variety of perspectives that shapes the richness and complexity of the United States as well as the City of Compton.

Units Identified

Unit 1: Identity

Essential Question​: What are the internal and external forces that shape our identities? Unit 1 Description​: Throughout this unit, students will work towards building a community that is based on trust and accountability within the classroom. This atmosphere is essential for students to explore their own identities and appreciate the identities of others. Students will explore local indigeneity, through examining their ancestral roots, and their connection to

• Compton. Within this section, students will analyze the cultural heritage of the native people to

this land specifically, among other indigenous populations. Students will continue exploring their historical identity by analyzing various local and national historical events. Through these historical events, students will deconstruct their identities and those of historically marginalized

• groups. Students will begin to articulate their intersectional identities. Students will be introduced

to how an ethnic studies program has the potential to positively impact their intellectual development, school culture, and community pride. The overall objective of the Identity Unit is for students to explore themselves and how they fit into society.

Unit 2: Systems of Oppression

Essential Question​: To what extent do people use power to create systems which allocate privilege and enforce oppression? Unit 2 Description​: Through complex analysis of how oppressive systems and institutions impact different groups in the United States, students will use critical thinking skills to identify and evaluate the forms of resistance that specific groups use(d) to counter oppressive structures, institutions, and narratives. Using John Bell’s work identifying the “Four I’s” of

• ppression and privilege--Ideological, Institutional, Interpersonal, Individual--students will

examine oppressive structures and institutions that have proven particularly intractable over time, such as white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism. Students will focus on comparing how institutions, such as public education, the legal system, the immigration system, the health care system, the housing system, the labor system, prison/detention institutions, and the economic system, have functioned over time to impact groups’ oppression, and to determine their resistance. Students will connect the learning from this unit to their own community and reflect on ways that oppressive systems and institutions have impacted their lives. Students will evaluate strategies of resistance that can be directly applied to systems of oppression which immediately affect them, and will determine potential next steps of working towards equity and equality.

Unit 3: Hub City

Essential Question​: How have historical and social forces framed Compton’s identity? Unit 3 Description​: This unit explores regional identities that emerge throughout the United States with a focus on the City of Compton during the early 20th century. As mass media develops in different forms (print, broadcast, digital), students will analyze how the changing forms represented Compton. Students will reflect on how media representations affect municipal

• identity. Students will determine how demographic changes, economic activities, and media

representation affect the character of the Compton region. Students will examine different waves of migration and immigration, including their push and pull factors. A key objective of this unit is to analyze the degree of acceptance and change various groups display when such forces become prevalent. At the same time, students will explore possible alternatives to past narratives and possible future outcomes. Students incorporate their knowledge of personal identity and systems of oppression to connect and compare the development of a territory’s identity over time along with comparing them to other areas. Ultimately, students will evaluate

the impact of geography on these regions while exposing political and economic ethnic exploitation.

Unit 4: Solidarity

Essential Question​: To what extent can intersectional solidarity promote transformational change and radical healing? Unit 4 Description​: Students will apply their knowledge of oppressive systems to the purpose

• f understanding how intersectional solidarity promotes transformational change. Students will

investigate local and national history topics that demonstrate solidarity in reaction to

• marginalization. To avoid essentializing these movements, students will practice asking critical

questions and examining actions from multiple perspectives. They are able to compare and contrast the reaction of each group and their actions to solve the particular issue. Students will also evaluate the effectiveness of strategies. Students will revisit their understandings of their intersectional identities and recognize how their own progress towards radical healing is informed by solidarity.

Unit 5: Futurism & Dreaming

Essential Question​: How can we transform society for the greater good and what is my role in creating that new future? Unit 5 Key Description​: Students will continue to critically interrogate power structures, analyzing the impacts of decolonization on society, expanding on some of the migration forces, and examples introduced in Unit 3. Students will contrast examples of acculturation and

• deculturation. Although political and economic impacts will be explored, emphasis will be placed
• n social and cultural impacts. Students will investigate collective hope and empowerment and

apply these concepts to reimagining Compton. Students’ exploration of these concepts will be aided by examining relevant art and literature.

Unit 6: Community Action Project

Essential Question​: What acts of transformative resistance are necessary for us to create a more just society? Unit 6 Description​: In this final unit, students will work towards answering this essential question by combining what they have learned throughout the course with Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR). YPAR is a youth-led, community research project based on social justice principles. To prepare for this culminating task, students will review the historical and contemporary economic, political and sociocultural issues within their communities and how those issues have evolved.

Key Assignments

Unit 1: Identity

Unit 1 Key Assignment: My Identity Body Bio This unit will focus on a series of assignments that will guide students in exploring their identity and the internal/external factors that have contributed to the development of those identities. The assignments will build upon each other allowing the students to both learn and question how their identity came to be. The culminating assignment will be the My Identity Body Biography project. Students will create a life-size visual representation of themselves, where each body part will be an analysis of the historical, ancestral, geographical, and personal forces that forged their identity.

Unit 2: Systems of Oppression

Unit 2 Key Assignment: ​Working in groups, students will choose a specific issue in their country and community to create presentations that illustrate their understanding of oppressive systems and institutions discussed in the unit. Examples would be how the debate over universal health care reflects issues of citizenship, inclusion in the national identity, and equity. Another example would be for a group to research the experiences of immigrant children in the federal immigration system, and how these children are specifically affected by oppressive systems of white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism. Student presentations will be required to address the “Four I’s” of oppression and privilege, as well as brainstorming ideas for resistance in each specific case. Group evaluations will also evaluate student use and analysis

• f evidence and their ability to evaluate reasoning in informational texts.

Unit 3: Hub City

Unit 3 Key Assignments:​ Students will analyze primary and secondary sources to examine the historical role of corporate media outlets in the development of dominant narratives of Compton. Students will be exposed to how artists from Compton have shaped alternative narratives of their communities. Working in small groups, they will create a product such as a public service ad campaign or a social media feed (e.g., an Instagram account) that will demonstrate their analysis and promote their own counter-narratives about Compton. Students will explain in writing the message or story behind at least four posts or ads.

Unit 4: Solidarity

Unit 4 Key Assignment:​ Students will examine the social, political and cultural factors that led to the Chicano Movement of the late 1960’s and early 70’s. By examining the origins of the term “Chicano”, through What is a Chicano by Reuben Salazar (LA Times Article February 6, 1970) students will analyze its contradictions and values to cultural identity. They will also form an

• pinion on Salazar’s view of Chicanos in society. Central to this unit, students will understand

the importance of intersectional solidarity as they critique through in-class socratic seminars and debates of the role of the Chicano Movement in relation to other social movements of the time (Chicana Feminism, Central American Refugee/Sanctuary, Black Power, Native American, etc.).

Unit 5: Futurism & Dreaming

Unit 5 Key Assignment​: Students will apply their knowledge of collective hope by creating their

• wn work of speculative fiction, such as a short story, song, video, poetry, or art installation.

Creating speculative fiction allows students to explore how identity can empower their

• community. Students will also write a preface to their work. This two-page introduction will

identify and explain the impact(s) of decolonization that inspired their fiction and how it speaks to collective hope. Students will also reflect on their role in responding to those impacts in order to transform society. The preface assesses students’ historical understanding of how cultural groups have interacted and how societies have changed.

Unit 6: Community Action Project

Unit 6 Key Assignment:​ For this culminating task, students will engage in a Youth Participatory Action Research project. Through this research project, students will conduct systematic research to improve their lives, their communities and the institutions intended to serve them. Students will choose a topic or campaign for research that may focus on gender, family, ethnicity, immigration or any other aspect of their communities they feel compelled to explore. As a final component, students will present their final projects to the public in a district-wide showcase that reflects personal growth and the project’s specific impact on the community.

English Language (EL) & Special Education (SPED)

How will EL & SPED students be supported?

This course will support English Learners in various ways. Students will be given multiple

• pportunities to share their own culture as this is essential to an ethnic studies course and

supports English Learners. Teachers will provide language clarification and language acquisition support through Integrated ELD strategies within the classroom, such as the use of SDAIE strategies as well as graphic organizers, word banks, sentence frames, and small group

• assignments. Differentiated instruction will be used to meet the needs of students at different

ELD levels. Whenever possible, an audio recording of course readings will be provided, videos will be captioned, and samples of key unit assignments will be shared with students. Teachers will review student IEP’s and coordinate with specific case managers on individual student accommodations and goals. Special Education students will also have access to graphic organizers, word banks, sentence frames and small group assignments. Differentiated

instruction will be used to meet the needs of students with special needs. When appropriate, assignment deadlines and length will be adjusted. Additionally, instructors will establish classroom routines.

Alignment with District Goals

How does the course align with district/school site/ goals/vision?

This course was created due to a local campaign approved by the CUSD Board of Trustees on December 20, 2017 (Resolution No. 17/18-49) to engage students who have historically been

• verlooked by traditional schooling systems. Ethnic Studies has been proven to have a positive

impact on Students of Color. Results from the National Education Association (NEA) published in, “The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies” (2010), demonstrated the benefits of ethnic studies in observable ways: students became more academically engaged, increased educational outcomes on academic tests, improved graduation rates, self-efficacy and personal

• empowerment. This course aims to motivate students through culturally relevant content,

academic expectancies of success and the development of positive, empowered identities and future possible selves. These results align with the district goals and vision on student academic success, retention and graduation rates, and supports the A-G college pathway. Lastly, the course units incorporate the district identified ELA power standards and goals for academic vocabulary that support literacy.