ETHS 327 Racial and Ethnic Futurisms: Presence, Empowerment, and Imagination
This course explores Black (such as Afrofuturism), Indigenous, Latina/o, and Asian American imaginative worlds and futurisms (visions of the world that often blend timelines and events) through interdisciplinary methods and concepts from Ethnic Studies. The concept of ¿imagination¿ is highlighted, to both develop our own imaginative powers and attend to visions of the world that resist racism and oppression, including juxtaposing many forms of popular culture and academic thought. These expressions of presence, power, and speculative futurisms will be explored for how they depict the experiences of communities of color and Indigenous
Peoples using Ethnic Studies concepts and theories.
4 Undergraduate credits
Effective May 2, 2024 to present
Meets graduation requirements for
Learning outcomes
General
- Analyze how diverse visions of futurities, imagined and expressed in popular culture, address past, present, and anticipated social issues and everyday life with anti-oppressive, anti-colonial, and anti-racist imagination.
- Explain various conceptions of imaginative futurism in terms of race, ethnicity, citizenship, indigenization, culture and/or other social identities, from intersectional Ethnic Studies perspectives that diverge from White-centric or settler colonial-focused visions of futurism.
- Appraise how timelines, technologies, material cultures, practices, and ideas (such as power, social justice, and rights) are part of diverse futurisms from an Ethnic Studies lens.
- Enact ways to enhance one¿s own imagination, metacognitive skills, and problem-solving through an anti-oppressive lens
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum
Goal 7: Human Diversity
- Understand the development of and the changing meanings of group identities in the United States' history and culture.
- Demonstrate an awareness of the individual and institutional dynamics of unequal power relations between groups in contemporary society.
- Analyze their own attitudes, behaviors, concepts and beliefs regarding diversity, racism, and bigotry.
- Describe and discuss the experience and contributions (political, social, economic, etc.) of the many groups that shape American society and culture, in particular those groups that have suffered discrimination and exclusion.
- Demonstrate communication skills necessary for living and working effectively in a society with great population diversity.
Goal 9: Ethical and Civic Responsibility
- Examine, articulate, and apply their own ethical views.
- Understand and apply core concepts (e.g. politics, rights and obligations, justice, liberty) to specific issues.
- Analyze and reflect on the ethical dimensions of legal, social, and scientific issues.
- Recognize the diversity of political motivations and interests of others.
- Identify ways to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
Spring 2025
| Section | Title | Instructor | books | eservices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | Racial and Ethnic Futurisms: Presence, Empowerment, and Imagination | Aguilar, Jodi | Books for ETHS-327-50 Spring 2025 | Course details for ETHS-327-50 Spring 2025 |