CCAS 172
Chicana and Chicano Ethnography
Description: (Formerly numbered Chicana and Chicano Studies 172.) Lecture, four hours. Culture change theory encompasses such issues as innovation, syncretism, colonialism, modernization, urbanization, migration, and acculturation. Examination of methods anthropologists/ethnographers use in studying and analyzing culture change within ethnohistorical background of Mexican and Mexican American people to clarify social and cultural origins of modern habits and customs and, more importantly, unravel various culture change threads of that experience. Topics include technology and evolution, Indian nation-states, miscegenation, peasantry, expansionism, industrialization, immigration, ethnicity, and adaptation. Field project on some aspect of culture change required. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2024 - I really enjoyed taking this class with Professor Steinberg! She is very bubbly and cares a lot about her students. Throughout this really challenging quarter, she made sure to prioritize her student's safety and mental health and I really could not be more thankful. To start, the content of the class was very interesting. As a Chicana myself, I really enjoyed learning about how research has been conducted in the past about the Chicanx experience and what changes are being made to ensure we are being represented truthfully. This class introduced me to data collection methods that, in my opinion, are not traditionally regarded as valuable but deserve more credit than they have been given. For instance, we learned about the information that is often excluded from strictly quantitative forms of data collection and how ethnographic research can inform data and provide context. Needless to say, I learned a lot and grew an appreciation and respect for ethnographic research. As for the structure of the class, it was mostly comprised of reading responses, presentations, and the final paper. The readings were not very dense (for the most part). At some point, we were asked to read an entire book, which I actually found to be really emotional and which didn’t really feel like I was doing homework. It was split up into two weeks so it was not bad at all. There are two presentations. The first is your group presentation where groups of students present on the readings for the week. I would suggest forming a strong group at the beginning of the quarter and presenting early to get it out of the way. Everyone in the class has to present so it helps to take the pressure off. You also have to present on your own towards the end of the quarter when you introduce your final paper topic. Honestly, the individual presentation is more for you to let everyone know about the ideas you have and the rest of the students in the class help you brainstorm/provide feedback on how you can improve your paper. The professor encourages students to not look at their notes while they are presenting and just say whatever they are working on without too much expectation. She knows that everyone is nervous and lets us know that it is “ok not to know” and that it is ok to make mistakes. I really appreciated this as it made me feel less intimidated going up and talking about my topic. There were still a few things I needed to figure out for my project when I presented but I got some good feedback and was able to connect with another student, which helped solidify all the details for my project. Lastly, we had an 8-10 page final paper where we had to use an ethnographic research method (interview, participant observation, listening to archives, etc) to collect data and summarize it in our essay. The essay was not too bad and the professor offered a lot of support throughout in case we needed help. I will say, for all of the assignments, there was a bit of a delay in grading. For example, most of the reading responses were not graded until much later. I did not really have an issue with this considering she offered quick feedback and grades for time-sensitive assignments or for assignments used to prepare us for the final paper. Overall, I really enjoyed this class and I would definitely recommend it! Professor Steinberg is a gem too and I would definitely take another class with her if the opportunity presents itself :)
Spring 2024 - I really enjoyed taking this class with Professor Steinberg! She is very bubbly and cares a lot about her students. Throughout this really challenging quarter, she made sure to prioritize her student's safety and mental health and I really could not be more thankful. To start, the content of the class was very interesting. As a Chicana myself, I really enjoyed learning about how research has been conducted in the past about the Chicanx experience and what changes are being made to ensure we are being represented truthfully. This class introduced me to data collection methods that, in my opinion, are not traditionally regarded as valuable but deserve more credit than they have been given. For instance, we learned about the information that is often excluded from strictly quantitative forms of data collection and how ethnographic research can inform data and provide context. Needless to say, I learned a lot and grew an appreciation and respect for ethnographic research. As for the structure of the class, it was mostly comprised of reading responses, presentations, and the final paper. The readings were not very dense (for the most part). At some point, we were asked to read an entire book, which I actually found to be really emotional and which didn’t really feel like I was doing homework. It was split up into two weeks so it was not bad at all. There are two presentations. The first is your group presentation where groups of students present on the readings for the week. I would suggest forming a strong group at the beginning of the quarter and presenting early to get it out of the way. Everyone in the class has to present so it helps to take the pressure off. You also have to present on your own towards the end of the quarter when you introduce your final paper topic. Honestly, the individual presentation is more for you to let everyone know about the ideas you have and the rest of the students in the class help you brainstorm/provide feedback on how you can improve your paper. The professor encourages students to not look at their notes while they are presenting and just say whatever they are working on without too much expectation. She knows that everyone is nervous and lets us know that it is “ok not to know” and that it is ok to make mistakes. I really appreciated this as it made me feel less intimidated going up and talking about my topic. There were still a few things I needed to figure out for my project when I presented but I got some good feedback and was able to connect with another student, which helped solidify all the details for my project. Lastly, we had an 8-10 page final paper where we had to use an ethnographic research method (interview, participant observation, listening to archives, etc) to collect data and summarize it in our essay. The essay was not too bad and the professor offered a lot of support throughout in case we needed help. I will say, for all of the assignments, there was a bit of a delay in grading. For example, most of the reading responses were not graded until much later. I did not really have an issue with this considering she offered quick feedback and grades for time-sensitive assignments or for assignments used to prepare us for the final paper. Overall, I really enjoyed this class and I would definitely recommend it! Professor Steinberg is a gem too and I would definitely take another class with her if the opportunity presents itself :)
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