Ethnic Studies Courses

With the help of Instructor Emily Washines, YVC’s ethnic studies classes are gaining in popularity. “Overall studying and understanding ethnic studies will help students build a network in the community they live in,” she stated. Washines credits her experience as a YVC student with helping to inspire her passion for the subject, in particular the instruction of Dr. Wallace Strong. She states “I keep that component of discussion in the classroom as it helps build and share students’ knowledge. I use an updated edition of the same book I had in class. Also, I get flashbacks of Emily Washines Teaching when I was a student as one of my previous instructors is now my colleague.” Washines makes innovative use of multimedia in her classroom to engage students, including the study of podcasts and other independent journalism documenting the experiences and contributions of ethnic groups in the United States. Both introductory ethnic studies courses are available, as well as more advanced courses that center on one particular ethnic group or topic.