Explore your interests in ethnic studies at Lawrence.

Academic advising at Lawrence seeks to empower each student to craft and pursue a transformative liberal arts experience that prepares them for impactful and personally fulfilling lives. Faculty advisors support students in planning and achieving their educational goals, facilitate connections to campus resources and communities, and guide students to make informed decisions as they pursue their academic interests and aspirations. 

Course Planning for New and Exploring Students

Ethnic studies at Lawrence is for all students. Ethnic studies is the critical and interdisciplinary examination of race and ethnicity through a focus on the experiences and expressions of people of color in and beyond the United States. Students learn how ethnic groups identify on the basis of national origin, family heritage, shared historical experience, customs and traditions, and/or language. Students critically examine how constructions of race and racism are still embedded in institutions and everyday life.

Several of our core courses have no pre-requisites and are open to first year students:

  • ETST 110: Intro to Ethnic Studies
  • ETST 210: Expressions of Ethnicity (Ethnicity and the Arts);and 
  • ETST 302: Research Methods

Note: ETST 302, which is an introduction to various methodological ways of investigating our social world, may be of interest to students in a variety of majors in the social sciences, humanities, arts and music. This course will provide students with research preparation for summer data collection, future coursework, or independent research for a senior experience.

Students majoring in ethnic studies will benefit from taking ETST 110, ETST 210, and ETST 302 within their first two years at Lawrence, as well as taking ETST 301: Theories of Race and Ethnicity (which fulfills the writing-intensive "W" competency requirement) in their second year at Lawrence. Juniors and seniors are also welcome in these courses; some students only recognize their interest in majoring in ethnic studies after they have taken some cross-listed courses, in which case they can still pick up some of their required 100-300 level ETST courses later in their time at Lawrence.

Ethnic studies breaks down barriers and benefits all students. For a few examples, Ethnic Studies classes:

  • Look at the roles played by race, ethnicity, class, gender and sexual orientation in American society and other global contexts.
  • Debate issues – immigration, national identity, poverty, education, equal opportunity, and more—that challenge the United States and the world.
  • Discuss diversity in relation to workplaces, education, legal systems, food systems, public health, the environment, sexual attraction and dating, and so on.
  • Examine the ways race and ethnicity are expressed, reflected and constructed in film, theatre, literature, visual arts, music, and popular or social media.
  • Build skills for negotiating multi-ethnic and interracial communities, and diverse workplace environments.

Thus, ethnic studies at Lawrence is for all students not just students of color and not just student majors or minors. All students benefit academically and socially from ethnic studies.

Declare a Major/Minor

All students are expected to declare a major before the end of sophomore year. Ideally, sophomore students will declare a major (and switch to an advisor in the major) before advance registration advising begins in spring term.

DECLARE A MAJOR/MINOR

Major Advising

All students will transition to a major advisor upon declaration. The major advisor will help students plan their coursework to satisfy requirements for the major, select courses in other areas to complement the major or satisfy personal interests, and prepare for their Senior Experience. Prospective biology majors can consult with any of the following biology faculty about serving as a major advisor:

 

 

Add a Major Advisor

Need help identifying an advisor in the major? Students can contact advising@lawrence.edu for assistance with advisor matching.

Add a Major Advisor

Minor Advising

Students do not need an official advisor for the ethnic studies minor. Instead, ethnic studies minors are encouraged to consult with the program director or other affiliated faculty for advice on course selection and satisfying minor requirements.

Additional Student Resources

If you still have questions about advising support related to the ethnic studies program, we invite you to contact the department chair. 

Contact the Ethnic Studies Program Director
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