Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law an assembly bill that will require students of CSU and UC system to take a 3-unit ethnic studies course in order to graduate.

“I believe it is a great opportunity for students of all backgrounds to gain knowledge about people that don’t look like them” said Marvin Turk, counselor at COS. “Having a better understanding of different ethnic groups can hopefully allow society to come closer together.”

Courses that would meet the qualifications are Native-American Studies, Latino American Studies, African-American Studies, and Asian-Americans Studies. COS currently offers three courses that would meet these requirements: African American Studies, Mexican American Studies, and Asian American Studies. All three of these courses are taught by Octovio Barajas, Ethnic studies professor. 

“Which ethnic group do I want to learn about? What biases will come up in making that decision. Will the course offerings be different at each CSU?” are some questions students should ask themselves, according to Turk. 

This change in curriculum can be seen as the result of a societal shift toward a curriculum that is not only inclusive of the history of traditionally marginalized groups but also actively anti-racist in nature. 

The bill acknowledges the history of students pushing for ethnic studies programs stating that “Ethnic studies programs have come about from students of color demanding them. On November 6, 1968, a coalition of student groups at San Francisco State University demanded that the university institute an ethnic studies program.” 

“Past CSU students could graduate without taking classes that discuss topics of race, class, and ethnicity.” said Professor Barajas. “Consequently, due to AB 1460 passage, CSU graduates will be afforded the opportunity to learn more about the challenges and resilience of peoples of color.” 

These new requirements will go into effect in the 2021-2022 school year.