CalState Los Angeles Will Require Students to Take Courses on Race and Ethnicity

The Academic Senate at California State University in Los Angeles has approved a measure by a vote of 33 to 18 that will require all students to complete a course that focuses on issues of race or ethnicity. A second course on diversity, not necessarily having to do with race or ethnicity, will also be required. Under the plan, students must pass these courses in order to graduate.

However, the Academic Senate rejected a proposal that called for the required courses to be taught under the auspices of one of the ethnic studies programs on campus such as Chicano studies, Latin American studies, or Pan African studies. Therefore, students will be able to take courses with a focus on race and ethnicity in departments such as political science or sociology.