California’s community college system approves ethnic studies course requirement

California community colleges will now require students to complete a course in ethnic studies.

Under a new regulation adopted this week by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, students pursuing an associate degree in the state’s 115 degree-awarding community colleges will need to take a four-unit quarter class or a three-unit semester in ethnic studies, according to a news release Tuesday.

Community college classes with a quarter system calendar have a higher unit class because the units can then satisfy a course requirement at a University of California campus, said Rafael Chávez, spokesman for California Community Colleges.

“As the largest and most diverse system of higher education in the country, we have an opportunity to break down barriers to equity,” Board of Governors President Pamela Haynes said in the release. “By building a faculty and staff that look like the students and communities we serve and by putting diversity, equity and inclusion and anti-racism at the heart of our work, we can help create a system that truly works for all our students.”

Students will have to take a class in Native American studies, African American studies, Asian American studies or Latina and Latino studies.

The board unanimously voted to approve the requirement Monday. This is the second higher education system in California that has created an ethnic studies requirement.

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1460, which requires California State University students to take an ethnic studies course in order to graduate. Starting the 2021-22 academic year, incoming CSU students need to complete at least one three-unit course in ethnic studies.

Under the bill, Cal State students will have to take a course as part of their lower-division requirements, so community college students will have to complete an ethnic studies course before they transfer to a CSU.

The Chancellor’s Office of the state’s community college system will lead a task force with the statewide academic senate, students and ethnic studies faculty to determine when the requirement should be implemented and what courses will satisfy it.

According to the statewide community college system, students may use the required course to meet a general education requirement for their degree.

This story was originally published July 13, 2021 at 5:11 PM.