Problem
During the Civil Rights Movement of the 19605, students at San Francisco State University and the University of California, Berkeley led the movement to demand courses in ethnic studies that would be taught from the lens of the ethnic group rather than a Eurocentric perspective. These protests resulted in the addition of courses and programs at colleges and universities across the country in African American, Asian American, Hispanic, and American Indian studies. Some school districts followed suit, offering courses related to specific ethnic and cultural groups. By 2013, students in California's state universities were protesting budget cuts that were eliminating ethnic studies courses and faculty. A similar pattern was occurring in high schools. In 2010, the governor of Arizona signed a bill banning the teaching of ethnic studies programs that are designed for a particular group or advocate ethnic solidarity, but an Arizona judge found in 2017 that the ban was unconstitutional. Taking an opposite approach, the El Rancho school district in California in 2014 adopted a requirement that all of its students take an ethnic studies course before graduation. Following El Rancho's lead, California will require all students to complete an ethnic studies course by the 2023- Show less
• What are the rationales for supporting or not supporting ethnic studies in a school or university?
• Is an ethnic studies course should be required of all high school students? Why or why not?