Student Services

Ethnic Studies

Ethnic Studies

Ethnic Studies is the multi-disciplinary, humanistic study of American racial and ethnic groups. Ethnic Studies courses may examine theories of identity and/or the historical, sociological, literary, cultural, economic, and political forces that emanate from a perspective of race antiracism in America. These experiences affecting Black/African Americans, Asian Americans, Chicanos, Latina and Latino Americans, Mexican Americans, Native Americans, and other ethnic minorities provide a cultural framework to study how race, ethnicity, and inequality in America have and continue to affect the American way of life.

Distinctive Features: AB 1460 passed in August 2020. This law requires that, as an undergraduate graduation requirement, the completion of, at minimum, one three-unit semester or four-quarter unit course in ethnic studies (CSU Area F). New students starting at Antelope Valley College (or any CCC or CSU) beginning Fall 2021 are required to complete 3 semester or 4 quarter units for CSU GE Certification. Students who started at Antelope Valley College (or any CCC or CSU) prior to Fall 2021 and have maintained continuous enrollment are not required to complete CSU Area F for CSU GE Certification.

Note: students who will graduate from a CSU in 2024-2025 or after will need an Ethnic Studies course, which may be taken prior to transfer. At the time of publication, AVC offers no courses that meet the CSU Area F requirement. Courses are awaiting CSU approval. Please check with an academic counselor before enrolling in a course you wish to be used for CSU Area F.