Department of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Currently, the Department of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality Studies offers a certificate in Mexican American Studies at the graduate level.
Graduate Certificate in Mexican American Studies
The Mexican American Studies certificate is a 12-semester-credit-hour graduate certificate program that offers specialized training for educators who wish to become better prepared to teach Mexican American Studies in public schools.
The goal is to provide graduate students with a comprehensive educational foundation for meeting state educational needs to enhance the teaching and learning of Mexican American Studies content areas in social studies and fine arts in secondary schools. For those who want to teach community college courses or dual credit courses, 6 extra graduate hours are needed to fulfill the 18 hours as required by the SACSCOC’s accreditation.
Admission Requirements
The certificate program will admit students in the Fall only. Students can complete the certificate in one calendar year. Students who apply for the certificate must have a Bachelor of Arts degree in humanities or an education field. All applicants must meet UTSA Graduate Admissions requirements and be in good standing at the last institution attended. Current students may apply by completing the UTSA Graduate Certificate Form.
Certificate Program Requirements
To meet the curricular requirements for the Graduate Certificate in Mexican American Studies, students must complete 12 semester credit hours with a grade point average of 3.0 or above from the following courses:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A. Required course: | 3 | |
| Pedagogies of Social Transformation in Chicana/o Education | ||
| B. Select three of the four courses listed below: | 9 | |
| Chicanas/os and Latinas/os in the Media | ||
| Chicana/o Literature | ||
| Chicana/Latina Feminist Methodologies | ||
| Interpretivist/Decolonial Histories in Chicana/o Studies | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
African American Studies (AAS) Courses
AAS 6943. Internship in African American Studies. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
A supervised experience, relevant to the student’s program of study within selected community organizations and agencies. May be repeated for a total of 6 semester credit hours. Course Fees: GH01 $90; INT1 $150; STSH $30.
AAS 6953. Independent Study. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. For students needing specialized work not normally or not often available as part of the regular course offerings. May be repeated for credit, but no more than 6 hours will apply to the Master's Degree. Course Fees: GH01 $90; STSH $30.
AAS 6973. Special Topics in African American Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
An organized course offering the opportunity for specialized study not normally or not often available as part of the regular course offerings. Special problems/topics courses may be repeated for credit when the topics vary, but no more than 6 hours, regardless of discipline, will apply to the Master's degree. Course Fees: GH01 $90; LRH1 $20; STSH $30.
Mexican American Studies (MAS) Courses
MAS 5203. Chicanas/os and Latinas/os in the Media. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Close examination of the depictions of Chicanas/os and Latinas/os in US news and entertainment and film, problematizing mediated content as a site for the production and maintenance of culture, ideology, and political power. Course Fees: GH01 $90; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 5213. Chicana/o Literature. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Introduction to the major writers of Chicana/o literature through the study of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, and illustrated texts. Includes study of the cultural expressions within an historical and social context, cultivating critical principles that guide Chicana/o literature. Course Fees: GH01 $90; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 5223. Pedagogies of Social Transformation in Chicana/o Education. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Exploration of the various pedagogical philosophies and practices that have shaped teaching/learning in Chicana/o social movements, grassroots community educational spaces, and institutions of learning, from elementary school to higher education. Particular attention is given to decolonial, Chicana feminist, indigenous, neo-Marxist/liberatory, and anti-oppression pedagogies. Course Fees: GH01 $90; LRH1 $20; STSH $30.
MAS 5243. Foundational Thought in Chicana/x Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Examines the creative, cultural, and intellectual production of Mexican American thought. Analyzes the historical context in which the field of Mexican American Studies emerged, as well as key constructs and theories that define the field, historically and contemporarily. Course Fee: GH01 $90; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 5253. Chicana/x Cultural Productions and Activism. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Explores Chicana/x/o visual art, music, literature, film, and social media to locate histories of cultural production as activism. Analyzes how Chicana/x/o cultural production reflects histories of political struggle, resistance, and empowerment. Course Fee: GH01 $90; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 6013. Research Design and Methodology in Chicana/x Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Explores a range of interdisciplinary research approaches pertaining to the investigation of the Chicana/x/o and Latina/x/o experience in the U.S. Analyzes the historical and contemporary intellectual trajectories that impact the methods and methodologies of the field. Course Fee: GH01 $90; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 6093. Chicana/Latina Feminist Methodologies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines the different frameworks for theory building by Chicana/Latina feminists. Challenging assumptions within social sciences, Chicana/Latina intellectuals have developed a critical theory that interrogates knowledge production. The course emphasizes methodology and how we produce knowledge, the means by which we examine communities, and how we conduct research as insiders/outsiders. (Same as BBL 6093. Credit cannot be earned for both MAS 6093 and BBL 6093.) Course Fees: GH01 $90; LRH1 $20; STSH $30.
MAS 6103. Interpretivist/Decolonial Histories in Chicana/o Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
This seminar is a critical examination of the historical experiences of Chicanas and Chicanos. The course is grounded in an analysis of the field of Chicana/o historical writing and within Chicana/o Studies from its inception to the present. (Formerly titled "Chicana/o Historical Thought." Same as BBL 6103. Credit cannot be earned for both MAS 6103 and BBL 6103.) Course Fees: GH01 $90; LRH1 $20; STSH $30.
MAS 6123. Chicana/x Cultural Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Interdisciplinary approaches to studying Chicana/x cultural production, with attention to the cultural frameworks and diverse methods of inquiry to studying cultural processes and practices. Topics of investigation will focus on identity, power, agency, and ideology, among other themes. Course Fee: GH01 $90; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.
MAS 6943. Internship in Mexican American Studies. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
A supervised experience, relevant to the student’s program of study within selected community organizations and agencies. May be repeated for a total of 6 semester credit hours. Course Fees: GH01 $90; INT! $150; STSH $30.
MAS 6953. Independent Study. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. For students needing specialized work not normally or not often available as part of the regular course offerings. May be repeated for credit but no more than 6 hours may count towards Master's Degree. Course Fees: GH01 $90; STSH $30.
MAS 6973. Special Topics in Mexican American Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
An organized course offering the opportunity for specialized study not normally or not often available as part of the regular course offerings. Special problems/topics courses may be repeated for credit when the topics vary, but no more than 6 hours, regardless of discipline, will apply toward the Master's degree. Course Fees: GH01 $90; LRH1 $20; STSH $30.
Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) Courses
WGSS 6943. Internship in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
A supervised experience, relevant to the student’s program of study within selected community organizations and agencies. May be repeated for a total of 6 semester credit hours. Course Fees: GH01 $90; INT1 $150; STSH $30.
WGSS 6953. Independent Study. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. For students needing specialized work not normally or not often available as part of the regular course offerings. May be repeated for credit but no more than 6 hours may count towards Master's Degree. Course Fees: GH01 $90; STSH $30.
WGSS 6973. Special Topics in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
An organized course offering the opportunity for specialized study not normally or not often available as part of the regular course offerings. Special problems/topics courses may be repeated for credit when the topics very, but no more than 6 hours, regardless of discipline, will apply towards the Master's degree. Course Fees: GH01 $90; LRH1 $20; STSH $30.