Ethnic Studies Course Development
Beginning the 2025-2026 school year, WPUSD high schools will offer Ethnic Studies as an elective course, in alignment with Assembly Bill 101.
About Ethnic Studies:
What will the course cover?
The course will explore key topics, all connected to our local community, in the following units:
- Introduction to Ethnic Studies
- Culture and Identity
- Origins, Movements, and Migration
- Societal Structures and Their Effect
- Social Movements and Community Organizing
- Final Project
What is Ethnic Studies?
- Learning about different cultures and histories often left out of regular classes
- Understanding experiences of diverse groups and eliminating stereotypes
- Exploring how race, gender, and class shape people's lives and society
- Discovering often-overlooked contributions of people from various backgrounds
- Developing skills to engage positively in our diverse world
What Ethnic Studies is not:
- Intended to demonize or shame any one group of people
- To promote one opinion or political idea/agenda
Implementation Timeline:
- Assembly Bill 101 requires districts to offer Ethnic Studies by the 2025–26 school year
- It will be a graduation requirement for the Class of 2029–30