Undergraduate Course Descriptions

Lower Division

• CCS 001: Introduction to Chicana and Chicano Studies
  • Through readings, lectures, discussions and assignments students are introduced to Chicana/o Studies. Students learn how CCS examines problems, policies, and social issues to analyze theories, problems, resistance, historical development, identity choices, social/cultural contributions, and consciousness among Chicanas and Chicanos.
• CCS 002: Library Studies

  • An introduction to the library, its resources, and skills for students to be successful in the MAS major and at SJSU. Topics will cover developing a research topic, developing a research strategy, and finding and evaluating print and non-print sources.

• CCS 010A: Mexican Americans and the Development of U.S. History and Government
  • The American people and institutions from various ethnic points of view. Historical similarities and differences of various groups that make up the U.S. and its historical/political institutions. From pre: Columbian times to 1865. Entire sequence satisfies GE Areas D2, meets additional GE Areas when taken with CCS 10B. Note: Must complete the entire sequence (CCS 10A and 10B) to satisfy U.S. History, U.S. Constitution and California Government (US1,2,3).
• CCS 010B: Mexican Americans and the Development of U.S. History and Government
  • The American people and institutions from various ethnic points of view. Historical similarities and differences of various groups that make up the U.S. and its historical/political institutions. From 1865 to the present. GE Area: D3, meets additional GE Areas when taken with CCS 10A. Prerequisite: CCS 10A Note: Must complete the entire sequence (CCS 10A and 10B) to satisfy U.S. History, U.S. Constitution and California Government (US1,2,3).
• CCS 025: The Changing Majority: Power and Ethnicity in America
  • Comparative and historical analysis of racial minorities. Focus on Euro-American response to American Indians, Asian Americans, African Americans and Mexican Americans to provide an understanding of minority experience in the U.S. as well as American culture. GE: D2
• CCS 030: Race & Ethnicity in Public Space 
  • This class uses a dramaturgical approach to study race and ethnicity in our community. We explore race in scholarship, census documents, and field experience. Santa Clara County has been racially diverse for over one hundred years. Currently the Silicon Valley thrives as a region where many languages, cultural groups and race/ethnic people reside, invent, and co-exist. We will examine how race/ethnic membership is both evident in our everyday life and invisible in terms of rights and privileges in society GE: D1 (Offered only in the Fall for incoming Freshman)
• CCS 074: Public Address
  • Techniques of effective oral communication and principles of rhetoric through analysis and critique of contemporary issues concerning Mexican Americans. GE: A1

Upper Division

Prerequisite for All Upper Division Courses: Upper division standing or instructor consent.

• CCS 105: Chicanos: United States/Mexico Relations
  • Exploration of U.S./Mexico relations through the Chicana/o perspective. Emphasis is on both historical and contemporary issues.
• CCS 115: Chicana/o Families
  • Examines Mexican and Mexican American families from the 19th to the 21st century. Special attention is given to the diversity of family structures in terms of incorporation, settlement, and socio-cultural interfacing within group and with diverse race/ ethnic communities.
• CCS 120: Political Economy and Chicana/o Communities
  • Analysis of the American political and economic systems and institutions and their interconnections from a Chicana/o perspective. Focus on the changing roles of Chicanas/os in the U.S. and global economies and political processes.
• CCS 125: Chicana/o Community Studies
  • Description: Examination of Chicana/o community activities, including organizations and contemporary issues.
• CCS 127: Chicanas/os and the Criminal Justice System
  • Description: Crime, delinquency and the interaction between Chicano/Latino communities and the criminal justice system. The roles of government agencies, local law enforcement, the courts and corrections.
• CCS 130: Chicanas and Chicanos in American Society
  • Description: Analysis of the Chicana/o community and its role in US society, emphasizing understanding social change. Covers critical areas of the Chicana/o experience, including; family, politics, gender and sexual orientation, education, immigration, identity, institutional racism and discrimination, class, and environmental justice. Prerequisite: Completion of core GE, satisfaction of Writing Skills Test and upper division standing. For students who begin continuous enrollment at a CCC or a CSU in Fall 2005 or later, completion of, or corequisite in a 100W course is required. GE: S
• CCS 135: Contemporary Chicana/o Issues
  • Description: Analysis of selected issues/topics involving Chicano/Latino communities. May be repeated with different topic/issue. Prerequisite: ENGL 1A or instructor consent. 
• CCS 144: Chicana/o Literature  
  • An examination of selected Chicana/o literature including poetry, short stories, essays, and novels. May be repeated with different topic. Prerequisite: ENGL 1A or instructor consent.
• CCS 147: Music in Mexican America  
  • Introduction to historical and stylistic musical developments in the experience of ethnic Mexicans in the U.S. The course surveys various styles and genres (such as corridos, conjunto, Tejano, Chicana/o rock and rap). No musical (performance) experiene is required.
• CCS 150: Research Methods  
  • A survey of research methods used in Chicana/o studies that address issues in Chicana/o communities. Prerequisite: ENGL 1A and CCS 130.
• CCS 151: Theory in Chicana/o Studies  
  • An introduction to the theories and study of race, gender and sexuality in Chicana/o communities. Study of the various theoretical and analytical frameworks that are or have been used in the scholarly field. Prerequisite: CCS 1 and CCS 2
• CCS 152 The Story of Chicana/o Spanish
  • Exploration of the origins, development, and use of the Spanish spoken by Mexican Americans and Chicanas/os in the United States. Examines Chicano Spanish from its roots in Colonial Mexico through its development and use in the United States since the first Spanish/Mexicans settled the American Southwest. Particular focus on the etymology of Chicano Spanish. Prerequisite: CCS 1 and CCS 2
• CCS 160: Gender and Sexuality in the Chicana/o Community
  • An examination of how patriarchy, race, and class shape Chicanas in their everyday lives in American society. It explores how women resist and challenge the limitations placed on them as a result of being women and members of a racial/ethnic group. Prerequisite: Completion of core GE, satisfaction of Writing Skills Test and upper division standing. For students who begin continuous enrollment at a CCC or a CSU in Fall 2005 or later, completion of, or corequisite in a 100W course is required. GE: S
• CCS 170: Hollywood’s Image of Chicanos/Chicanas
  • Analysis of Hollywood’s contribution, through cinema, to shaping the socio-political relations between Chicanas/os and the dominant society, plus the use of traditional ideological concepts in promoting stereotyped images of Chicanas/os. Prerequisite: ENGL 1A and ENGL 1B or instructor consent.
• CCS 175: Human Migrations: Global Reach
  • Examines Mexican immigration to the United States within the context of global movements as both historical and contemporary phenomena. Considers social, political, cultural, and economic forces that influence immigration. Prerequisite: Upper division standing. CCS 180: Individual Studies Individual research projects and field activities.
• CCS 180: Individual Studies
  • Individual research projects and field activities.
• CCS 185: Teaching in a Diverse Society also called SOCS 185
  • This course will provide future teachers with an understanding of the ways in which diversity in the classroom influences the learning process and how specific teaching strategies can enhance student learning. Prerequisite: SOCS 18 or CCS 18.