Students in a class initiated by the Filipino student group Samahang Pilipino will receive course credit for the first time this quarter while participating in an internship on the historical difficulties Filipino students face in higher education.
The Samahang Pilipino Advancing Community Empowerment group, or SPACE, created the two-unit, student-led course in the Asian American studies department with the help of a faculty adviser. The course is called “Community Empowerment through Education.”
Angelique Taloyo, a second-year undeclared student who is teaching the class, said the internship explores the history of colonization and oppression of the Filipino community and how this history affects the experience of Filipino American students in obtaining a higher education today, among other topics.
SPACE has had an internship component for six years that was structured similarly to a course, so Taloyo said she wanted students to earn course credit for the internship while also learning about Samahang Pilipino programs.
The course will follow the same structure as the internship, which Taloyo coordinated for the past two quarters.
The class will consist of weekly lessons with assigned readings and activities, and will require students to volunteer at Belmont High School or El Camino College twice throughout the quarter to provide peer tutoring and skill-building workshops, Taloyo said.
Students were able to enroll by submitting an application to the class instructors and attending the first day of class on Monday, where they received permission-to-enroll numbers.
Taloyo started the course by contacting Victor Bascara, an associate professor of Asian American studies, to ask if he would be the faculty adviser. She met with Bascara biweekly last quarter to discuss the logistics of the course, including the time, place and curriculum.
Taloyo said she learned about the difficulties the Filipino community faces through her participation in Samahang Pilipino. This made her want to educate students about the challenges some members of the Filipino community face in higher education, such as a lack of resources.
“It’s amazing to hear people’s stories and where they come from. Hearing the students’ struggles makes me want to fight for them,” she said.
Though the class is focused on the Filipino community, Taloyo said she thinks the topics pertain to many different cultures and the course is open to all cultural backgrounds.
“In such a diverse campus like UCLA that always advocates for diversity, people can be ignorant of issues that are present on campus,” Taloyo said. “(Students can) expose themselves to the different problems that students of color face by placing themselves in a position they’re not used to.”
Samahang Pilipino has been hosting similar courses on different subjects for several years, including “History, Theory and Practice of Pilipino Cultural Night” and Chicana/o Studies 97.
Karen Nishiyama, a second-year biochemistry student, submitted an application to enroll in “Community Empowerment through Education” and has taken other Samahang Pilipino classes in the past, including Chicana/o Studies 97 when it was offered in the winter.
Because the courses are led by students, Nishiyama said she felt they were more relatable than other courses.
Justine Angeles, who was the student instructor for Chicana/o 97, said she thinks these types of courses give students the chance to explore something they may be interested in on a deeper level.
“In a university that has so many lectures, students don’t get the chance to talk outside of discussion or office hours,” said Angeles, a fourth-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student. “We want to allow them to voice their opinion in class without being judged.”
“History, Theory and Practice of Pilipino Cultural Night,” which will be offered in spring, aims to make the culture night more personal by asking students to apply what they learn to their own identities. Like other classes Samahang Pilipino hosts, it is open to all students and consists of weekly readings and discussions.
Though listed courses vary each quarter, Samahang Pilipino classes exploring Filipino culture are offered throughout the academic year. Students can enroll by submitting an application at the end of each quarter for classes listed under Asian American Studies 97.
this is beautiful!