Brandon Shindo had no idea that leaving home for school would actually bring him closer to his roots.
In compiling photographs and stories from his family for a project in his Asian American studies class, however, the third-year psychology student reached deep down into his cultural history to uncover things he never knew about himself or his heritage.
Many students say that involvement with ethnic studies departments at UCLA has proven valuable, pushing them to learn more about themselves and their cultures.
“In order to know yourself, you need to know where you come from and the history of your ancestors,” Shindo said. “(The class) gave me an opportunity to relate to my roots.”
Angelo Isaac Sandoval, an Apache and Navajo Indian who has taken classes within the American Indian studies department, agreed that learning about the struggles and triumphs of his people has benefited him tremendously.
“There’s something really serious about the way a studies program can validate the experience of an individual,” the fourth-year political science student said. “Within an academic setting, to have that validated and to be challenged and pushed intellectually, I think that’s really incredible.”
Students of these courses noted that focusing their studies on specific ethnicities has offered them perspectives they would never encounter in high school textbooks.
“If you look at a lot of our history and the way it’s written, we are the perpetrators or we’re completely ignored,” said Roberto Oregel, a Mexican American graduate student in film and television. “You go through history and not know who you are. (These classes) give you an opportunity to find and to study your history, to figure out who you are.”
Other students capitalize on studying their heritage because that opportunity had not been available to them before coming to college.
“It was something I knew that I was missing in high school,” said Pilar Whitaker, a third-year American literature and culture student who is also pursuing a minor in Afro-American studies. “I felt like a lot of it was neglected.”
Students said that taking ethnic studies courses has made them feel more tied to their community.
“By learning more about your culture, you gain a sense of responsibility,” said Elaine Reodica, a third-year political science and Asian American studies student. “It’s really opened my mind to different perspectives people have … and where the community is now.”
Researchers assert that in addition to the advantages gained from the study of one’s own culture, studying ethnicities outside one’s own can also provide significant gains.
Mitchell Chang, a professor in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, said that a study he conducted showed that prejudice levels among students fell dramatically after taking a course in an ethnic field. He added that such a decline leads to stronger critical thinking skills.
“It takes people’s views about the world out of their strictly personal experiences and forces them to engage with empirical evidence,” Chang said. “This gives them a chance to see how well-aligned their views are with what’s been documented academically.”
Chang emphasized that ethnic studies programs strive to expose students to the wealth of information available instead of forcefully changing their opinions.
“It’s not an exercise in changing political views or proselytizing,” he said. “It’s an educational exercise in getting them to think more critically and challenging or strengthening their own views.”
Reodica, who is the external vice president of Samahang Pilipino and is working to add a Filipino American specialization within the Asian American studies department, said being exposed to this new information could help to bring about social change.
Learning about the intricacies and backgrounds of different cultures, she said, can help to encourage the development of relationships that cross ethnic lines ““ an idea bolstered by Chang’s research.
“There’s a beauty to learning about different people’s cultures,” Reodica said. “Being able to learn about specific cultures and what they’ve lived through is a very powerful thing. That’s the first step to creating change.”
These programs often shape the future plans of the students involved in them, allowing them to use the lessons learned in the classroom beyond college.
Jared Dunlap, a third-year American Indian studies student, said that, after college, he will pursue a medical degree that he can direct toward the American Indian community.
“I know I definitely want to work within the tribal community,” said Dunlap, who is a Chippewa Indian. “That definitely has been developed with my coursework here.”