FAQs (Undergraduate)

An interdisciplinary program (IDP) crosses disciplinary boundaries to tackle problems that require a diverse set of methods and concepts. Hailing from a wide range of schools and academic disciplines, faculty affiliates of the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE) offer a broad range of resources and interdisciplinary courses relevant to the study of race and ethnicity in the United States and transnationally. Unlike a department, Stanford IDPs do not hire their own faculty, although they do have their own teaching staff. 

CSRE narrowly refers to the major, minor, or PhD Minor in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. CCSRE, on the other hand, refers to the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, including our Research Institute and all five of our degree-granting academic programs: Asian American Studies, Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies, Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Jewish Studies, and Native American Studies.

All five of or degree-granting academic programs: Asian American Studies, Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies, Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Jewish Studies, and Native American Studies. This phrase refers to all academic programs of CCSRE (though not to the Research Institute, which is also a part of CCSRE).

Students wishing to declare the major or minor should follow the steps outlined on our How to Declare page. The steps are identical for all of our degree-granting programs, although the requirements for each major and minor differ.

In order to officially add the major or minor, students must be enrolled in, or have completed, CSRE 100: Introduction to Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. Please note that students can and should begin the declaration process even if they have not taken the intro course; in that case, the major or minor will be tagged as "pending" until we confirm that the student has enrolled in CSRE 100. 

We know plans and interests evolve, and we welcome declaration at any time, including over the summer. We recommend opening a conversations with the SSO about declaring as soon as possible, since we can help you think through your options! You do not need to have completed any of the CCSRE requirements in order to set up a meeting to talk through the declaration process. 

If you are late to the declaration game and worried about whether it is feasible to complete course requirements, set up a time to meet with our team! We can help you think through your options. 

Because the declaration process can take time and involves a synchronous meeting with our team, we ask that you budget a month between initiating the process and being approved to major/minor. In many cases, we recommend completing the course proposal form and applying for the major/minor in Axess before completing CSRE 100, but in such cases your application will not be proved until after you enroll in CSRE 100. 

A full list of requirements for all majors and minors can be found on the Stanford Bulletin Page and each of the Academic Program pages on this website. All CCSRE students must take CSRE 100, and all CCSRE majors must also take a comparative core course (101A, B, or C), a methodology course, and a capstone course. Each degree program has program-specific requirements in addition to that basic structure. 

Students should work with the SSO when they declare to come up with an approved list of courses appropriate for their subplan. Subplan courses should be CCSRE courses that focus on race and ethnicity while simultaneously emphasizing the topic or topics in the student's designated subplan. 

Courses that are not listed under CCSRE must be petitioned. Use the petition form and indicate that you would like to count the course toward your Subplan. 

Yes, students majoring in CCSRE may take up to 2 courses CR/NC and students minoring in CCSRE may take up to 1 course CR/NC. If CR/NC is the only grading option, this limit does not apply. Please provide documentation to Academic Programs if you are taking a course that can only be taken CR/NC so we can make a note in your file. 

If you are considering a course that is not listed in the CCSRE family of programs, and/or if you are interested in whether a course will fulfill a given requirement (e.g., the subplan, methodology, or International Dimension requirement), please reach out to the Academic Programs team as soon as possible, and ideally before course enrollment opens, to confirm. Courses outside of CCSRE must be petitioned for inclusion, and the course petition form can be found here. However, students should check with the SSO before filling out the form in case it is not necessary to do so (e.g., if the course certainly will not count). Courses must address race and ethnicity in 70% or more of course content in order to be counted toward the degree (unless they are methodology or language courses), so please do not assume that courses that are not listed in CCSRE will count until you have received official notice. 

Yes, CCSRE majors may count up to 20 units of relevant coursework taken outside of Stanford towards degree electives, and CCSRE minors may count up to 10 units. Note that transfer units may not be used toward any of the core requirements. All transfer units must be approved by the Academic Programs Team and submitted through the course petition form, which requires course syllabi. Please speak with the SSO if you are a transfer student or if you hope to apply transfer units. 

Once you have cleared the courses and units through CCSRE, you will also need to go through the Stanford-wide process for applying transfer units. See here for Stanford-wide policies and submit the pertinent transcripts to the registrar as soon as you are able. For the Registrar's Office to post the credit to your record, you need to send your official transcript (from the external institution) to the Registrar's Office upon course completion. Submit all official transcripts no later than the grading deadline of the quarter in which you will confer your undergraduate degree or you may jeopardize your ability to graduate on time. 

CCSRE students are required to complete at least one-community engaged learning (CEL) course or co-curricular experience. This requirement may be fulfilled by enrolling in a Cardinal Course, completing a CCSRE Undergraduate Fellowship, or participating in an Alternative Spring Break. CEL courses offered for AY '23-'24 are available on our Current Courses page. Students who wish to meet the CEL requirement through a co-curricular experience (e.g. research fellowship) should fill out this form.

CSRE 200X: CCSRE Senior Seminar and CSRE 201X: CCSRE Honors Seminar both fulfill the WIM requirement. One of these courses must be taken in the Autumn quarter of a student's final year of study.

We encourage you to study abroad whenever makes sense for you! However, you cannot study abroad during the Fall quarter of your final year of study, because CSRE 200X and 201X are offered in person only and must be completed in order to graduate.

Not yet! Stay tuned.

No, Stanford University does not allow any courses to be double counted. 

Students may count a limited number of CSRE classes towards their degree in one of the other CCSRE programs. However, the course(s) may only amount to one quarter of the total number of elective units, and they may only be counted as a degree elective. For example, if a student is declared as an Asian American Studies minor and needs 20 units of elective course work, at least 15 of those units must be listed in Asian American Studies, and up to 5 may be in CSRE.

Yes, student may count Asian American Studies, Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies, Jewish Studies, and/or Native American Studies courses towards their CSRE major or minor. However, the courses can only fulfill the subplan and elective requirements, and must not exceed the number of elective units taken in CSRE. That is, if a student requires 30 elective units (including the Subplan units), 16 or more must be in CSRE.

See the above rules pertaining to counting CSRE courses toward other CCSRE degrees and vice versa. Although AAAS is a unique department, AAAS courses are considered part of the CCSRE family of programs for the purposes of CCSRE curricular planning.

Majors and minors can count up to 5 units total of independent study in their respective program towards CCSRE degrees.

Language courses may not be counted towards a major or minor degree in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. However, majors in Asian American Studies, Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies, and Native American Studies may count up to 5 units of a language course toward the degree, and Jewish Studies may count up to 15 units. There are additional limitations on each major program's language opportunities; please consult their respective Bulletins for more information. 

It is not possible to double major in two CCSRE programs because of the overlap in core courses. It may be possible to major and minor in two distinct CCSRE programs, but it would require advance approval with the Academic Programs team. Contact the SSO if you are interested in building out a more robust program of study across CCSRE programs.

Yes, all CCSRE majors must complete 200X or 201X, regardless of whether they completed an Honors project or course in another program. Because 200X and 201X are the only courses that fulfill the WIM requirement, all CCSRE majors must complete one of the two. The work you do in 200X or 201X may be related to projects you are completing for other programs or in other classes, but it must be distinct from other projects and must represent its own 5 units of effort (i.e, 15 hours of work per week). 

The honors program in CCSRE gives graduating students the opportunity to pursue sustained independent research on race and ethnicity with the support of a faculty advising team, an interdisciplinary cohort of peers, and CCSRE staff. Honors students synthesize the skills and insights they have cultivated over the course of their Stanford career to design and produce unique and impactful projects. 

Applications must be submitted by early May of the penultimate year of study. Honors proposals must be preapproved by the project advisor. Visit our Honors page to learn more about program eligibility and the application process.

CCSRE offers two summer fellowship opportunities for undergraduate students: the Community-Based Research (CBR) fellowship and the CCSRE Praxis fellowship. Applications are accepted every winter quarter. More information about them can be found HERE.

You may also pursue Directed Reading and Directed Research projects with a CCSRE faculty advisor. Click here for more information. 

CCSRE hires a cohort of Undergraduate Council Members each Spring quarter. More information about the roles and responsibilities of CCSRE UG Council can be found HERE. Other employment opportunities may arise throughout the year and will be promoted on the undergraduate newsletter.

Yes, many of our students who major and/or minor in other programs or departments participate in multiple commencements. You are welcome to attend and participate in multiple ceremonies, but please be sure that you can attend the entirety of the CCSRE Commencement Ceremony if you commit to walking with us.

CCSRE hosts Commencement shortly after the conclusion of Spring quarter. Students who are graduating on an off quarter and wish to participate in the CCSRE commencement ceremony are welcome to walk with their class.