Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity Program

In order to earn a B.A. in Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity, students must select a Subplan (see below for more information) and complete at least 60 units toward the major.

• 15 Units of Core Curriculum 
• 3-5 Units of a Methodology Course 
• 6-10 Units of Interdiciplinary Breadth Courses 
• 20-25 Units of Subplan-focused Courses
• 10-16 Units of general CSRE-Focused Courses
• One Community Engaged Learning Course 

Core Curriculum (15 Units)

Majors must take three CSRE core curriculum courses including, Introduction to Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (CSRE 196C), an additional comparative-core course, and the CSRE Senior Seminar (CSRE 200X) taken in Autumn Quarter of their senior year.

Methodology Course (3-5 Units)

Majors are required to take a course focused on research methods relevant to their disciplinary approach as a student in Comparative Studies. Methodology Courses can be found on Explore Courses by using CSRE::Methodology as the search key.

Interdisciplinary Breadth (6-10 Units) 

Majors are required to fulfill the Interdisciplinary Breadth Requirement by taking one course in a Social Science category, and one course in an Arts & Humanities category. Both classes must have a racial component to them. Categories of classes can be found on the School of Humanities & Sciences Bulletin Page.

Subplan (20-25 Units)

Majors are required to complete  subplan-focused courses toward their major. A list of subplans can he found below on this page. For more detailed information, inclusing a list of course associated with each subplan, you can visit the Subplan Page on the Bulletin. 

General CSRE Focus (10-16 Units)

Majors are required to complete their additional courses in CSRE from an approved list. 

Community Engaged Learning

All majors are required to complete at least one service-learning experience. This requirement may be fulfilled by enrolling in a service-learning course, participating in an identity, race, or ethnicity focused service-learning Alternative Spring Break, participating in the Community Based Research Fellowship program, or enrolling in CSRE 198 Internship for Public Service while completing independent service work.

To find a more detailed overview of this major please visit our Bulletin Page.

If you are ready to declare, please visit the How to Declare Page

In order to earn a Minor in CSRE, students must complete at least 30 units toward the minor.

• 5 Units of a Core Curriculum Course (CSRE 196C) 
• 5 Units of a Major Core Course
• 20 Units of CSRE Focused Courses

Core Curriculum (5 Units)

Minors must take Intro to CSRE (CSRE 196C). 

Major Core Course (5 Units)

Minors are required to take one major-core course in CSRE.

CSRE Focus (20 Units)

Minors are required to complete their additional courses in CSRE  from an approved list. 

To find a more detailed overview of this minor please visit our Bulletin Page.

If you are ready to declare, please visit the How to Declare Page

Official subplans will be printed on students' transcripts and diplomas upon graduating.

Subplans are intended to provide students a structure that allows for greater coherence within their course of study in CSRE and an opportunity to gain further content knowledge and expertise within a particular area of study.

Education & Inequality

The subplan in Education & Inequality explores history, policy, and practice in education to understand how educational opportunity is shaped by issues of race, ethnicity, and difference. The goal of the subplan is to develop an understanding of the core issues facing educators and policy makers so that students may learn how they can contribute to the social and political discourse surrounding issues of education and opportunity policy in the U.S.

Environmental Justice

The Environmental Justice subplan allows students to expand their awareness of the environment’s significance to various racial and ethnic groups. What is the relationship between certain societies and groups and the environment? What far reaching impacts can the environment have on segments of the population? Water, air, and food are vital necessities impacted by political, economic, and social decisions and actions. Explore the inequalities that affect low-income and communities of color, and work toward just environments for all.

Health & Wellness

The subplan in Health & Wellness is designed for students who are seeking an interdisciplinary exploration of health disparities, health access, and health policy. Through course work, students examine how health experiences are influenced by issues of race and ethnicity.

Identity Diversity Aesthetics

The Identity Diversity Aesthetics subplan is designed for students to explore the intersections of culture, race, the arts, and social transformation. In IDA courses taught by Stanford faculty, lecturers, and distinguished Visiting Artists, students learn how the arts, activism, and the academy interact to produce aesthetic and societal change.

Politics, Policy & Equity

The Politics, Policy & Equity subplan is designed for students who wish to focus on the ways that political institutions, public policy, non-profits and social movements shape and are shaped by race and ethnicity. This subplan allows students the opportunity to examine the ramifications that politics and policy have on society through the lens of race and ethnicity.

Race, Gender & Sexuality

The Race, Gender & Sexuality subplan is designed for students who wish to explore the intersections between race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality. This subplan gives students the tools to analyze intersecting aspects of race, gender and sexuality. Students will examine the construction of power systems to better contextualize how certain identities become privileged over others. Students who select this subplan can use courses from a range of departments and programs to come away with a better understanding of how these three kinds of categories shape each other. Drawing from contributions of women of color feminism and queer of color studies, this concentration challenges normative constructions of ‘race’ and ‘ethnicity’ by equipping students with analytical tools from feminist theory, queer theory, post-colonial theory, critical race theory, and other critical methods.

Race, Space & Belonging

The Race, Space & Belonging subplan allows students to examine issues of immigration, citizenship, empire and expansion, gentrification, segregation, urban, suburban, and rural spaces, human rights, public welfare, social justice and law. Students can take courses from a range of departments and programs to delve deeper into the ways in which race and ethnicity intertwine with access to space, nations, and resources.

Technology & Media

Technology’s impact on society is large and the technology itself changes rapidly. From type, photographs, film and radio, to social media, artificial intelligence and algorithms, students in this subplan will look at the relationship between technology, media, race and ethnicity and the role technology played and continues to play in our society. What lenses can the study of race and ethnicity provide to engineering, computer science, and other STEM disciplines? How can technology be harnessed to actualize a more just and equitable world?

For official CSRE policies related to subplans, please see the Bulletin.