Ethnic Studies mandated for freshmen this year

Exploring student opinions about the new required class

Staff Writer

Starting with the class of 2028, AHS freshmen are required to take Ethnic Studies, a one-semester course paired with Health.

Ms. Veizades, one teacher of this course, described what the class entails. She said, “Ethnic Studies is about the experiences of different ethnic groups and groups in the United States—topics like immigration and the Civil Rights movement, and, more generally, where our identities come from.” Regarding class structure, she added, “Usually, it’s a project-based class with thematic units for most teachers. Some also teach it by different groups.”

Ocean Joshi (9), a current Ethnic Studies student, described a recent day in class. “Today, we learned about the Underground Railroad and slavery,” he said. “So right now we’re on slavery and African Americans in general.”

Jaylynn Rice (9), another student, recounted a project Ms. Veizades’s class did. “I really liked the Museum of You project,” she said. “We made a pamphlet about ourselves and we talked about different aspects of our identity there. And we shared photos, art, and an artifact, and I really enjoyed that.”

While the new requirement will go into effect for the class of 2029, AHS is introducing it a year early. Ms. Veizades explained, “We’re starting students this year just to make sure we have our curriculum down and that we get the UC A-G approval, which is in the works and should be done this winter. That means that everything will be perfect, ready to go, for the freshmen who actually need it as a graduation requirement next year.”

Students have different opinions about whether Ethnic Studies is worth requiring, with some being unsure. Rice said, “We’ve only had about a month of school, so I can’t be certain yet. It’s a good class to take if you want to, but I’m not sure if I think it should be a requirement because a lot of these things covered have also been covered in past history classes.”

Joshi, is more certain in his support for the class. He said, “In California, we’ve always been pretty liberal, so I think it is good for students, especially entering high school, to take this class so they can get prepared for life in general. It informs you on the struggles of certain ethnic groups in America and helps you learn what to say and what not to say in certain situations.”

Sahana Reka (10), who already took the course last year with a different teacher, shared mixed but mostly positive opinions toward the course. She said, “Although I don’t agree with everything taught in Ethnic Studies, I feel like a lot of the information is still valuable to take into account and to help you form opinions about the world, foster empathy, and realize the world we’re living in is really unfair and we shouldn’t take our privileges for granted.”

Ms. Veizades said, “I do think it’s a step in the right direction. It is also a step in a more polarized direction. Teachers in other states are having laws banning teachers from talking about controversial political topics. So even if you don’t necessarily think an entire semester should be devoted to Ethnic Studies, you should be excited about the fact that you’re going to be exposed to many different ideas and have open debate around difficult topics.”

A “Museum of You” project by one of Ms. Veizades’s students. Rice explained, “We made a pamphlet about ourselves and we talked about different aspects of our identity there. And we got to share photos, art, and an artifact.” (This project is not Rice’s, but that of an anonymous student.) (Photo Credit: Aruna Harpalani (11))