The Ethnic Studies minor offers an interdisciplinary perspective on race, ethnicity, and culture, especially on the nature of historical and social constructs that define group and individual experiences, attitudes, and identities. The focus of the minor will be on the following North American ethnic groups: African-American, Chicano/Latino, Native American, and Asian American.

The objectives of the minor have two complementary components. One, more narrowly academic, aims at helping students develop critical thinking using a multicultural perspective with reference to their own backgrounds and those of others, and with materials from within and without the traditional canon. The other, more social and experimental, involves becoming familiar with and appreciating diversity among students and the larger community. Both aim at providing knowledge and understanding which will help students reach across racial and cultural barriers and equip them to function effectively, both professionally and personally, in a multicultural world.