Pacific Islander Studies

Pacific Islander studies introduces students to historical and contemporary topics in relation to Native Pacific Islander communities and Oceanic peoples, cultures, histories, knowledges, and experiences throughout the diaspora in the United States.

Students apply Indigenous epistemologies and methodologies to understand diverse experiences of Oceania, examining imperialism, colonization, militarization and globalization, social and sovereignty movements, tourism, racialization, immigration, environmental justice, climate change and urbanization. Courses center intellectual traditions and contributions of Oceanic communities with an emphasis on agency, the arts, intersectional identities, environment, land rights, and community health.

Courses prepare students of all backgrounds to work in and support Oceanic communities and for diverse careers in the sciences, social sciences, liberal arts, and public and private sectors.

Academic and Career Pathway

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Contact Information

Chair: Olivia Quintanilla

Dean: Jonathan Fohrman

Department: Ethnic Studies

Office: Building OC2700, 760.795.6844

How to Read Course Descriptions

For more detailed information about a course, such as its content, objectives, and fulfillment of a degree, certificate, or general education requirement, please see the official course outline of record, available on the Courses and Programs webpage.

Courses

PACS 100: Introduction to Pacific Islander and Oceania Studies

Units: 3
Prerequisites: None
Acceptable for Credit: CSU, UC
Lecture 3 hours.
Course Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer

This course introduces the interdisciplinary field of Pacific Islands, Pacific Islander, and Oceania studies. Students examine historical and contemporary issues and experiences related to Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the United States and across the Pacific diaspora. Students learn island and ocean geographies by studying maps and discussing the cartographic politics that formed the regions of Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. This course focuses on the experiences of Pacific Islanders from Hawai'i, Samoa, American Samoa, Fiji, Guam, Tonga, Palau, Marshall Islands, Tahiti, and New Zealand. This course examines colonial, postcolonial, and neocolonial histories of the region, history, politics, immigration, environment, decolonization, self-determination, resistance and social movements through Pacific Islander and Oceanic epistemologies. They explore the diverse cultures and identities of the Pacific, highlighting traditional knowledge, customs, arts (storytelling, weaving, tattooing), practices (canoe building, navigation, surfing), religion, and food.

Pacific Islander Studies

Pacific Islander Studies

Academic and Career Pathway

Contact Information

Courses

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