CALIFORNIA—On Monday, August 17, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill No. 1460 by Shirley Weber, California State Assembly, which requires every California State University student complete at least one ethnic studies course for graduation.
“Existing regulations require students of the California State University to complete courses in American history and American government or pass comprehensive examinations in those fields in order to graduate, with specified requirements and exceptions,” states Assembly Bill No. 1460.
Starting with the 2011-2022 academic year, all California State Universities are required to create ethnic studies courses. The bill states that students, graduating during the 2024-2025 academic year, have to take at minimum one 3-unit course in ethnic studies category as an undergraduate graduation requirement. Ethnic studies are defined as the study of four traditional primary groups, including Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latina and Latino Americans.
On July 22, the California State University Board of Trustees included marginalized groups, such as Muslims, Jews, and LGBTQ people, as CSU’s ethnic studies curriculum and social justice proposal.
Shirley Weber, a member of the California State Assembly and retired Africana studies professor at San Diego State University, tweeted, “This bill reflects 50 years of student, faculty, and community advocacy for curriculum reflective of and responsive to our diverse state.”
The bill aims to allow CSU students to learn the multicultural democracy of the United States and become accountable citizens.
