Contact Us
About CSER
Frances Negron-Muntaner
Founded in 1999, the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and
Race (CSER) at Columbia University is an interdisciplinary
intellectual space whose mission is to advance the most innovative
research, public discussion, and teaching about race and ethnicity.
What makes CSER unique is its attention to the comparative study
of racial and ethnic categories in the production of social identities,
power relations, and forms of knowledge in a multiplicity of
contexts, including the arts, social sciences, natural sciences, and
humanities.
Director
422 Hamilton Hall
Phone: 212-854-0195
E-mail: fn2103@columbia.edu
John Gamber
Director Undergraduate Advisor
416 Hamilton Hall
E-mail: jbg2134@columbia.edu
Teresa Aguayo
Assistant Director
424 Hamilton Hall
Phone: 212-854-0510
E-mail: ta2015@columbia.edu
Josephine Caputo
To promote its mission, the Center organizes conferences,
seminars, exhibits, film screenings, and lectures that bring together
faculty, as well as undergraduate and graduate students, with
diverse interests and backgrounds. CSER partners with
departments, centers, and institutes at Columbia and works with
colleagues and organizations on campus and off campus in order
to facilitate an exchange of knowledge.
At present, CSER is Columbia's main interdisciplinary space for
the study of ethnicity and race and their implications for thinking
about culture, power, hierarchy, social identities, and political
communities. The Center is also pursuing a wide range of public
programming, including the biannual "Artist at the Center"; the
Caribbean Faculty Working Group and Native American/
Indigenous Studies Project’s speaker series; the monthly
"Workshop on Critical Approaches to Race and Ethnicity"; and a VLog Series on the web.
Administrative Assistant
423 Hamilton Hall
Phone: 212-854-0507
E-mail: jc2768@columbia.edu
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Major Requirements
Office Hours /
Students choosing the major/concentration in ethnicity and race
studies may focus their work on any of our four tracks: Asian
American Studies, Latino/a Studies, Native American/
Indigenous Studies and Comparative Ethnic Studies. Students
also have the option of designing an individualized course of study.
Individualized courses of study may encompass a wide variety of
themes. Among the most studied are those involving the
relationship between race, ethnicity and law; health; human rights;
urban spaces; cultural production; visual culture; and the
environment.
FENNEL, CASSIE
MON 4:10PM - 6:30PM
957 SCHERMERHORN (SIGN –UP SHEET ON OFFICE DOOR)
For the Major
The major consists of a minimum of 28 credits. Students will take
three core courses and write a senior research project. Following
the core courses, students will take a minimum of four elective
courses, one of which must be a seminar.
Core Courses (11 Points)
 CSER W3919 Modes of Inquiry
(4 points)
 CSER W3928 Colonialism, Decolonization and the Making of
the Modern World (4 points)
 One of the following:
CSER W1010 Introduction to Comparative Ethnic Studies (4
points)
CSER W1040 Critical Approaches to the Study of Ethnicity and
Race (4 points)
Specialization (13 Points)
Students must complete at least four courses, in consultation with
their major advisor, in one of the following tracks/areas of
specialization:
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Fall 2011
GAMALINDA, ERIC
THURS 8PM-8:30PM BY APPOINTMENT
GAMBER, JOHN
TUES & THURS 1:30PM-2:30PM
416 HAMILTON BY APPOINTMENT
IKUKO, ASAKA
THURS 4:30PM-6PM
421 HAMILTON BY APPOINTMENT
MORALES, ED
WEDS 4PM-6PM
421 HAMILTON
NEGRON-MUNTANER, FRANCES
MON & WEDS 2:30PM-4:30PM
422 HAMILTON
NGAI, MAE M.
WEDS 3PM-5PM
520 FAYERWEATHER BY APPOINTMENT
OKIHIRO, GARY Y.
TUES & THURS 3PM-4PM
508 KNOX HALL
OUYANG, LIZ
THURS 9:30AM-10:30AM
421 HAMILTON BY APPOINMENT
ROCKEFELLER, STUART
TUES 2:30PM-4PM
421 HAMILTON BY APPOINTMENT
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Fellows
Sarah Elizabeth Vaughn
PhD. Candidate
Anthropology Department, Columbia University
Adjunct Professors
Eric Gamalinda
Shinhee Han
Sel Hwahng
Ed Morales
Elizabeth OuYang
Jason Ramírez
Stuart Rockefeller
Dorothy Wang





Asian American studies
Comparative Ethnic Studies
Latino/a Studies
Native American/Indigenous Studies
Individualized courses of study
Senior Research Projects
CSER W3990 and CSER W3991 Senior Research Project (4
points) –must take “Modes of inquiry” first
Language Courses
Affiliated Faculty
One of the following is highly recommended, although not required
for the major:
Rachel Adams
Associate Professor, Department of English and Comparative Literature
Carlos Alonso
Morris A. & Alma Schapiro Professor in the Humanities, Department of
Spanish and Portuguese
Janaki Bakhle
Associate Professor, Department of History
 One course beyond the intermediate-level in language pertinent
to the student’s focus.
 An introductory course in a language other than that used to
fulfill the degree requirements, but that is pertinent to the
student’s focus.
 A linguistics or other course that critically engages language.
 An Outside language and study abroad program that include an
emphasis on language acquisition.
Christina Burnett
Associate Professor of Law, Columbia Law School
Steven Gregory
Associate Professor of Anthropology and African-American Studies,
Department of Anthropology and Institute for Research in AfricanAmerican Studies
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For the Concentration
The concentration requires a minimum of 23 credits. Students will
take two core courses and four elective courses, one of which must
be a seminar.
Core Faculty and Executive
Nadia Abu El-Haj
CSER Executive Committee and Chair of Anthropology-Barnard College
Committee
email: ne2008@columbia.edu
Core Courses (11 Points)
 CSER W3919 Modes of Inquiry (4 points)
 CSER W3928 Colonialism, Decolonization and the Making of
the Modern World (4 points)
 One of the following:
CSER W1010 Introduction to Comparative Ethnic Studies (4
points)
CSER W1040 Critical Approaches to the Study of Ethnicity and
Race (4 points)
Catherine Fennell
CSER and Anthropology
email: cfk2106@columbia.edu
John Gamber
CSER and English
email: jbg2134@columbia.edu
Claudio Lomnitz
CSER and Anthropology
email: cl2510@columbia.edu
Frances Negrón-Muntaner
Director, Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race and English
email: fn2103@columbia.edu
Specialization (12 Points)
Students must complete at least four courses, in consultation with
their major advisor, in one of the following tracks/areas of
specialization:





Faculty
Asian American studies
Comparative Ethnic Studies
Latino/a Studies
Native American/Indigenous Studies
Individualized courses of study
Alondra Nelson
CSER Executive Committee and Sociology
email: alondra.nelson@columbia.edu
Mae Ngai
CSER and History
email: mn53@columbia.edu
Ana Maria Ochoa
CSER Music and Director, Center for Ethnomusicology
email: ao2110@columbia.edu
Gary Y. Okihiro
CSER and International and Public Affairs
email: gyo3@columbia.edu
Elsa Stamatopoulou
CSER and Anthropology
email: elsaathens@gmail.com
Gray Tuttle
CSER Executive Committee and History
email: gwt2102@columbia.edu
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CSER W1010
Introduction to Comparative Ethnic Studies
Prof. Gary Okihiro – TR 1:10pm-2:25 pm
417 International Affairs Bldg
Introduction to the field of comparative ethnic studies.
CSER W3510
Immigration, Relocation, and Diaspora
Prof. John Gamber – TR 2:40-3:55pm - 517 Hamilton
The master narrative of the United States has always vacillated
between valorizations of movement and settlement. While ours is a
nation of immigrants, one which privileges its history of westward
expansion and pioneering, trailblazing adventurers, we also seem to
long for what Wallace Stegner called a "sense of place," a true
belonging within a single locale. Each of these constructions has
tended to focus on individuals with a tremendous degree of agency in
terms of where and whether they go. However, it is equally important
to understand the tension between movement and stasis within
communities most frequently subjected to spatial upheavals. To that
end, this course is designed to examine narratives of immigration,
migration, relocation, and diaspora by authors of color in the United
States.
CSER W3250
Native American Representations
Prof. John Gamber – T 4:10-6pm- 420 Hamilton Hall
*NOTE: formerly Representations of Native America
All too often, the general population's ideas about American Indians
are shaped by representations that do not come from Indian people.
These often stereotyping images of Native Americans shape not only
popular, but even indigenous notions about what Indians are or ought
to be. This course is designed to provide students with a background
in the ways that Native people have represented themselves, whether
they are writing/creating back against outside portrayals or creating for
their own expression. This is an ethnic studies course. As such we will
be addressing issues including indigeneity, race, ethnicity, privilege,
and marginalization. We will also address the intersections between
these issues and those of class, gender, and sexuality.
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Fall 2011 Events
September 22 (THUR), 2011 6:00-8:00pm
Please join us in welcoming:
Nora Gamez, "Living in transition: the politics of popular
music in contemporary Cuba"
Ms. Gamez has a MSc. degree in Media and Communication from
the London School of Economics and Political Science in the UK.
Presented by CSER, Center for Ethnomusicology and the
Department of Latin American Cultures
Location: Casa Hispanica, Columbia University - 612 West 116th
Street, Room 201, New York, NY
September 28 (WEDS), 2011 4:00pm-6:00pm
CSER Open House
Location: 420 Hamilton Hall
October 6 (THU), 2011, 1:00pm-6:00pm
CSER Faculty Symposium:
"Theory and Practice of Social Movements"
This coming October we will begin a second series, the Annual
CSER Symposium. The Symposium will create a space for
discussion on a topic of interest to CSER faculty.
Location: Faculty House, Columbia University-Garden Room One
64 Morningside Drive New York, NY
October 12-14, 2011 (more information TBA)
Cervantes Hispanic New York Film Festival
November 2, (WEDS), 2011 4:00pm-6:00pm
Indigenous Forum Series – Mark Trahant
Location: 420 Hamilton Hall
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December 2, (FRI), 2011 – 10:00am
"Transcolonial Fanon"
The Institute of African Studies (IAS), the Center for the Study of
Ethnicity and Race (CSER) and the Maison Française at Columbia
University will sponsor the Interdisciplinary Conference to
commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Frantz Fanon.
Location: Maison Francaise, Columbia University, Buell Hall, 2nd
Floor, Broadway Boulevard at West 116th Street, New York, NY
December 8 (THUR), 2011 5:30pm-9:00pm Location TBA
CSER Holiday Party
December 9-14, 2011 (more information TBA)
Tibetan Language Conference
Fall 2011 Courses
CSER Courses
CSER W3919 *Major Requirement
Modes of Inquiry
Prof. Catherine Fennell – W 2:10pm-4:00pm - 402 Hamilton
Lab Session - M 2:10pm-3:00pm - 402 Hamilton
One of CSER's new required courses, Modes of Inquiry aims to
introduce students to a variety of ways of knowing key to several fields
that investigate racial and ethnic difference in social, cultural, political
and economic life. The seminar will also ask students to think
reflexively and critically about the approaches they employ and
evaluate the ethics, constraints and potential of contemporary
knowledge production about difference. The course will culminate in a
semester project, an 8-10 page proposal for research that will ideally
be related to the student senior project.
CSER W3928
Colonization/Decolonization
Prof. Mae Ngai and Prof. Chris Brown - W 11:00am-12:50pm - 420
Hamilton
This course focuses on the spread of European influence and
hegemony throughout the world from the age of discovery in the late
fifteenth and sixteenth century to the era of decolonization after World
War II and postcolonial realities of the present. We are interested in
the processes and contents of social and cultural contact and
exchange, the development of knowledge, and how they shape
relations of power; the place of colonialism in the development of
western capitalism; and the elements of colonial power and
resistance, including ideologies of liberal political philosophy, social
Darwinism, and nationalism. We will think about how ideas about
civilization, religion, self and other, and freedom have evolved over
time and shaped the making of the modern world. Class is held as a
discussion seminar based on close reading of the primary-source
documents.
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Asian American communities, including yellowface, white patriarchy,
male and female stereotypes, the "model minority" myth, depictions of
"Chinatowns," panethnicity, the changing political interpretations of the
term "Asian American" throughout American history, gender and
sexuality, and cultural hegemonies and privileging within the Asian
community.
CSER W3970
Palestine and the Palestinians Through Literature and Theater
Prof. Nathalie Handal - T 2:10pm-4:00pm – 420 Hamilton
This course explores contemporary Palestinian culture, history, and
society through literature and theater produced by Palestinian writers
and playwrights, including those in the West Bank, Israel, other Arab
countries, and the West. The course will examine Palestinianess,
looking at the various cultural and socio-political issues prevalent in
plays, poetry, non-fiction and fiction. Discussions revolve around
styles and aesthetics as well as identity and cultural politics. Students
will also read critical and theoretical works in order to better help them
understand the works. Some of the writers the class will cover include,
Mahmoud Darwish, Faqwa Tuqan, Sayed Kashua, Mourid Barghouti,
and Naomi Shihab Nye.
CSER W1601
Introduction to Latino/a Studies
Prof. Frances Negrón-Muntaner - MW 1:10pm-2:25pm
503 Hamilton
The objective of this course is to provide an interdisciplinary
introduction to Latino studies and some of its most salient debates,
including the constitution of Latino identity, immigration, the
relationship of Latinos to the labor force, racialization processes,
gender dynamics, and sexual politics, among others.
East Asian W4357
Contemporary Japanese Cinema
Instructor: Hikari Hori
Lecture: W 6:10pm-8:00pm – 522C Kent Hall
English W3925
Advanced Topics - Asian-American Literature/Culture:
Transnationalism, Diaspora, Cosmopolitanism
Instructor: Wen Jin; T 2:10pm-4:00pm – 201D Philosophy Hall
Anthropology V1007
The Origins of Human Society
Instructor: Severin Fowles; TR 2:40pm-3:55pm – 304 Barnard Hall
Anthropology W4172
Written Culture
Instructor: Brinkley Messick; R 2:10pm-4:00pm– 467
Schermerhorn Hall
Anthropology V2008
Film and Culture
Instructor: Margaret Vail; T 7:30pm-10:30pm– 417 International
Affairs Bldg.
Anthropology G6057
Government, Citizen, and Indigenous Political Criticism
Instructor: Audra Simpson; T 6:10pm-8:00pm - 963 Schermerhorn
Anthropology V3465
Women and Gender in the Muslim World
Instructor: Lila Abu-Lughod; MW 11:00am-12:15pm– 413 Kent Hall
Anthropology G8014
Advanced Study - South Asian History/Culture
Advanced Topics in American Culture
Instructors: Partha Chatterjee, Nicholas Dirks; M 2:10pm-4:00pm–
302 Fayerweather
American Studies G7020
American Cultural Criticism
Instructors: Casey Blake, Ross Posnock; T 4:10pm-6:00pm– 317
Hamilton Hall
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Anthropology G6057
Government, Citizen and Indigenous Political Criticism
Instructor: Audra Simpson; T 6:10pm-8:00pm – Location: 963
Schermerhorn Hall
History: East Asian W3850
Contemporary Chinese Culture and Society
Instructor: Guobin Yang; TR 2:40pm-3:55pm– 328 Milbank Hall
(Barnard)
African-American Studies C3930
Topics in the Black Experience: Black Masculinity
Instructor: Marcellus Blount; M 4:10pm-6:00pm – 758 Ext.
Schermerhorn
African-American Studies C3930
Topics in the Black Experience: Exploring Black Chicago
Instructor: Carla L. Shedd; T 11:00am-12:50pm – 758 Ext.
Schermerhorn Hall
Women's Studies G6820
Studies in the Novel: Novel and Feminist Theory
Instructor: Marrianne Hirsch; M 2:10pm-4:00pm - 754 Ext.
Schermerhorn Hall
Women's Studies V3112
Feminist Texts II
Instructor: Lisa Tiersten M 2:10pm-4:00pm – 201 Lehman Hall
Women's Studies BC2140
Critical Approaches
Instructor: Lisa Tiersten; TR 9:10pm-10:25am – 409 Barnard Hall
CSER W3926
Latin Music and Identity
Prof. Ed Morales - W 2:10pm -4:00pm – 420 Hamilton
Latin music has had a historically strained relationship with
mainstream music tastes, exploding in occasional "boom" periods,
and receding into invisibility in others. What if this were true because it
is a space for hybrid construction of identity that directly reflects a
mixture of traditions across racial lines in Latin America? This course
will investigate Latin music's transgression of binary views of race in
Anglo-American society, even as it directly affects the development of
pop music in America. From New Orleans jazz to Texas corridos,
salsa, rock, and reggaetón, Latin music acts as both as a soundtrack
and a structural blueprint for the 21st century's multicultural
experiment. There will be a strong focus on studying Latin music's
political economy, and investigating the story it tells about migration
and globalization.
CSER W3905
Asian Americans and the Psychology of Race
Prof. Shinhee Han – R 11:00am -12:50pm - 420 Hamilton
This seminar provides an introduction to mental health issues for
Asian Americans. In particular, it focuses on the psychology of Asian
Americans as racial/ethnic minorities in the United States by exploring
a number of key concepts: immigration, racialization, prejudice, family,
identity, pathology, and loss. We will examine the development of
identity in relation to self, family, college, and society. Quantitative
investigation, qualitative research, psychology theories of
multiculturalism, and Asian American literature will also be integrated
into the course.
Women's Studies W4310
Contemporary American Jewish Women's Literature
Instructor: Irena Klepfisz; T 4:10pm-6:00pm – 227 Milbank Hall
(Barnard)
CSER W3922
Asian American Cinema
Prof. Eric Gamalinda- R 6:10-8:00pm – 420 Hamilton
African-American Studies G4080
Topics in the Black Experience: Racial and Social Formations
Instructor: Gary Okihiro; W 6:10pm-8:00pm 758 Ext Schermerhorn
Hall SCH
This seminar focuses on the critical analysis of Asian representation
and participation in Hollywood by taking a look at how mainstream
American cinema continues to essentialize the Asian and how Asian
American filmmakers have responded to Orientalist stereotypes
generated by Hollywood. We will analyze various issues confronting
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DNCE BC3570
Latin American and Caribbean Dance
Instructor: Paul A. Scolieri – TR 1:10pm-2:25pm – 302 Barnard
Hall
AFRS BC3110
Africana Colloquium
Instructor: Kim F. Hall – W 12:pm-1:50pm – 405 Barnard Hall
HIST BC4587
Modern Representations of Slavery
Instructor: Celia E. Naylor – T 2:10pm-4:00pm – 201 Lehman Hall
(Barnard)
CSER Cross-Referenced Courses
Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology W4700
Race: The Tangled History of a Biological Concept
Instructor: Jill Shapiro; M 4:10pm-5:25pm W 4:10pm-6:30pm 951
Schermerhorn
Sociology V2420
Race & Place in Urban American
Instructor: Carla Shedd; TR 2:40pm - 3:55pm – 503 Hamilton Hall
East Asian: Religion W4111
The Japanese Buddhist Temple
Instructor: David L. Moerman, Matthew P. McKelway; MW
10:35am-11:50am– 832 Schermerhorn Hall
East Asian W4106
Global Genres and East Asian Cinema
Instructor: Weihong Bao; T 4:10pm-6:00pm – Location TBA
History: East Asian W3850
Contemporary Chinese Culture and Society
Instructor: Guobin Yang; TR 2:40pm-3:55pm– Location TBA
CSER W3490
Critical Analysis of Post 9/11 Immigration Policies
Prof. Elizabeth R. OuYang - R 11:00am-12:50pm - 522C Kent Hall
Since September 11, 2001, there has been an avalanche of
immigration enforcement policies and initiatives proposed or
implemented under the guise of national security. This course will
analyze the domino effect of the Patriot Act, the Absconder Initiative,
Special Registration, the Real I.D. Act, border security including the
building of the 700 mile fence along the U.S./Mexico border, Secured
Communities Act-that requires the cooperation of state and local
authorities in immigration enforcement, the challenge to birthright
citizenship, and now the congressional hearings on Islamic
radicalization. Have these policies been effective in combating the war
on terrorism and promoting national security? Who stands to benefit
from these enforcement strategies? Do immigrant communities feel
safer in the U.S.? How have states joined the federal bandwagon of
immigration enforcement or created solutions to an inflexible, broken
immigration system?
CSER W3903
Immigrant Social Movements
Prof. Stuart Rockefeller, T 11:00am–12:50pm – 420 Hamilton
The course would make much use of Ong's Flexible Citizenship, also
drawing on Das Gupta's Unruly Immigrants, and I would hope to
spend some time talking about Chavez & Chicanismo as well as
Benmayor's (and others') work on cultural citizenship, early 20th
Century Italian and Jewish anarchists, and spend some time on
Argentina, specifically Bolivians there. Maybe something on exiled
Latin American intellectuals, if I can find good sources. It would be a
way to look at how displaced/marginal peoples find a basis to claim a
public personhood, and look at fights over citizenship and
transnationalism. I'm most interested in immigrants going beyond
'immigrant-rights' activism, to actively working on the 'host' society.
East Asian W4557
Film and TV in Tibet - Inner Asia
Instructor: Robert J Barnett; M 4:10pm-6pm – 522B Kent Hall
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CSER W3909
Critical Approaches to Race, Gender, and Human Movements,
Past and Present
Prof. Ikuko Asaka - R 2:10pm-4:00pm – 420 Hamilton
Narratives of human movements have long generated concepts and
practices of race, gender, and sexuality. In turn, institutional structures
have dictated how people move, informed by ideas about human
differences, and continue to reproduce social, economic, and political
hierarchies. This seminar highlights mobility as an interpretive
framework for analyzing modes of difference-making as well as for
illuminating marginalized people’s efforts to unsettle hegemonic
boundaries defined at local, national, and transnational levels.
Drawing on case studies within and beyond the United States, the
seminar examines forms of mobility inflected by race, gender, and
sexuality, looking at human movements of the past and present
formed within such contexts as imperial rule, diaspora, exile, tourism,
and (im) migration. Primary topics include: mobility and cultural
production; transportation as a mechanism of inequality; mobility as a
cultural weapon for racialized and gendered subjects; and the
presumption of heterosexuality in immigration and citizenship
discourses.
ICORE/MORE Courses
ENGL BC3196
Home to Harlem: Literature of the Harlem Renaissance
Instructor: Monica L. Miller - MW 10:35am-11:50am - 302 Barnard
Hall
AFRS BC3005
Introduction to Caribbean Societies
Instructor: Maja Horn – TR 2:40pm-3:55pm – 302 Barnard Hall
AFRS BC3121
Black Women in America (same as WMST BC3121)
Instructor: Kim Hall – R 2:20pm-4:00pm 201 Lehman Hall
(Barnard)
ANTH V3300
Pre-Columbian Histories of Native America
Instructor: Severin Fowles – TR 10:35am-11:50am Location TBA
HIST BC3321
Colonial Encounters
Instructor: Lisa Tiersten – MW 11:00am-12:15pm 405 Milbank Hall
(Barnard)
RELI W4620
Religious Worlds of New York
Instructor: John S. Hawley, Courtney Bender – W 11:00am12:50pm 201 80 Claremont Ave
SOCI V3324
Poverty, Inequality, and Policy
Instructor: Jacqueline Olvera – M 4:10pm-6pm – 227 Milbank Hall
(Barnard)
AFRS BC3146
African American and African Writing and the Screen
Instructor: Yvette Christianse – T 4:10pm-6:00pm – 530 Altschul
Hall (Barnard)
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Center for the Study of
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C O L U M B I A
Race
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