Ethnic and Women’s Studies Department Joins CLASS

By Stephanie Salazar 

The Ethnic and Women’s Studies (EWS) Department—formerly housed in the College of Education and Integrative Studies—has officially moved to the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences (CLASS). 

“We warmly welcome the Ethnic and Women’s Studies Department to our college, and we are very fortunate to have this wonderful opportunity for new and inspirational collaboration within CLASS,” said Interim CLASS Dean David Horner. “Our team has grown stronger, and we look forward to sharing the mission, goals, and opportunities inherent in such growth.”

The department move, which Cal Poly Pomona’s Academic Senate approved in April based on recommendations by the Academic Programs Committee, became effective in the fall semester.

EWS and CLASS recognize the numerous synergies EWS has with the humanities, social sciences, and performing arts and the potential to collaborate on programming, research, teaching, and grant and funding opportunities.

“The department's move to CLASS is exciting. It marks new beginnings for EWS, and I look forward to our collaborative work and mutual growth in CLASS,” said EWS Department Chair Jocelyn Pacleb. 

The move is an opportunity for the department to grow and increase its visibility on and off campus and will play a key role in implementing the new California State University Ethnic Studies General Education requirement.

There is also strong alignment in EWS and CLASS for creating—and sustaining—inclusive and equitable learning environments and inclusivity. The CLASS Inclusive Excellence Committee is also excited to have EWS partner in ongoing efforts for transformational, anti-racist institutional change.

EWS and Educational Leadership Associate Professor José Aguilar-Hernández and Sociology Professor Anthony Ocampo have already begun to work collaboratively as the co-directors of the new Office of Interdisciplinary Ethnic Studies, Teaching, and Scholarship at Cal Poly Pomona. 

About the EWS Department 

The Ethnic and Women’s Studies Department is widely known for its interdisciplinary and student-centered education and dedicated community engagement efforts in surrounding areas—including the Inland Empire, Los Angeles County, and Riverside County—and with several tribes in and outside the Inland Empire.

The department also has a strong reputation for frequent collaboration with campus departments, cultural centers, and PolyX and for offering students professional, hands-on service-learning opportunities.

The department offers two unique Gender, Ethnicity, and Multicultural Studies (GEMS) interdisciplinary degrees and is home to over 80 GEMS majors, nine full-time faculty members, and one staff member. 

Throughout the program, GEMS students gain a comparative and expansive understanding of ethnic, class, and gender relations with specific concentrations in African American Studies, Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) Studies, Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies, Native American Studies, and Gender and Sexuality Studies.

Despite the organizational move, the department will physically remain in building 94. To learn more about EWS, visit www.cpp.edu/class/ethnic-womens-studies/index.shtml.

For questions regarding the department move, please contact the CLASS Dean’s Office at 909-869-3500 or class@cpp.edu.