Arun Rasiah, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies, Director of Liberal Studies, CSU East Bay, will give the free public lecture “Racial Justice, Social Movements and Policy Change: Integrating Ethnic Studies and Education in California” on Tuesday, November 30 from 3 – 4 pm in Education 4108 on the UCSB campus.
Recent legislative changes make this an important moment for ethnic studies and education. New state laws mandate an ethnic studies requirement in the public high schools and California State University system, while reducing barriers to teaching in public schools. These reforms follow demands to diversify the curriculum and teacher workforce and have been energized by the George Floyd protests of 2020. Administrators, instructors, and students at all levels can participate in the movement to reshape education in California. This presentation considers the historical moment and possibilities for transformation.
Arun Rasiah has a Bachelor of Arts in History from Oberlin College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Education from the University of California, Berkeley. He has taught in schools, jails, community colleges and universities in the Bay Area. In 2019 he was a Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, University College London and the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research interests are in literacy studies, Islamic education, Muslims in the Americas, Indian Ocean Islam and global history.
Attendees must show proof of vaccination or negative COVID test and pass the UCSB online symptom screener the day of the event prior to being admitted.