Jul 24, 2025  
2025-2026 University Catalog 
    
2025-2026 University Catalog

Chicana and Chicano Studies


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OFFICE: Arts and Letters 348
TELEPHONE: 619-594-6452
E-MAIL: ccs@sdsu.edu
WEBSITE: http://aztlan.sdsu.edu


Undergraduate Information

The Major

Chicana and Chicano studies is an interdisciplinary field that takes as its focus of study Chicana/o-Mexicana/o, other Latina/o populations, the U.S.-Mexico border/lands, and society at large. Through an academically rigorous program, the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies seeks to develop bachelors of art who have a general knowledge of the history, cultures, and social life of Chicana/o-Mexicana/o communities over time in comparative and global contexts. The program provides an in-depth understanding of the social, political, and economic inequalities and challenges faced by Chicana/o-Mexicana/o and other Latina/o communities. Students will learn to critically interrogate assumptions about race/ethnicity, class, gender, citizenship, and sexuality, among other axes of power, as well as understand the influence of border/lands in marking the experiences of Chicana/o-Mexicana/o communities and society at large.

The department was created in 1969, and has its origins in the Chicano Movement, which envisioned and fought for a world free of inequality. In this spirit, Chicana and Chicano studies majors will acquire the knowledge and skills to exercise responsible leadership, effectively engage diverse communities, and advocate for social justice and equality.

Chicana and Chicano studies majors are prepared for graduate study and careers in education, government (federal, state, and local), journalism, law, and nonprofit and grassroots organizations.

Advising

All College of Arts and Letters majors are urged to consult with their department adviser as soon as possible. Students are required to meet with their department adviser within the first two semesters after declaration or change of major.


Faculty

Chair: Ibarra, María de la Luz, Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies (B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara)

Undergraduate Adviser: Martinez, Paola (B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara; M.S. California State University, Fullerton)

Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty:

Hernández, Roberto D., Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies (B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley)

Ortiz, Isidro, Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies [Senate Distinguished Professor] (B.S., Texas A&I University; M.A., Ph.D., Stanford University)

González-Rivera, Victoria C., Associate Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies (B.A., Oberlin College; M.A., University of New Mexico; Ph.D., Indiana University)

Aguilar, Andrés Ehecatl, Assistant Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies (B.A., University of California, Los Angeles; M.A., California State University, Northridge; Ph.D., University of California, San Diego)

Santizo, Natalie, Assistant Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies (B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles)

Additional Faculty:

Iglesias Prieto, Norma V., Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies, Emeriti (M.A., Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, Mexico; Ph.D., Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain)

Emeritus Faculty:

Butler, Maria G., M.A., 1981-2012, Lecturer in Chicana and Chicano Studies

Del Castillo, Adelaida R., Ph.D., 1990-2022, Associate Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies

Grajeda-Higley, Leilani, B.S.N., 1994-2014, Lecturer in Chicana and Chicano Studies

Griswold del Castillo, Ricardo, Ph.D., 1974-2007, Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies

Hicks, D. Emily, Ph.D., 1996-2020, Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies

MacFarland-Thuet, Coral, B.A., 2007-2020, Lecturer in Chicana and Chicano Studies

Rodriguez, Jose D., Ph.D., 1977-2007, Associate Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies

Villarino, José R., Ph.D., 1969-2001, Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies


Programs

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