The Miseducation of the Filipinx: History, Decolonization, and Action

Ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay 'di makararating sa paroroonan. (One who ignores the past arrives nowhere).
-Filipino proverb

Did you know that Filipino-Americans are the second largest Asian-American group in the United States? Why then do we know virtually nothing about Filipino-Americans in society? How is the prevalence of skin whitening products in the Philippines connected to this invisibility and the Philippine diaspora? 

This course will answer these questions (and many more) by utilizing three distinct elements. The first is history, an examination of factors and events that led to the miseducation of the Filipinx. This investigation is followed by a process of self-reflection and "reconnecting with the past to understand the present and be able to envision the future" (Strobel, 2001, p. 63). Finally, we channel this introspection into a creative project to be used for teaching members of the community.

This course can provide any ethnic group with tools for their own social justice work. While it's not required, we encourage you to consider staying in the class for both winter and spring quarters.  In winter we will learn and deconstruct Filipinx history, and in the spring we will do some community outreach and teach out Filipino-American history to schools and communities.