American Studies examines the American experience from the colonial period of the United States to the present. Students will study, interpret, and evaluate events, cultural products, and trends in American economic, political, and social history as well as in American architecture, art, literature, music, and religion, and they will evaluate questions to which there are multiple plausible interpretations. Students pursuing the program in American Studies will enhance their skills in critical thinking and both oral and written communication. The American Studies program prepares students for further study in English/literature, history, political science, and sociology at a four-year baccalaureate institution and provides an excellent foundation for students interested in administration, communications, law, public service, and teaching.

The focus of African-American Studies (AFRAM) is to assist students on a path of consciousness that ultimately leads to improving their lives and family and liberating our communities. The primary goals and objectives of the program are consistent with and enhance the overall Merritt College mission and have consistently sought to help community college students develop factual information, tools of analysis, and favorable attitudes toward the African-American struggle and the liberation of African people from powerlessness, poverty, and racism.

The Mexican-American people, the second largest minority group in the United States, trace their origins to the Hispanic-Indian heritage of Mexico and to more than three hundred years of participation in the historical development of the American Southwest and the United States. The Chicano Studies Program at Santa Barbara City College investigates the life of these people throughout the nation. The history, culture, contributions and contemporary problems facing Chicanos are explored in literature, language, history, and sociology classes.

The Department of American Ethnic Studies provides a major in Native American Studies. The Native American program is designed to provide an introduction to the Native American experience in North America by means of comprehensive exposure to coursework dealing with the major aspects of Indian life, including history, values, politics, literature, and art.

The Department of American Ethnic Studies provides a major in Black Studies. The Black Studies major is geared to increase our awareness and understanding of the Black experience. The Black Studies major examines the history, culture, contributions and problems of this community. It is the department's belief that, through an examination of the heritage and contributions of the Afro-American experience, one can appreciate ones own heritage.

The Dakota Studies Program is designed to prepare students for entrance into the local workforce or transfer to a four-year institution. In this program, students acquire an interdisciplinary understanding of the Dakota people's culture, language, history, arts, and contemporary situations.

Designed to provide students with a foundation in Native American issues and concerns with a special emphasis on Isanti (Dakota) and Umonhon (Omaha) cultures, as well as increasing knowledge base about the reservations and tribal governance. Native American Studies majors select from one of two areas of concentration: History and Traditional Culture or Contemporary Tribal Leadership.

Prepare for a major in American Ethnic Studies by taking recommended courses to fulfil a transfer degree requirements.

The American Indian Studies Associate of Arts degree program seeks to be a doorway for students, particularly American Indian students, to explore their future in a welcoming community of learners that honours and values the language, history, worldview, and methodologies of the Ojibwe-Anishinaabe people.

As a student in the American Sign Language program, you'll gain a strong understanding of the language, culture, and community of Deaf people. You'll graduate with a deepened understanding of English and proficiency in more than one language.