Decolonizing UC Berkeley
This course seeks to engage students in a critical investigation of the origins of the University of California through a settler colonial lens, and with the aim of decolonizing the University’s narrative history. Decolonization is a process by which narratives, world views, cultures, and institutions, once erased by colonization are returned, respected, and honored. Drawing upon the work of the UC Berkeley Truth & Justice Project, this Course will explore the history of UC and its racial and colonial foundations. We will focus on decolonization and therefore center Indigenous and other racialized communities, discussing injustice in various communities and from various perspectives.
Topics
- Students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of settler-colonialism and decolonization; Demonstrate an understanding of how the history of race and colonization are interconnected with the law and their impacts on society today; Demonstrate an understanding of how race and colonization impact the narrative story of UC Berkeley; Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of resistance and truth, healing, reconciliation, and reparation movements, and decolonization; Apply these learning objectives to research and create a storytelling project about the racial and colonial foundations of California and UC Berkeley with an eye toward decolonization. The projects should aim to challenge the settler-colonial narrative through storytelling and to move from theory into praxis.
Official catalogue course objectives and student learning outcomes
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027