Ethnic Studies in Hawaiʻi

Ethnic Studies in Hawaiʻi is a 5-week, 8-unit immersive academic experience in Honolulu during summer 2025. In this program, students will be challenged to re-think popular ideas about the Hawaiian Islands through a consideration of how the colonial circumstances in Hawaiʻi shape the experiences of Native Hawaiians and the diverse communities that live there today. The program includes service-learning opportunities through the University of Hawaiʻi, field trips to learn about Native Hawaiian history and representation, Hula and ʻOri Tahiti dance workshops, and guest lectures by Hawaiʻi-based scholars. This program will be led by Dr. Ryan Buyco, Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies at Cal Poly. The program fulfills GE Upper Division C & D requirements.

This program is based upon work supported by the Teacher-Scholar Mini Grant Program awarded by the Cal Poly Division of Research.

Students who join this program will receive a certificate for their participation in Mãlama I Nã Ahupuaʻa (MINA), a service-learning program and sustainability initiative between the University of Hawaiʻi and Kapiʻolani Community College.

More information coming in winter 2025.

Program Dates: TBD

Two required four-unit courses

ES 322: Asian Americans in Popular Culture

ES 340: Cultural Production and Ethnicity--Pacific Islander Studies

Contact Dr. Ryan Buyco at rbuyco@calpoly.edu for more information.