Radical Ethnic Studies Pedagogy and Developing Principled Curriculum

• In Event: Unforgetting Ethnic Studies’ Radical Roots when Developing Curriculum on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

Abstract

Purpose
This presentation will share the development of a principled Ethnic Studies curriculum grounded in radical pedagogy, focusing on how frameworks from two organizations, Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP) and Community Responsive Education (CRE), guide the design of the Foundations and Futures: Asian American and Pacific Islander Multimedia Textbook (MMT), a national narrative change project. In the context of political backlash against Ethnic Studies, this project demonstrates how curriculum can remain true to the radical origins of Ethnic Studies by centering community knowledge, collective struggle, and critical consciousness.

Pedagogical Frameworks
Ethnic Studies RADical pedagogy encourages students to:
1. Reflect on their roots,
2. Analyze systems of oppression, and
3. Determine their lives and take action.
This approach is foundational to the MMT curriculum development process. It is embodied in the integration of PEP’s C4 framework (detailed below) with CRE’s community responsive principles in Foundations and Futures: MMT. This synthesis not only operationalizes Ethnic Studies pedagogy but also disrupts traditional curriculum design by grounding educational practice in the revolutionary spirit of collective liberation. This is a replicable model for developing open-access, digitally mediated curricular resources that are both academically rigorous and deeply connected to community knowledge and struggle. It offers a blueprint for scaling not just knowledge, but power—inviting educators and learners to co-create curricula that are as disruptive as they are rigorous, and as responsive as they are revolutionary.

Curriculum Sharing
The C4 lesson plan framework, now widely recognized as a model for Ethnic Studies pedagogy, structures lessons through four core components designed to engage students both intellectually and culturally:
● C1: Cultural Ritual/Energizer builds a classroom culture rooted in students’ identities and histories, beginning with Indigenous land acknowledgments or culturally relevant questions that connect learners to the lesson’s core themes.
● C2: Critical Concepts introduces key ideas and content through engaging pedagogical strategies—text analysis, multimedia, or storytelling—using narratives and multimedia from the Foundations and Futures: Asian American and Pacific Islander Multimedia Textbook that provide accessible entry points.
● C3: Community Collaboration and Critical Cultural Production emphasizes collaborative learning and creative expression, where students engage in projects that link scholarship with community narratives and collective and personal activism.
● C4: Closing Dialogue returns students to the compelling question, fostering reflection and application of concepts to their own lives and communities.

Learnings & Findings
CRE plays a critical role in shaping the MMT curriculum by emphasizing community accountability, cultural relevance, and educator support. CRE consultants, who are deeply rooted in Ethnic Studies and community work, collaborate with scholars and educators to ensure the curriculum uplifts historically marginalized narratives. This collaboration results in lessons and activities that affirm identity, foster historical empathy, and cultivate critical thinking as tools for transformative justice.

Reflections & Significance
This paper frames curriculum development as an act of “unforgetting,” highlighting how the MMT project resists the depoliticization of Ethnic Studies through critical inquiry, cultural production, and collective learning. It offers concrete strategies for teaching AA&PI histories amid rising political backlash, aligning with AERA 2026’s theme.

Authors

• Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, San Francisco State University

• Arlene S. Daus-Magbual, San Francisco State University