Course Description

Asian American Studies: Filipina/x/o American Experiences or “PEP” (Period 6) is a course taught by teachers of Pin@y Educational Partnership (PEP). This course invites students to study Filipinx/a/o American hxstory through different mediums and lenses such as music, art, dance, poetry, storytelling, and other creative outlets. Students will explore how they are positioned in society and the power they hold to enact change towards issues relevant to themselves, their peers, and their communities. This course centers the following questions:

• What is Ethnic Studies, Filipinx/a/o and Filipinx/a/o American Studies? 
  
• What is the importance and relevance of learning our hxstories? 
  
• How can we create meaningful, positive change in our communities?
  

Teachers are challenged to engage with students beyond lecturing and instead create spaces grounded in critical praxis through the PEP Lesson Plan structure: Cultural Energizers, Critical Concepts, Cultural Production, and Closing Dialogue. Students and teachers will leverage their experiences and knowledge shared in the classroom to conduct a comprehensive youth participatory action research project that addresses the issues they see in their communities and formulate strategies to solve those problems.


*San Francisco State University: Step to College Program and PEP
In collaboration with SFSU’s step to college program, PEP students earn three (3) units of college credit per semester (6 units in total = two college courses). This class fulfills the CSU/UC G elective requirement. Paperwork for this will be given to students during the first two weeks of school. The paperwork must be completed for college credit to apply.

Vision

In this PEP class, our vision is to create educational spaces in which students and teachers can co-create a transformational environment rooted in empathy and love, dialogue and stories. By developing relationships that center humanization, wellness (personal and collective), and our lived experiences, we hope our students are able to build lasting community bonds that extend far beyond a shared classroom. The purpose of this course is to empower students to think critically and creatively about the world around them using Ethnic Studies and Filipina/x/o American Studies frameworks, principles, and values. ​

Mission

Our mission is to create a safe and welcoming space for students to contextualize their experiences, pursue their interests, and ask questions through the lens of Filipinx/a/o American Studies. We embrace vulnerability in each of our classes to uplift the stories shared by students and teachers that honors and reflects Filipinx/a/o ancestry, history, and culture. Students will explore how they are positioned in society and the power they hold to enact change towards issues relevant to themselves, their peers, and their communities. Our hope is that through collaborative, community-based learning, students will be able to challenge and inspire each other to hope, dream, and create positive change within and outside of the classroom.

Learning Outcomes

This course aims to:

1. Cultivate spaces for students to explore world and US history through the lens of Filipinx/a/o and Filipinx/a/o American experiences, ancestry, and culture through readings, concepts, and creative mediums.
   
2. Provide students opportunities to reflect on their own lives — as students, community members, and young adults — as a way of understanding the limits embedded in society and visualizing the possibilities of a better future for themselves, their communities, and the next generation.
   
3. Build students’ analysis of ethnic studies, Asian American studies, and Filipinx/a/o American studies; creativity through music, art, dance, poetry, storytelling, and other creative outlets; and confidence in public speaking, relationship-building, and academic excellence.

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MALONG Mentorship Program

The malong is an indigenous Filipino fabric used for multiple purposes. From gathering food to providing security and comfort for children, the malong symbolizes community. At the heart of the community is the individual. To have a strong community you need healthy individuals: mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Though each person and site is unique, the Malong "wrap-around" health and wellness project focuses on 3 "threads":

• Mental health & wellness of all community members (directors, coordinators, teachers, students, families, communities)
• Academic counseling and guidance (students and teachers)
• Community building (inside/outside classroom)

Based on the three threads mentioned above, PEP MALONG stands for:

Mentoring Exchange
Academic Counseling & Guidance
Leadership Training
Opportunity Seeking
Needs Assessing/Assessment
Goal Achieving/Achievement

Teachers and students will be assigned mentor/mentee pairings. Each mentor is a direct resource for information about grades, classwork, and other necessary support. Mentors and mentees will have monthly check-ins to track students’ wellness regarding school and community. As a note of transparency, all teachers are mandated reporters.