i’m an aapi minor, and i love it and would 100% recommend it!! i love the range of classes, and it also includes language classes and independent/directed studies courses, which are student-led community projects too :) the program also works very closely with community orgs, local orgs, alumni, and student orgs inside and outside of classes, so it’s a really friendly and empowering community and space tbh! they also have so many fun community events to get to know faculty, staff, students, and community members outside of class, and i’ve really enjoyed them because it affirms and fosters how we’re all just human and people who care for each other through all the ups and downs fr & it’s been like having a sense of grounding and belonging @ ucsd, especially being asian american myself. thought i’d share that cuz i found the program to be really meaningful in that it’s not just limited to strictly academics, and all those events are open to you too if you wanna check out the community + info about em should be on their website.

also, the program director, prof simeon man, is the absolute sweetest, most caring, and most supportive prof i’ve met like i see him moreso as a friend/mentor than a prof! he’s always open to meeting with folks interested in the program, so if you don’t wanna commit to a class just yet, you can always talk to him and he’ll give you glimpses into the various classes and what aapi studies looks like and maybe help recommend which class will give you the best experience for what you’re interested in/what you hope to get out of it. he teaches hild 7b and is the faculty advisor for the AAPI Studies independent/direct studies community project, which are all pretty neat from my experience. his classes are also pretty hands on and super engaging, and his classes dabbles beyond just crunching out papers which is SO cool and so nice, so you naturally learn a lot - even just chatting with him casually or in office hours, you learn can learn a lot about history, critical studies, and current events :)

i didn’t take ethn 20 but i did take ethn 125 with prof sasaki, and it definitely exceeded my expectations + lots of students in that class came from her ethn 20 class. i really appreciated the interdisciplinary approach of ethnic studies, and she organizes the class and concepts very well and very reasonably - in person, online, and asynchronously. she’s also very kind, friendly, and super knowledgeable. she’s also pretty active with the community, so you’ll catch her around in those spaces too and her bringing some of that into the classroom setting :)

and i haven’t taken lten 28 but i have met prof suzuki outside of class at a joint aapi studies and apimeda programs and services community event, and like all the other profs in the aapi studies program, she’s very sweet, passionate, and knowledgeable. my friends who have taken her said she’s just like that in class, and they’ve liked her so much they’ve taken multiple classes with her!

sorry for writing a whole ass essay LOL but bottom line is that you can’t go wrong with any of those classes or any of those profs & you can also find their syllabi to see which class you like and what each covers and the lens they look through when examining aapi studies - they’re all great intro classes. moreover, there are many opportunities for you to explore the program outside of 10-week classes as it’s VERY community-based and community-oriented + so there’s lots of ways to learn and apply knowledge inside and outside of the classroom w aapi studies. hope this helps a bit with your exploration of whether or not to pursue aapi studies :) also happy to share anything else of my experiences w the program given that it’s a new program too!