Critical Race & Ethnic Studies Graduate Student Writing Group

Learn More!
Contact the 2023-24 co-chairs, Yusra Murad (murad011@umn.edu)
and Mariana Peñaloza Morales (penaloza@umn.edu), if you want to get involved or if you have any questions.

The Critical Race & Ethnic Studies Graduate Student Writing Group (CRES) brings together scholars from across the University interested in the interdisciplinary and critical study of US race and ethnic studies. CRES is designed for graduate students seeking more formal recognition of their interests in critical race and ethnic studies and/or training in this growing area of study. The group allows interested students to come together and share works in progress, participate in professional development, and support each other in their scholarly endeavors.

We offer graduate students a focused study of the history, politics, and cultures of indigenous peoples and American Indians, African Americans and peoples of the African diaspora, Chicanos/Chicanas, and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, as well as an opportunity for a more in-depth exploration of the rich and transformative intellectual traditions of ethnic studies than is normally possible in the classroom alone. Moreover, the work of CRES members engages with other interdisciplinary fields such as gender and sexuality studies, queer studies, feminist studies, indigenous studies, and disability studies to create a dynamic space for intersectional conversations and scholarship. The graduate group provides graduate students a chance to interact with faculty members drawn from various disciplines across the University to solidify the existing informal mentoring and community relationships within critical race and ethnic studies.

The scholarly programming for the group is designed to help students explore the diversity of these communities, their relations with one another, differently intersecting and overlapping histories, and the history and present conditions of racial, classed, gendered, and sexual formation in local, national, and global contexts. A central function of CRES is to be a space for graduate students to meet bi-weekly and exchange writing for feedback among its members. Writings may include dissertation chapters, preliminary exam materials, and fellowship applications. Other CRES activities include inviting scholars to come speak to its members in intimate settings, holding professional development workshops and retreats, assisting each other around course planning, and hosting an annual symposium.