A new hands-on California Studies class offered to SF State students that will be taught at Mission Dolores could be canceled next week because it may have been listed incorrectly in the fall class schedule, said instructor Dr. Lee Davis.

Mission Dolores and Ohlone History is listed as California Studies class 558 and cross-listed as Anthropology 558 and American Indian Studies 558. The four-unit class counts toward graduation in all three majors. The course needs at least 15 students by Sept. 22 to continue, but currently only eight students are enrolled.

Davis, who is the director of California Studies at SF State, and Mission Dolores curator Andrew Galvan will teach the class together at the historic mission, which was founded in 1776. Mission Dolores is one of 21 Spanish missions built by Native Americans in California, and Galvan is the first Native American curator of Mission Dolores and any California mission.

The course is only being offered to juniors, seniors and graduate students, but it will be taught for three consecutive semesters, from fall 2004 through fall 2005. During the first semester, students will learn the history of Mission Dolores and the Native American population there. In the second and third semesters, students will help Galvan and Davis plan, design and display new museum exhibits that reflect a more complete history of the mission.
“Most mission histories leave out the American Indian experience,” said Davis.

The new exhibits, which will be unveiled Jan. 24, 2006, will include the history of the Ohlone tribe at Mission Dolores.

As a member of the Ohlone tribe, Galvan’s mission is to educate people about the Native American contributions to Mission Dolores.

“Most SF State students are local,” said Galvan. “For students attending school in San Francisco, it’s their history.”

The opportunity for students to contribute in such a significant way to the museum makes the class unique.

“This is a rare experience,” said Davis. “You get to be a part of history. Someday you can bring your children to the mission and tell them that you helped develop its museum when you were a student at SFSU.”

Students do not have to take the course all three semesters, but are encouraged to do so by Davis and Galvan.

The class is offered Saturday between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the mission site on Dolores Street between 16th and 17th streets.

Davis hopes to get as many students to join the class as possible over the next few weeks in order to begin working on the project.

If interested about this class please visit the SFSU website