The language of the Morongo and San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
With the generous support of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, we are offering a series of full-credit courses in Serrano, a Southern California indigenous language native to the San Bernardino area, with an oral tradition dating back thousands of years. These courses, co-taught by Ernest Siva (Cahuilla/Serrano tribal elder, tribal historian, and cultural advisor) and members of the Serrano Language Revitalization Program, represent a first in the history of higher education in the state of California. No university in either the California State University or the University of California system has previously offered an American Indian Language course sequence as part of its regular curriculum to fulfill the General Education world language requirement.
The courses provide an excellent opportunity for students to enrich their understanding of our region and its diverse cultures. Students at both the undergraduate and graduate level will find these language courses particularly attractive options for fulfilling a GE requirement. For CSUSB students, these language course sequences (SERR 1111 and SERR 1112) are part of the regular curriculum to fulfill a GE requirement.
For community members, anyone can register for these courses via Open University.
Course Descriptions from the CSUSB Catalog (Note: Cahuilla Studies courses are listed in the Course Catalog with the course abbreviation (prefix) SERR.) Currently, we only offer first year Serrano classes.
Please check the Class Schedule for the current offerings. Note: Serrano Studies courses are listed in the Course Catalog and Course Schedule with the course abbreviation (prefix) SERR.