<p>“American” has not been traditionally considered an ethnicity; it describes a nationality.</p>
<p>The question for ethnicity becomes necessary because, for example, Hispanics [an ethnicity based on a common language], have been classified [using traditional classifications] either Caucasiod or Negroid [my 1962 version of The World Book Encyclopedia cites Mongoloid as a third classification].
I suspect this is the only reason this question is asked. I doubt teh Academy has much interest in your nationality. </p>
<p>How, for example, does an American from Chinese extraction classify themself on an application? By race or by ethnicity?
Is “Asian” a race or an ethnicity? Historically, the human “race” was classified by phycial attributes or color of skin. [About forty years ago, I was even taught that Jews were a separate race, even though I had never met one, and they are probably more properly classified as a “people”]</p>
<p>An ethnic “gypsy” for example could be from any one many central asian countries, e.g. Poland, Czech republic, or any number of new countries of which I did not exist in my 8th grade. But, since Gypsies are not “traditionally underrepresented” in Academy members, I think the question is really trying to determine if you are Hispanic or not.</p>
<p>Leaving it blank should not hurt your application in any way. [Is “Native American” a race or an ethnicity?]</p>
<p>This should get this thread going.</p>