{"id":14062,"date":"2012-09-15T05:09:25","date_gmt":"2012-09-15T05:09:25","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2012-09-15T05:09:25","modified_gmt":"2012-09-15T05:09:25","slug":"Asian-American-studies-minor-launched","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=14062","title":{"rendered":"Asian American studies minor launched"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tufts this fall launched a minor in Asian American studies, the result of a decades-long discussion between campus activists and administrators about how to create a more inclusive academic curriculum.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Housed under the American Studies Program, the six-credit interdisciplinary minor involves departments across the School of Arts and Sciences, including psychology, sociology, history, English, education and anthropology. <\/p>\n

\u201cFifteen percent of the student body is Asian American,\u201d<\/strong> Alex Chan, a senior, said. \u201cThe fact that there was no curriculum to reflect that is unfair. People of Asian American descent didn\u2019t have the ability to learn about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The minor requires students to take three courses that focus on Asian American experiences and history, as well as classes that address topics directly relevant to Asian American culture.<\/strong> Students must also complete a capstone course or project with a focus on the Asian American community.<\/p>\n

Students have protested the absence of an Asian American studies program for years, even staging demonstrations to voice their grievances to the administration in 2005.<\/p>\n

The new minor is a welcome addition to the American Studies curriculum<\/strong>, according to Jean Wu, senior lecturer of American Studies and faculty coordinator of Asian American Studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one of the most cutting-edge fields of scholarship, asking lots of questions that Tufts says it\u2019s about,\u201d Wu said. <\/p>\n

The Race and Ethnicity Working Group ? a committee of administrators, faculty and students ? last semester proposed the minor, as well as an Africana studies major, as part of an all-encompassing Critical Studies in Disparities and Diasporas program.<\/p>\n

Courses that count for the new minor will discuss topics ranging from migration and citizenship to labor and gender issues. <\/p>\n

Several departments will add new courses to expand the breadth of the minor to issues of both national and international importance, Wu said.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen [Asian American] cultures are discussed on campus, people talk about the food and the music,\u201d Marcy Regalado, a sophomore, said. \u201cWe want to educate students about these cultures in a more academic context.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lack of academic focus on Asian American history is a problem spanning across all levels of education, according to Chan, a member of the Tufts Asian American Alliance (AAA).<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn high school, middle school, even elementary school, we learn about slavery but not Japanese incarceration,\u201d Chan said. \u201cWe learn about the Civil War, but not Chinese immigration.\u201d <\/p>\n

The AAA last year held teach-ins, organized open mic events and hosted guest speakers to bring attention to Asian American experiences across the student body.<\/p>\n

Regalado and Chan said they see the minor as a first step towards curricular diversity. <\/p>\n

However, Chan noted that AAA plans to stay active to continue increasing campus awareness about minorities that are underrepresented academically.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would be worried if there isn\u2019t some sort of visible change on campus,\u201d Chan said. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy big concern is that we call it a day and go back to our regular thing. That\u2019s not good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite faculty skepticism that delayed the minor\u2019s approval last year, Wu said several students have expressed interest in declaring the new minor. <\/p>\n

She credited AAA\u2019s activity last year as bringing students\u2019 interest in an Asian American studies program to the forefront.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t create the interest, though,\u201d Wu said. \u201cThe interest was probably already there.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to Africana and Asian American studies, Regalado said she hopes to see Tufts offer programs in Latino studies and queer studies in the future.<\/p>\n

www.tuftsdaily.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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