A new class, \u201cIntro to Asian American Studies,\u201d is being offered for spring term 2010. The class qualifies as a Women\u2019s Studies elective and will be taught by Kevin Thomas.<\/p>\n
He said it took five attempts at applying to have this class available through the Chiron Studies program. According to their Web site, the program \u201chelps students develop and teach university-accredited courses with the support and category_idance of a faculty sponsor.\u201d
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\nThomas first became interested in teaching a Chiron Studies course after taking one himself. The class gave him an \u201camazing perspective\u201d on what gender is. <\/p>\n
\u201cHow can you have that perspective in a book? Having a different person teaching the class with their history and perspective\u2026it\u2019s different,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n
He looks forward to the challenge of teaching this class, which will focus on 1850 to the present, and will look at who is Asian-American. According to Thomas, this is not a simple answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople don\u2019t know the basics. This information is not being taught in high schools,\u201d Thomas said, referring to Asian-American history.<\/p>\n
Thomas said different students will find different benefits within the course he has created and will teach next term. <\/p>\n
\u201cSome students will be learning about their own family and background. Some will take what they know and experience and hopefully share with the class,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can be painful to not see yourself reflected in curriculum or media,\u201d Thomas said, referring to ethnic minority students.<\/p>\n
The class description states that the course will focus on the experiences of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Southeast Asian, Mongolian and Asian-Indian immigrants as well as Pacific Islanders.<\/p>\n
Thomas hopes to have guest speakers from the community come speak to the class. Depending upon scheduling, the class may have speakers from the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center and Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon. <\/p>\n
He is building a syllabus with realistic reading loads for each week from varied sources, available in a course packet that will be available at the PSU Bookstore. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe will be constructing the big picture\u2026it\u2019s impossible to answer everything in one class, but we\u2019ll be building good foundations for students\u2019 future,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Thomas said that during the first week of class, he will be building a \u201csafe space\u201d for students to speak and share their own input and expectations. <\/p>\n
\u201cCulture is a story,\u201d he said. \u201cThis class will not just be me lecturing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTalking about racism, sexism and all the other \u2018isms\u2019 can be painful,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cI want to create a space where people can trust their classmates and say what\u2019s on their mind.\u201d<\/p>\n