Students and faculty members working to create an Asian-American studies program at the University now are mapping out plans for courses in the field.
"Most of the top-ranked universities in the country have an Asian-American studies program," Chinese language Professor Gilbert Roy said.
Roy now teaches a course through the Asian and Middle Eastern languages and cultures department, which focuses on Asian-American culture. AMEL 301, "Asian American Culture," was created as a result of the most recent student-initiated effort, started two years ago, to lay the groundwork for an AAS program. Students have been pushing for an AAS program for nearly 15 years, third-year College student Ryan McCarthy said.
Last year, McCarthy, fourth-year College student Janis Millete, third-year College student Jennifer Na and several other students, under the direction of Roy, spent two semesters formulating the curriculum for AMEL 301 as part of an independent study.
The students researched other universities with existing AAS programs and contacted professors and department chairs in the field.
Millete, McCarthy and Na now facilitate the course along with two other undergraduate students.
"I feel like we're all learning a lot about Asian Americans and our history that has never been taught before at this University," Na said.
When Millete discovered that no new courses focusing on Asian-American issues would be offered in the coming spring semester, she contacted McCarthy and Na and began the search for a professor to teach a course.
Their search led them to Assistant Dean of Students Ajay Nair, who specializes in Asian and Asian-American student affairs. Nair offered to teach a course because Roy is unable to take one on next semester.
Roy plans to retire in December 2002 after teaching at the University since 1969. He was the first University professor to teach Japanese in 1973 and the second to teach Chinese in 1969.
Although the course, AMEL 302, "Topics in Modern Asian America," is awaiting approval, Roy remains confident it will be offered.
"As an elite university, it's our responsibility to offer students this opportunity," Nair said.
Creating courses like AMEL 302 is also a great way to gather interest and show demand for an AAS program, he said.
Though plans for an AAS program are long-term, the proposal for such a program already has made it through the first two phases of the approval process, said Gladys Saunders, member of the Committee for Educational Policy and the Curriculum.
Anytime new courses are created or programs are changed or established, they must go through a three step process. The process takes proposals through specific academic departments to the CEPC, and finally on to a vote from the entire College faculty.
Finding faculty members who are both willing and able to teach courses in the field of Asian-American studies will be a challenging task, Roy said.
"They're out there - we just have to find them," Nair said.
The program would more than likely take on an interdisciplinary approach, in which professors would incorporate content relevant to Asian-American studies into their courses, Roy said.
Both Nair and Roy said they have witnessed first-hand student interest in creating such an AAS program.
Student demand, however, still will remain a key factor in establishing the AAS program, McCarthy said.
McCarthy plans to distribute an online survey to University students via e-mail early today to determine the level of student interest and demand for an AAS program.
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