Students had an opportunity to learn about and to question the plans of Student Council's new committee on curriculum globalization at a forum last night.
The committee, composed of students appointed by academic department chairs, plans to survey students in order to inform faculty and administrators of students' interest in a more globalized curriculum.
Committee chair Ryan McElveen emphasized that the subcommittee will not address courses that are "solely western in scope," such as western civilization classes or Greek language courses.
The committee will gather information about interest in language, race-related and Queer Studies courses by having students fill out major-specific questionnaires, McElveen said. A plan to include those students who have not declared a major has not yet been finalized.
McElveen noted that some top schools nationwide such as Berkeley and Harvard offer many more language opportunities for students. The questionnaire will provide information about which languages University students wish they had the opportunity to learn.
The committee also hopes to improve opportunities for students in classes about race, McElveen said, noting that this part of the committee's plans was "one of the more controversial aspects."
"When it's a class on race, it's going to come from a certain perspective -- a very liberal perspective," he said, noting that the committee would like to investigate how classes about race could be developed in order to not alienate those on the "right side of the spectrum."
A topic which proved more controversial, however, was the creation of a Queer Studies program.
Students in the audience both supported and questioned McElveen's claim that a Queer Studies program could help the University globalize its curriculum. While some believed the presence of such a program would help the University's ratings, others believed the money could be better spent.
"It's not as though we're just swimming in all this money," second-year College student Gary Lawkowski said. "Every department is understaffed."
Student Council President Darius Nabors noted that the addition of more opportunities--such as a Queer Studies program--could attract more professors, students and research funding to the University.
McElveen noted that approximately 100 schools nationwide have already added a Queer Studies program to their offerings.
McElveen said Student Council is addressing the issue of curriculum globalization now in part because of the Capital Campaign, noting that $123 million of the money raised in the Campaign is earmarked for faculty advancement. This money could be used to hire professors which would contribute to a more globalized curriculum.
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