Word: afros
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...word "ethnic" has come to connote the experience of minorities and immigrants in this country.Thus, course in several existing departments--East Asian Studies, Sanskrit and Indian Studies, etc.--do not qualify as "ethnic." In fact, the only departments that can call itself truly ethnic in this sense is Afro-American Studies. "Afro-Am," as it has come to be known, deals primarily with the history, sociology, and literature of Blacks in the United States...
...Course of Instruction book, about thirty course specifically in Afro-American studies are listed. They are followed by as many, if not more, courses in other departments that deal peripherally but not exclusively with Afro-American issues. These courses could easily be called E.S. under the above rubric. In fact, the whole Department of Afro-American Studies could be known as E.S. with a definite focus on Afro-Americans...
Given that Afro-Am falls under the wide umbrella of E.S., the formation of a true E.S. department could only have one outcome: Afro-Am would be completely merged into it. Of course, the University would have to create some new course and hire some new professors to balance the E.S. curriculum with other minorities, but all of them would be essentially equal in the vast expanse of E.S. With only six professors on the Faculty of Arts and Sciences actually appointed in Afro-Am (along with a slew of visiting lecturers), the University could represent every minority proportionately with...
...exactly would the E.S. major work? Well, one couldn't simply take a lot of courses that focused on Afro-Americans--that wouldn't' be a complete ethnic experience. No, each E.S. concentrator would have to take courses on Mexican-Americans, other Hispanic Americans, Chinese-Americans, Korean-Americans, Indian-Americans and other Asian Americans as well, to say nothing of the huge number of European-Americans who have not yet been mentioned. Yes, Western-, Northern-,Central-,Eastern-, and Southern-European-Americans have just as legitimate a claim to the E.S. banner as anyone else. Where are the courses on Poles...
...this context that I "question what difference one professor can make." At this point, in my conversation with Ms. Kao, I was no longer discussing the specifics of the Afro-Am department, but instead some prevailing sentiments among the College and University community which I found disturbing. While Ms. Arden-Smith's and Ms. Kao's use of my statement--highlighted by their use of my picture--would seem to suggest that I questioned the abilities of Cornel West, I expressed nothing but praise for West's work, approach and the contributions he will bring to Harvard's Afro...