A program as diverse and changing as the K-State student body could reach new heights if the Kansas Board of Regents approves a new proposal.
    The proposal would add Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees of American Ethnic Studies to K-State’s curriculum beginning in fall 2009.
    Currently a secondary major and secondary minor are the only available options for students in this subject. Those options will no longer be available if the proposal passes.
    Cheryl Ragar, assistant professor in American Ethnic Studies, said it is an exciting time to be associated with the program since K-State has become more diverse over the years.
    “I think that puts American Ethnic Studies in a really special place to help students and to help the rest of the university achieve those goals,” she said, “and I think that is very exciting that we are on the verge of having our own degree program. That’s something important that we will be able to help students here.”
    The American Ethnic Studies program began in 1987, said Juanita McGowan, director and assistant professor of American Ethnic Studies and assistant dean of diversity for the College of Arts and Sciences.
    When McGowan became director of the program in the late 1990s, there was one course, Introduction to American Ethnic Studies.
    McGowan said the program was reaching about 15 students per semester.
    Therefore, she decided to try to increase enrollment by offering more courses.
    “That was challenging, because you are creating these classes with no guarantees or support for it,” she said.
    McGowan said the program now reaches about 300 students per semester.
    Student interest, general interest and growth in the program led to the secondary major and minor, she said. The major and minor are interdisciplinary and would continue if the proposal passes the Board of Regents. The proposal outlines seven new courses to be added to the curriculum.
    Faculty in departments ranging from music to family studies and human services lead the courses, which count toward elective credit.
    To be added to the curriculum, courses must have 40-percent race and ethnicity content and must pass through the American Ethnic Studies Governance Board.
    The interdisciplinary nature of the curriculum appeals to some students.
    Jared Woods, freshman in graphic design with a minor in American Ethnic Studies, said he enjoyed hearing different perspectives on different cultures.
    “It gives you the opportunity to open your mind and your way of thinking towards different cultures and ideas that may be unfamiliar to you now,” he said in an e-mail interview.
    According to McGowan and the proposal, K-State was one of the first schools in the Big 12 Conference to offer a “comparative ethnic studies program.”
    Now, the University of Colorado and the University of Nebraska are the only schools to offer degrees in ethnic studies.
    Other schools offer specialized areas of study, such as American Studies and African-American Studies.
    If the proposal passes, the American Ethnic program would be the lone undergraduate program of its kind offered in the state of Kansas, McGowan said.
     Ragar thinks the American Ethnic Studies program offers students unique perspectives and understanding.
    “I think no matter what major a student is following, general understanding about where that comes from and perhaps having some ideas on where we are going adds to being a better citizen,” she said, “and can add to their success in whatever career path they are going.”

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10 comments

Your name

Fri Dec 26 2008 18:48

P.S. Lisa,

I have spent most of my life functioning sucessfully in the world outside of small-town Kansas without going through any diversity programming.

Your name

Fri Dec 26 2008 18:41

The Tilford Group provides assertions not hard facts. They are simply justifying their own existence.

Lisa's hostility to the people of Kansas demonstrates the anti-American views that are at the heart of most agenda driven "studies" departments.

Your name

Fri Dec 26 2008 18:37

test

Yourname

Tue Dec 16 2008 21:35

ceguyomvpaxcetgolubxagbjzlwlcr

Melissa

Tue Dec 16 2008 20:13

Actually, Lisa is right. If I'm correct, the Tilford Group was established for this reason - to assist graduates in becoming "multicultrually comptent," specifically when going into "corporate America." Here are two links explaining what this program is all about (the news article also explains the statistics behind the white population becoming the minority):

www.k-state.edu/media/webzine/0203/Tilford.html

www.k-state.edu/tilford/

HAPPY READING!!

Your name

Tue Dec 16 2008 14:08

Lisa, do you have a source to cite or do you just make this stuff up? Or are the big three auto makers going bankrupt because they don't understand "diversity."

Your name

Mon Dec 15 2008 13:22

BURN

Lisa ftw
Ridiculous narrow-minded students ftl

Lisa

Mon Dec 15 2008 12:31

Interestingly, K-state's appeal to major businesses across the country has fallen markedly as a result of the outside perception that K-State students lack understanding of diversity. The reality, as such large companies recognize, is that within a few years the U.S. will no longer have a white majority. The small-minded folks who think understanding ethnic diversity is a luxury hold both the university and the state back. As the above comments suggest, the need for such programming is, in fact, rather urgent if K-State wants to continue to: 1) see its graduates find employment; and 2) see its students function successfully in the world outside of small-town Kansas.

Me, Myself and I

Sun Dec 14 2008 14:06

Alright, a department of Ward Churchill Studies!!! Its great to see that in these tough times Kstate has money to piss away on BS!!!!

Your name

Fri Dec 12 2008 15:10

Just what K-State needs, another pseudo discipline to indoctrinate the ignorant. I understand Ward Churchill is now available. You remember Wardo, professor of Ethnic Studies at UC Boulder who became the department chair via his fabricated, yet peer reviewed, "research."

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