COAS offers diverse degree options

After leaving Puerto Rico for the U.S., Arlene Diaz, associate professor in the Department of History and director of Latino Studies, shifted her view on life.

“I got to know myself in another sense,” Diaz said. “I learned other ways of understanding. You get away from your comfort zone. You go into possible ways, different spaces that you’ve never thought you would have a connection with.”

Diaz’s outside-the-comfort zone approach is what the College of Arts and Sciences hopes new programs will help students understand as the racial make-up of the country and the University changes.

The new programs include an undergraduate minor in Asian American Studies, a doctorate minor in Latino Studies and an African-American and African Diaspora Studies doctorate program.

It shows, faculty say, that diversity has become a priority for the college.

These multi-cultural programs had never been a focal point for the college. It is the first time that these programs have been involved in the college’s five-year, strategic plan, Diaz said.

“Instead of sitting in the nosebleed bleachers, our seats our now in the center,” said Valerie Grim, associate professor of AAADS.

The strategic plan states that the college will focus on ethnic studies such as AAADS, Asian American Studies and Latino Studies and help expand their curriculum and hiring plans.

“With a growing minority population, college administrators realize they must adapt to a changing society,” Diaz said.

The programs provide opportunities for diversity and multicultural learning within academics.

“For me it’s an opportunity to learn about the ‘other’ America in a way to encourage dialogue and cooperation,” Grim said. “AAADS, Asian American Studies and Latino Studies are vehicles through COAS that drive the mission in the area of diversity, retention and recruitment.”

The minors are interdisciplinary programs that will enrich the major, said Joan Pong Linton, director of the Asian American Studies program.

The directors for both Latino Studies and Asian American Studies said they would like these programs to grow, but currently they have limited full-time staff. Most of their staff is composed of members from other departments. 

The general perceptions of these programs are that they are composed of students who are of that particular race or culture, Diaz said.

However, that is not the case. Within the AAADS’ various programs, half of the students are not African-American, Grim said.

“Reality is different than general perception,” Linton said.