Knowles, Students Meet Over Ethnic Studies

In response to a number of student-led movements that have recently demanded increased resources for ethnicity-based studies, Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles met with eight students yesterday to discuss the future of ethnic studies.

Following the meeting, the students—many of whom are affiliated with the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations—said they remain unclear on the best way to achieve their objectives of increasing faculty resources, courses and advising devoted to the study of specific ethnic groups.

Knowles called the meeting early in the semester in response to an e-mail sent by Foundation secretary Ethan Y. Yeh ’03 asking Knowles to participate in the ongoing discussions regarding ethnic studies.

Yesterday’s meeting marked the first time this year that Knowles has formally discussed ethnic studies with students. Students have long lobbied for the University to establish a certificate program in ethnic studies, participating in a silent protest to that end earlier this year.

The issue has also received increased publicity due to the recent push for a Latino studies department.

Yesterday’s meeting was a general discussion that did not focus on specific proposals, participants said.

“We didn’t talk about certificates or centers or committees, and our conversation was thoughtfully focused on how to improve the academic experience of what is an intellectually eclectic group of students,” Knowles wrote in an e-mail message.

But the students did present Knowles with a written list of proposals to improve the University’s offerings for students interested in ethnic studies. They suggested making the current ad hoc Committee on Ethnic Studies a standing committee, implementing an ethnic studies certificate and increasing the number of courses and professors in the field.

“The next step would be to focus in on the actual proposals and decide which ones are feasible,” Yeh said.

But students said they disagreed with Knowles as to how these objectives, particularly increasing the number of courses and faculty, ought to be achieved.

According to John Y. Hsu ’03, Knowles said there was very little he could do and that the changes would instead be up to individual departments—which he said were already making progress in hiring more faculty members with interests in ethnic studies.

Yeh said he agreed that pursuing change through individual departments could be an effective tactic.

“That is how things are done here,” he said.

But Hsu said University-wide reform is necessary to create the best possible ethnic studies program.

“Faculty are not necessarily well-trained in ethnic studies and thus it would be inherently difficult for them to hire experts in the field,” he said.

Hsu said the very idea of studying ethnic studies within individual departments is yet another problem with the University’s current system.

“It doesn’t make sense to have to study ethnic studies through the particular lens of social studies or another concentration,” Hsu said. “It dilutes it and prevents a truly nuanced study.”

—Staff writer Jessica E. Vascellaro can be reached at vascell@fas.harvard.edu.