College Curriculum Highlights Race as Crucial Component in Undergraduate Studies
The University of [Name] is set to embark on a groundbreaking educational journey with the introduction of a new undergraduate course titled "The Invention and Consequences of Race." This university-wide initiative, supported by funds from The University Endowment, aims to advance understanding of historical and current racism.
The course, which will have no prerequisites and be open to 300 undergraduate students, regardless of their major, will be taught by a diverse group of faculty members from nearly all schools. Each session will focus on a specific aspect of race, showcasing the breadth of scholarship at the University on the topic.
Provost Sally Kornbluth and other administrators have spearheaded the effort to embed the study of race as a foundational element in the curriculum. They believe that this course takes the university's interdisciplinary ethos to another level, potentially putting this central issue on the university's intellectual map front and center.
The course will delve into race in public policy, the environment, and the sciences, encouraging students to further pursue additional courses or conduct their own research. The co-convenors are already thinking ahead, considering how the course can support expanded discussions of race throughout the university curriculum.
Noted speakers from the university and elsewhere will feature in the course, along with a series of co-curricular activities. The faculty committee responsible for developing the course includes Kerry Haynie, Xavier Basurto, Tyson Brown, Aimee Kwon, Willie John Padilla, Charmaine Royal, and Donald Taylor Jr.
Donald Taylor, professor of public policy, believes that as a private university, the institution has a responsibility to provide a straightforward and scholarly reckoning with the role of race in the United States. Kerry Haynie, one of the faculty members, was never taught about the 1921 Tulsa massacre during his undergraduate political science studies, underscoring the need for such a course.
Zac Johnson, an officer with the Student Government, expresses that many students are looking for a course about race that will challenge their assumptions and stereotypes about race. He believes that this course will connect students to some of the finest teachers on campus, including many they might not have encountered otherwise.
The course is seen as a logical response to the university's mission to prepare students to be global citizens in a moment of demographic, political, and social change. It is expected to foster a deeper understanding of race and its consequences, encouraging students to engage in thoughtful and informed discussions about race in their personal and professional lives.
- The University of [Name] is introducing a new undergraduate course called "The Invention and Consequences of Race," which will be taught by a diverse group of faculty members from various schools, focusing on a specific aspect of race in each session.
- This course, supported by The University Endowment, is part of the university's effort to embed the study of race as a fundamental element in the curriculum, aiming to advance understanding of historical and current racism.
- The course will delve into race in public policy, the environment, and the sciences, inspiring students to further their learning by taking additional courses or conducting their own research.
- The curriculum committee, including faculty members like Kerry Haynie and Donald Taylor, believes that this course can support expanded discussions of race throughout the university's education and self-development programs.
- The faculty members involved in this course believe that as a private university, they have a responsibility to provide a comprehensive and scholarly exploration of the role of race in the United States, which could provide students with an insightful perspective on equity during their education-and-self development journey.
