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Asian American Studies in the Big Ten UniversitiesAn Overview of the Field's Development in the Midwest, with Contacts for Information about AASIntroductionThe field of Asian American Studies has rapidly grown from its early beginnings in California in the 1960's. As the field expands, it seeks to include the experiences and voices of Asian Americans from all parts of the country. No longer is the field concentrated by East or West coasts-- rather, teachers and researchers of Asian American Studies have begun to analyze the "Asian American experience" as it is affected by many different factors, region being one of them. Subsequently, the field has grown in the Midwest. Asian American Studies programs and centers are beginning to find a home in Big Ten Schools, starting with the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1991. Since then, programs have been established at Northwestern, the University of Michigan, the Ohio State University, and the University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign (UIUC). Acknowledging this growth and the merits of collaboration, faculty, staff, and graduate students involved in Asian American Studies began, at national conferences, to discuss the idea for a Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) meeting for scholars interested in Asian American Studies. This CIC meeting of Asian American Studies faculty, staff, and graduate students was convened by the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign's Asian American Studies program on November 12, 2000 in the hopes of strengthening networks in the field of Asian American Studies among the Big Ten Universities. This web site is one of the results of this first meeting. It will provide information and resources among our programs and for those interested in learning more about the state of Asian American Studies in the Big Ten. For more information, contact the Asian American Studies program at UIUC at aasc@uiuc.edu.
Participants
University of ChicagoIn the past two years, there have been undergraduate and graduate courses offered by Professor Norma Field Professor Deborah Nelson, and Professor Mae Ngai. For the past few years, the English Department has been advertising for a tenure-line position for junior faculty with Asian American Studies specialty. Currently, the English department is conducting a search for an Asian Americanist.
University of Illinois, ChicagoThe movement for Asian American Studies at UIC has occurred over the
course of 10 years. In 1991, the Asian American Collegiate Organization
is founded with political interests and begins to rally for an Asian
American Studies Program. From 1993 through 1997 student organizations
and student affairs began doing programming that focused on Asian
Americans with the hope that students, faculty, and staff would begin to
think more seriously about Asian American concerns. This began with the
hosting of UIC's first Asian American conference in November of 1993. In
1994, students Promoting Asian American Concerns is formed and seeks the
creation of a Chancellor's Committee. Approval for a Chancellor's
Committee on the Status of Asian Americans is then granted in 1999. In
November 1999, a student-led organization called the Coalition for Asian
American Studies hosted a protest and rally for Asian American Studies
at UIC in March 2000. These efforts have resulted in some successful
outcomes. In August 2000, Visiting Professor Rocio Davis was hired for
one year to teach Asian American Literature courses at UIC. As of Fall
2001,
University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign (UIUC)It was the collaborative efforts of the various Asian American student organizations and the faculty, staff, and administration, that resulted in the formation of the program in Asian American studies at UIUC. In the early 1990’s, student activism led to the establishment of the first APA student orientation (now an annual event), the creation of the Asian Pacific American Resource Board which funds APA programming on campus, and a teach-in on the lack of APA studies. In 1995, student leaders met with the university administration to discuss the establishment of an APA studies program at UIUC. In the fall of 1997, the Asian American Studies Committee was organized with a three-year charge to build a world-class interdisciplinary academic program in Asian American Studies, and six tenure track lines to fill. In the fall of 2000, this building process was completed with hires in English, Anthropology, Educational Policy Studies, History, Sociology, and Theatre. (Additional AAS faculty strength lies in Social Work, Curriculum and Instruction, Psychology and Political Science.) The Committee became one of the ethnic studies programs under the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. An interdisciplinary minor is currently being developed. Contact:
Indiana University, BloomingtonAs a result of ten years of activism with other communities of color,
the Asian Culture Center was established at Indiana University in 1997.
Indiana also has an Afro-American Studies and Latino Studies Program.
There has been some interest in an Asian American Studies program and a
few courses offered. Contact:
University of IowaNo information available at this time... Contacts:
University of Michigan, Ann ArborAsian/Pacific American (APA) Studies at University of Michigan is one of three ethnic studies programs housed within the interdisciplinary Program in American Culture. The Asian/Pacific American Studies program serves as a focal point for university research and teaching on Asian/Pacific American Studies, and serves to aid other faculty and departments in the university achieve better integration of material on Asian/Pacific Americans into their courses and research. Born out of student activism, APA Studies became a reality with the hire of two faculty in 1989 and the first courses in history and literature launched in 1990. APA Studies offers interdisciplinary graduate and undergraduate courses focusing on the Asian/Pacific American experience, and provides resources for understanding Asian/Pacific American concerns and issues. Students may take a full range of courses examining the historical, social, political, economic, literary, cultural, and psychological forces which have shaped and continue to shape the lives and communities of Asian/Pacific Americans. The groups covered include Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Pacific Islander, South Asian, Thai, Vietnamese, and other Southeast Asian Americans. Undergraduates may develop a course of study focusing on Asian/Pacific American communities and cultures through the "ethnic studies" track of the concentration in American Culture. Graduate study leads to the Ph.D. degree in American Culture. Contact:
Michigan State UniversitySince 1990, an Asian Pacific American Students Organization (APASO) has worked to establish Asian American Studies and a Multicultural center at MSU. A Multicultural center was approved and opened in 1999. Currently there are Asian American Studies courses offered in History,Literature, American Studies, and Anthropology. Students, staff, and faculty are working towards establishing an Asian American Studies specialization. Contacts:
University of MinnesotaThe Asian American Studies Initiative is a group of faculty, staff, and students who work collectively to promote research and teaching in Asian American Studies at the University of Minnesota. This group has been in existence for over two years (currently funded by grants from the Bush Diversity Program and the Graduate College). Members are currently working to propose an undergraduate minor in Asian American Studies, to regularize course offerings, to plan events, to produce a website and publicity brochure, and to support and encourage research. Contact:
Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern established a minor in Asian American Studies in Fall 2000 and currently has two Asian Americanist faculty members- Ji-Yeon Yuh in history who began teaching in Fall 1999 and Dorothy Wang in English who began teaching in Fall 2000. Contacts:
Ohio State UniversityThe Asian American Studies program at O.S.U. was first established as a minor in 1997 and is currently housed in the Division of Comparative Studies. The program is co-coordinated by two junior faculty members—Judy Wu and Steve Yao from the History and English departments, respectively. Contacts:
Pennsylvania State UniversityCurrently, there are some courses at Penn State that incorporate Asian American works. There is no faculty who specializes in Asian American studies, but there is interest among faculty in the English department to search for an Asian Americanist. There is a strong African American Studies program and building Latina/o Studies program at Penn State. Contact:
Purdue UniversityCurrently, at Purdue, there are no faculty members in Asian American Studies, and there is no Asian American Studies committee/program/department. There is, however, an undergraduate social and cultural organization, the Asian American Association. Purdue University has struggled to establish any committed interest in Asian American Studies. There are, however, some faculty members, particularly in American Studies, who include Asian American texts and issues in their courses. While it is quite rare for a graduate student to have Asian American Studies as a full research focus, there are a few graduate students who have dedicated sections of their dissertations to Asian American concerns. The Asian American Network of Indiana (AANI) was established in 1994,
and has played a strong role in generating interest in Asian American
Studies at Purdue. Both before and after its founding, AANI members
worked to establish a few courses in the area of Asian American Studies,
but due to mixed student interest and lack of institutional support, the
courses were discontinued. In 1989, people who were later to become
founding members of AANI became faculty/staff advisors for Purdue Asian
American Students, helping that group move from being an exclusively
social to a cultural and educational club as well. Both AANI and AAA
periodically organize and sponsor cultural and educational events on
campus and in the local community. Contacts: University of Wisconsin, MadisonIn 1988, the Asian Coalition—a group of activists, community members, and university students, faculty, and staff—wrote a proposal for the creation of an Asian American Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. In 1991, a director—Amy Ling—was hired, and the first Asian American Studies Program in the Midwest was begun. The Asian American Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin- Madison is an interdisciplinary program devoted to the teaching, research, and cultural activities of Americans of Asian ancestry. The Program serves as a teaching and resource center not only for Asian Americans but for the University community as a whole. A certificate in Asian American Studies has been available since 1998. Faculty teach courses in English, Women's Studies, Anthropology, Education, and Sociology. Contact:
NewsThere is a AAS in CIC email list serve. To be added to this list, contact the University of Illinois Asian American Studies program at aasc@uiuc.edu. The meeting proceedings from our first meeting are completed and
available at the CIC web site:
The Committee on Institutional CooperationThe Committee on Institutional Cooperation, established in 1958, is the academic consortium of twelve major teaching and research universities. Its programs and activities extend to all aspects of university activity except intercollegiate athletics. The CIC member institutions are the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois (Chicago and Urbana-Champaign campuses), Indiana University, the University of Iowa, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The CIC is organized both horizontally and vertically, mirroring the structure of its member institutions. Throughout its history, nearly every academic and administrative unit has been involved in CIC programs, participated in cooperative groups and panels, or enjoyed the mutual benefits of collegiality with members of sister institutions. It is this spirit of cooperation among otherwise competitive universities that has marked the successes of the Committee and its many programs and activities. Through more than three decades of changing conditions and influences, the advantages of the consortial approach have produced results when competition alone would have been counterproductive. By focusing institutional efforts and enhancing them through cooperative activities, the CIC and its member universities have effectively complemented and augmented institutional programs without supplanting them or reducing their individual importance. Assisting change where it is requested, and encouraging it when it is warranted, the Committee has been able to take risks its members might not have attempted alone. By designing and implementing model programs that can be applied and adapted to the needs and circumstances of individual universities, the CIC continues to bring together the combined force and resources of each for the benefit of all. The Committee on Institutional Cooperation has always been governed by its three founding principles that no single institution can or should attempt to be all things to all people, that inter-institutional cooperation permits educational experimentation and progress on a scale beyond the capability of any single institution acting alone, and that voluntary cooperation fosters effective, concerted action while preserving institutional autonomy and diversity.
Other Readings of Interest @ AAV
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