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Asian American Studies in the Big Ten Universities
An Overview of the Field's
Development in the Midwest, with Contacts for Information about AAS
Prepared by the
Committee on Institutional Cooperation
Introduction
The 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 Chicago
In 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, Chicago
The 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,
Asian American courses are being offered in English, History,
Sociology, and LAS. UIC is currently seeking the hiring of tenure track
or tenured faculty to teach Asian Americans courses in the College of
Liberal Arts and Sciences, with the hope of creating a minor.
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:
Sharon Lee, Staff Associate, Asian American Studies.
lee1@uiuc.edu
George T. Yu, Professor, Political Science and Director, Asian American
Studies. g-yu@uiuc.edu
Web site:
http://www.uiuc.edu/unit/aasc
 Indiana
University, Bloomington
As 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.
The Asian Culture Center at Indiana University spearheaded the formation
of an exploratory committee for Asian American Studies program. This
committee is currently working on a proposal to develop a program.
Contact:
Angela Pao, Comparative Literature,
acpao@indiana.edu
Melanie Castillo-Cullather, Director, Asian Culture Center.
acc@indiana.edu
Web site:
http://www.indiana.edu/~acc
University of Iowa
No information available at this time...
Contacts:
Susan Hwang, Ph.D. Candidate, English.
Susan-hwang@uiowa.edu
Maryann Rasmussen, Lecturer, English.
Maryann-rasmussen@uiowa.edu
Maureen Robertson, Professor, Chinese and Comparative Literature.
Maureen-robertson@uiowa.edu
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Asian/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:
Amy K. Stillman, Associate Professor, Music and American Cultures.
akstill@umich.edu
Web site:
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/ac/ethnic/apast
Michigan State University
Since 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:
Andrea Louie, Assistant Professor, Anthropolog.
louie@pilot.msu.edu
Victor Jew, Assistant Professor, History.
vicjew@pilot.msu.edu
Tae Sun Kim, Graduate Student, Anthropology.
kimtaesu@pilot.msu.edu
University of Minnesota
The 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:
Josephine Lee, Associate Professor, English.
jolee@tc.umn.edu
Web site: http://cla.umn.edu/aasi/
Northwestern University
Northwestern 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:
Ji-Yeon Yuh, Assistant Professor, History.
j-yuh@northwestern.edu
Dorothy Wang, Assistant Professor, English.
d-wang5@northwestern.edu
Web site:
http://www2.MMLC.Northwestern.EDU/asian-american/
AsianAmerican@northwestern.edu
Ohio State University
The 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:
Judy Wu, Assistant Professor, History.
wu.287@osu.edu
Steve Yao, Assistant Professor, English.
yao.27@osu.edu
Web site:
http://www.cohums.ohio-state.edu/AsianAm/
Pennsylvania State University
Currently, 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:
Ralph Rodriguez, Assistant Professor, English and Comparative
Literature. rer11@psu.edu
Purdue University
Currently, 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:
Susan Moynihan, Graduate Student, American Studies.
moynihan@purdue.edu
Rebecca L. Wong, Ph.D., H.S.P.P. Staff Psychologist, Counseling and
Psychological Services (CAPS) and contact person for the Asian American
Network of Indiana.
rlwong@purdue.edu
Asian American Association Web Site:
http://expert.cc.purdue.edu/~aaa/
University of Wisconsin, Madison
In 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:
Michael Thornton, Professor, Afro American Studies and Director, Asian
American Studies Program.
mcthornt@facstaff.wisc.edu
Web site:
http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/aasp/
News
There 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:
http://www.cic.uiuc.edu/third_level/Asian%20American%20Studies%20Report.pdf
The Committee on Institutional Cooperation
 The
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.
http://www.cic.uiuc.edu/
Other Readings of Interest @ AAV
The preceding was prepared by
Committee on Institutional Cooperation,
academic consortium of twelve major teaching and research universities
in the Midwest established in 1958. It
is posted here by permission. For more information, or possible
future updates, see
http://www2.uiuc.edu/unit/aasincic/.
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