The College will offer its first courses examining the Asian-American experience, as well as a new course that looks at women's political activism.
Assistant Dean of the Faculty Shiela Culbert said Dean of the Faculty Jim Wright authorized the creation of two Asian-American Studies courses for next fall.
Culbert said the courses' contents will depend on which professors are chosen to teach them. But one course will focus on the history of Asians in the United States while the other will address current events, she said.
She said the second course "could conceivably be a sociology course or a government course" about Asian-Americans.
Dartmouth Asian Organization President Sarah Cho '97 said she told Wright that she felt as though people at Dartmouth cannot understand the Asian-American experience and Dartmouth has "an obligation to make sure that all facets of American history are covered."
She said, Dartmouth offers classes in African-American, Native American and Latino history, but "we have this big component of American history that is not covered."
Culbert said her office is still making decisions about the courses.
"Nothing is definite yet," Culbert said. "We are looking around, talking to the departments and getting feedback from professors."
She said the course may be taught by Dartmouth professors or by visiting professors.
Cho said she thinks the creation of Asian-American Studies classes is "awesome. It is something we have been working on for a long time."
Cho said she and members of the DAO task force spoke with many professors and administrators about Asian-American studies classes.
"It was a very discouraging process," she said. "It got to the point when I thought it wasn't going to happen."
Cho said she thought the way to get Asian-American studies courses established at Dartmouth was to get support from professors. She said she was thinking about circulating a petition to get their support.
Wright said he has been contemplating creating courses in Asian-American Studies for a long time, Cho said.
Cho said she met with Wright after racial epithets were written on the doors of four Asian-American students. Wright told her there was now money to create the courses, and the administration wanted to offer them next year, Cho said.
"When he told me, I felt purposeless," Cho said. "Everything I wanted at Dartmouth was accomplished. It made me feel as though Dartmouth is gaining something."
Students will no longer be able to blame the College for racist incidents, because it is "providing the tools for students" to combat racism, Cho said, referring to the courses.
She said she hopes students take advantage of the opportunity to take these new classes, because "the more you learn about different things the wiser you get."
Asian-Americans ignorant of their history can learn to be proud of it, Cho said.
She said the College already offers Asian studies classes, but so far none have explored the experience of Asian-American immigrants and their descendants.
Cho said she has taken many Latino classes and has an understanding of the Latino experience that she "couldn't have gotten without the classes. It is enlightening."
Cho said the new Asian-American classes will be offered "on a trial basis."
"I hope we can show the administration that this is something that Dartmouth needs," she said.
In addition to the classes focusing on the Asian-American experience, the history department will also offer a new class in conjunction with the women's studies program.
History Professor Annelise Orleck said she and History Professor Peggy Darrow will teach a course called Women in Politics in Europe and the United States next term.
Orleck said the course will cover a variety of topics concerning women's political activism on both continents over several centuries.
During their lectures, the professors will take turns explaining women's political activism in the United States and Europe, she said.
She said the class will be small and consist of daily discussions.
Orleck said she is unsure of what the exact class size will be.
Students in the course will lead class discussions on occasion and will be required to present research projects, Orleck.
Orleck said students will read primary sources so they can understand women's thoughts in different eras.
The class will examine various time periods and topics, including the French and American Revolutions, the women's suffrage movement, women in labor unions and women in radical activism movements such as anarchism, communism and socialism.
