For the first time in its history, the College will offer Asian-American studies classes, and some students and administrators say racist graffiti discovered last winter may have contributed to the courses' adoption.
Asian-American Studies I and II, being taught Winter and Spring terms by Visiting History Professor Vernon Takeshita, will examine the Asian-American experience before and after World War II. Takeshita, a Japanese-American, said about three-fourths of the 25 enrolled students are Asian-American.
Proponents of Asian-American studies said they were delighted by the decision.
"It is something that quite a few students have wanted for a while, but in the past some faculty and administrators had placed it aside as a second priority," Sara Cho '97 said.
Cho, a long-time advocate of Asian-American studies classes at Dartmouth, is currently enrolled in Takeshita's class.
Cho said she believes incidents of racial intolerance last winter may have encouraged administrators to create the classes.
In January two Asian-American men in Little Hall and two Asian-American women living off-campus found racial slurs, such as "chink," written on the doors of their residences.
"The racial epithets helped us prove that the course was needed, but it wasn't because of this racial incident that we got the course," Cho said.
Cho said too many "students went [through Dartmouth] without taking courses about diverse groups."
Former History Chair Gene Garthwaite said the racial epithets "probably were a factor, but there were a variety of other things ... We have thought to add this field to the history department. The deans were responsive to us bringing these courses."
"Within the department itself there has been an interest in offering an Asian-American Studies course for quite some time," he said.
History Chair Michael Ermarth said attention to ethnic history has increased in higher education. Academe has become interested in "roots and identity, the kind of pluralization of storylines concerning how the United States came to be how it is," he said.
"There is also a perception among the faculty that the Asian-American experience was an area that we had probably neglected in the past," he said.
Cho said Asian-American history is vital to an understanding of American history.
"When you teach American history but you don't talk about Asian-American history, then you're leaving a big component out ... you're not understanding American history," she said. "If you're going to talk about American history, you have to take it from different perspectives."
Ermarth said the increased diversity of Dartmouth's student body contributed to interest in Asian-American studies.
Such classes have special meaning for Asian-American students, Cho said.
"It's a great thing. It's good for a lot of Asian-American students because it allows them to understand their identity," Cho said.
Ermath said the history department will evaluate the classes later in the year to determine whether they should remain in the curriculum.
Takeshita said he believes Asian-Americans have a unique place in America's history.
He said the Chinese were the first group denied immigration by the United States, they were seldom permitted to naturalize and they were often denied civil rights because they were considered foreigners.
The courses will also examine the formation of Asian-American communities, Asian-Americans' relationship with other minorities and labor issues.
