Thursday, November 6, 1997
Courses offered in catalog don’t exist
CURRICULUM: Lack of scheduled classes frustrate opportunities to
study underrepresented groups
By Anna Wang
As a fourth-year graduating senior majoring in communication
studies, minoring in women’s studies, and specializing in Asian
American studies, I have been able to select a wide variety of
classes in different fields to fulfill my course requirements. In
fact, I have gained exposure to such fields as psychology,
development studies, history, sociology, policy studies, and
English.
While I have been able to sample innovative and enjoyable
courses, I have often found ones listed in the catalog that never
materialized in the course schedule. After patiently waiting and
scanning the schedule every quarter, I would sometimes give up
waiting and take a substitute class that would fulfill the same
requirement. Yet the subject matter of any substitute course may
not be similar to the original course at all, which deprives me and
other students of the opportunity to study that particular
subject.
This situation hit home when I recently reviewed the course
catalog. As I skimmed the concentration requirement for the women’s
studies major (which I am considering adding in place of my minor),
I thought I would fulfill it by focusing on a cross-cultural
analysis of gender issues and taking courses that would focus on
women of color.
Having already taken courses on Asian American women and the
life histories of Native American women (Asian American Studies 115
and Council on Educational Development 111), I was looking forward
to taking both "Chicana Feminism" and "The Afro-American Woman in
the U.S." (Chicana/o Studies M110 and Psychology M172).
However, after meeting with the Women’s Studies counselor, Mary
Smith, and speaking with the chair of the women’s studies
department, Professor Ruth Bloch, I was greatly disappointed to
learn that the only course that focuses on African American women,
(Psychology/Afro-American Studies/Women’s Studies M172), is not
scheduled to be taught anytime in the near future and may even be
removed from the course catalog.
In a university as large as UCLA and with its highly touted
diversity, why is there is only one course on African American
women? And why is it being allowed to fade away into oblivion
without any replacement?
I have been contacting many of the involved parties to express
my desire to take a course on African American women and the many
other subjects that exist solely in the course catalog. Because I
am majoring, minoring and specializing in areas of
interdepartmental status here at UCLA, I find myself facing this
dilemma more frequently than I would like. Yet this situation is
not limited to those in the women’s studies department; recently
there have been other classes that I have wanted to take but have
not been offered.
Professor Neil Malamuth, the chair of the communication studies
department, and Eugenie Dye, the communication studies counselor,
both explained that in many cases the issue is a question of
balancing budget restraints with student needs and the availability
of professors to teach these classes.
I understand this dilemma occurs in many departments, yet I
cannot help feeling frustrated that the only class that focuses on
African American women has not been taught in the past five years
and may not be taught in the near future. This gaping hole in the
women’s studies curriculum needs to be filled.
In reference to this case, Professor Bloch said that she
believes that the psychology course on African American women is of
special importance. It addresses the need to diversify the women’s
studies curriculum and present the issues of underrepresented
groups such as women of color.
I imagine many other individuals would also acknowledge the
value of a class that covers a rather neglected topic. So why is it
not being offered?
If Professor Vickie Mays is unable to teach this class because
of other commitments, then why isn’t another professor being
recruited to teach it? Why aren’t other courses on African American
women developed if this particular psychology course cannot be
offered?
I’m not optimistic that I will see such a course while I am
still a student. However, I plan to take advantage of the 199
Independent Study program in order to study African American women
and learn more about their experiences.
While my immediate needs will probably be met by this course, I
would still like to express my disappointment, and anger, even,
that an already underrepresented group is further marginalized.
This area of study is not guaranteed as an option for students
to study. It would be entirely unacceptable if this course is
permanently removed and the glaring hole in the curriculum
continues to be ignored.
Perhaps the more people who are aware of this situation, the
more pressure there will be to offer a course on African American
women.and in a more general sense, the more pressure on the
administration to commit to and prioritize issues that have been
traditionally neglected.
We cannot allow our "nontraditional" academic programs to be
marginalized and deprived of valuable resources. Having office
space for an academic department is not the same as getting
adequate support from the university.
With the passage of the anti-affirmative action Proposition 209
and the xenophobic Proposition 187, and the disappointingly slow
progress of racial relations, I think it is more important than
ever to preserve what we currently have and not allow past
accomplishments and achievements to be taken away.
People fought to have ethnic and gender studies on this campus
and people across the country are fighting for them now in
1997.
We need to move forward without losing what we have already
gained.
If we are forced to fight to preserve what we already earned,
then we will never advance further.