Course changes driven by many catalysts

As with everything concerning diversity issues at Oberlin, creating a diverse curriculum at the College is a complicated process. Student input, faculty knowledge and trends within the discipline all affect what classes are offered each semester.

In recent history there has been more attention given to ethnic studies. Students are rallying for Asian-American and Latin-American studies departments, which would increase the selection of classes pertaining to ethnic issues offered in different disciplines.

Every eight years, each department in the College goes through a review process to evaluate its curriculum. The College is now looking to diversify the faculty in certain departments such as English and Sociology. New faculty members will be able to create new, ethnic- and gender-related courses based on their area of specialization.

Clayton Koppes, dean of the college of arts and sciences, said it might appear that positions haven't changed recently within disciplines but that the type and content of classes has changed.

Sonia Kruks, professor of politics, said curriculum changes are often student-driven, but that certain core classes need to be taught regardless of whether or not a certain class is popular with students. Current professors also have the freedom to create classes according to their own specializations. This often leads to ethnically diverse classes.

Professor of Sociology Bill Norris said the "gender position" in the Sociology Department was added in 1990 after many students requested a class on the subject. Gender and sexuality were topics he had specialized in, so he taught the class.

Other departments have broadened their course offerings over the years. Steve Volk, chair of the history department, thinks the history department offers more diverse classes than it did in the '80s, where classes were organized around European and American history and East Asian history.

Professor of English Dewey Ganzel said he has seen "radical" changes in the English Curriculum in the decades he's taught at Oberlin. He said the way English has been taught in the past had been through a more formal, historical approach, where now there's a tendency toward the theoretical, based on "extra literary concerns" in the field.

As concern for social change has risen, so has the tendency to look at literature as an "artifact of social change," Ganzel said.

Powers, an English major, said that the requirements for majors revolve around the canon of European literature while a focus on ethnicity is not emphasized.

Keeping track of what's happening in a certain field is essential for keeping classes relevant as well, said Koppes. Departments have to "stay abreast" of changes in their discipline by looking outside the college to the academic field they represent.

Major curriculum changes also come from filling openings in the faculty, Koppes said, though he said there is no room at Oberlin for additions to the faculty, something he said many small liberal arts colleges have in common.

"Our ability to cover [everything] is limited - the faculty is not prepared," Volk said. He feels that diverse faculty leads to a diverse curriculum.

Hiring new faculty members is a way of integrating new ideas and perspectives into the curriculum. Search committees are looking for new positions in the English and politics departments.

The President's task force helped elect Linda Vo to her current position as a visiting assistant professor of sociology, but Koppes said that the Administration doesn't have much say in hiring faculty. Faculty and the Educational Plans and Policies Committee head the faculty searches.

Even with the new additions to departments, students feel more could be done to cement the diversity of faculty. Vo holds a one-year position, after which she will either have her contract renewed for another year, or have the position filled by someone else.

"My main concern is giving classes permanance," senior Jenny Lin, member of the Asian-American Student Committee, said. She finds that, while progress has been made in hiring professors to teach ethnically diverse classes in various disciplines, no tenure-track positions have been offered.

"I do see diversification in terms of curriculum, but I haven't seen a long-term commitment to keep those professors at Oberlin," Lin said.

Making the decision to create a new department around a subject is another challenge faculty face when evaluating the curriculum. Koppes said there needs to be enough faculty to make it worthwhile to organize a new department, such as an Asian-American or Latin-American studies department, and that the administrative work is more difficult than it would be for adding classes to the curriculum.

Ganzel mentioned that one "escape hatch" or alternative to having specialized departments is for students to pursue private readings within existing departments on topics of their choice.

"Ideally," said Powers, "it would be nice if we were in a situation where these [specialized] departments weren't necessary."

Koppes thinks it's more important for diverse classes to be taught. "I think the most important thing is to be sure that we have these kinds of subjects taught and that we have a diverse faculty. The question of whether or not we have a specific program or what kind of administrative arrangements we have is a secondary issue," Koppes said

"In a lot of ways," Lin said, "you have to start with a department, but any ethnic studies is inherently interdisciplinary."

In terms of deciding whether an area deserves its own department or not, Kruks feels that it's not an "either-or" question.

"There's a risk of creating a ghetto," Kruks said, where specific issues will be concentrated in one department and not dealt with in other disciplines.

"We need a curriculum that's constantly evolving and that anticipates changing times," Koppes said.