The College has allocated two new professors to the Comparative American Studies Program, which the General Faculty approved last year. The CAS program seeks to engage studies in a discourse on the experiences of historically marginalized American populations.
The two positions are in Latino Studies and LGBT/Queer studies.
“They are both tenure-track positions,” Dean of the College Clayton Koppes said. “If all goes well in the searches CAS will be up and running as a full-fledged program the next academic year.”
The searches for these new professors will take place over next semester, he said.
No Asian American Studies position was allocated. CAS Program director and Sociology Professor Bill Norris said that two already existed: one in the history department and one in the sociology department.
“There are [already] two Asian American Studies positions,” he said. ‘People who are working with CAS won’t necessarily hold positions in CAS.”
“I think it’s a very exciting development,” Dean Koppes said. “CAS has an opportunity to be a model program at the liberal arts College level for the comparative study of difference and the program enables the College to fully embrace some of the most recent and significant trends in scholarship.”