Word: ethnically
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Programs like ethnic studies are products of a progressive educational philosophy, which recognizes that, as our understanding of the world around us changes over time, so should the ways in which we define a good education...
...liberal” national politics. Recognizing the contributions and historical significance of multiple cultures and civilizations is a matter of intellectual open-mindedness, not a left-wing conspiracy to diminish the importance of the white Anglo-Saxons. Boxing certain fields into politically liberal and politically conservative categories (e.g. ethnic studies versus classics) is tremendously detrimental to the ideal goal of having both intellectual and political diversity in all academic areas...
What students learn in college does not suddenly cease to be important upon graduation. Those who question the necessity of a field like ethnic studies need only look at the rapid pace of economic globalization and the constant movement of groups of people within the U.S. and around the world to see that the study of ethnicity, as well as interracial and intercultural interaction, is more pertinent than ever...
Moreover, the use of interdisciplinary approaches is one of the greatest driving forces of academia and of innovation in the world at large, and colleges should make an effort to prepare students appropriately. Fields like ethnic studies or women, gender, and sexuality are worthwhile academic pursuits because they train students to utilize a wide range of methods when engaging in intellectual inquiry. Even relatively “traditional” methods-based disciplines are not as pure and unified as they are frequently made out to be. Within a department like history, scholars can approach the past with...
...establishment of ethnic studies as a secondary field introduces a new way of thinking. It serves as a counterweight to the kind of academic chauvinism that puts forth the risky proposition that some degrees are more important than others. An avid student of the Eurocentric, so-called classical model of Western education would be wildly ill-equipped to understand the broad, socio-cultural forces that shape current events in the national and international spheres. Purposely ignoring the experiences of non-Western peoples would be like looking at the world with one eye closed—with a massive blind spot...