Title of Submission
Shifting the Dynamic: American Ethnic Studies, Women of Color & Walking your Anti-Racism Talk in the Heartland
Submission Abstract
Presumed Incompetent[1] hit academics of color like a lightning bolt of truth. More truth-telling came in a recent article on academia’s lack of racial diversity[2] and how that dearth is maintained. To scholars of color, these texts say, “It’s not your imagination” but don’t shift the dynamic. How do women of color working within Ethnic Studies make that shift? And how do we assess our effectiveness in this landscape? Drs. Roshanravan and Petillo work within one of the few American Ethnic Studies departments in Kansas. Predominately comprised of women of color, this department is a vanguard in the field and their university’s flagship unit on race and ethnicity. The authors highlight how their reach is shaped by and influences both departmental history and geographically grounded ideas about anti-racism work. Drs. Roshanravan and Petillo discuss Ethnic Studies as a foundation for a diverse academic workforce and an intellectual landscape which produces diversity/culturally competent students as well as effective collaborative relationships within America’s Heartland communities. They also tackle the ways that assessments do and don’t provide insight into their impacts as well as how to address that lack.
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[1] Gutiérrez Y Muhs, Gabriella., Yolanda Flores. Niemann, Carmen. García González, and Angela P. Harris. Presumed Incompetent : The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia. Boulder, Colo.: University Press of Colorado, 2012.
[2] Marybeth Gasman, “An Ivy League professor on why colleges don’t hire more faculty of color: ‘We don’t want them’”, Washington Post. September 26th, 2016. Accessed September 27th, 2016 at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/09/26/an-ivy-league-professor-on-why-colleges-dont-hire-more-faculty-of-color-we-dont-want-them/.
Keywords
Ethnic Studies, Assessment, Diversity
Recommended Citation
Petillo, April D. J. and Roshanravan, Shireen (2016). "Shifting the Dynamic: American Ethnic Studies, Women of Color & Walking your Anti-Racism Talk in the Heartland," Institute for Student Learning Assessment.
Shifting the Dynamic: American Ethnic Studies, Women of Color & Walking your Anti-Racism Talk in the Heartland
Presumed Incompetent[1] hit academics of color like a lightning bolt of truth. More truth-telling came in a recent article on academia’s lack of racial diversity[2] and how that dearth is maintained. To scholars of color, these texts say, “It’s not your imagination” but don’t shift the dynamic. How do women of color working within Ethnic Studies make that shift? And how do we assess our effectiveness in this landscape? Drs. Roshanravan and Petillo work within one of the few American Ethnic Studies departments in Kansas. Predominately comprised of women of color, this department is a vanguard in the field and their university’s flagship unit on race and ethnicity. The authors highlight how their reach is shaped by and influences both departmental history and geographically grounded ideas about anti-racism work. Drs. Roshanravan and Petillo discuss Ethnic Studies as a foundation for a diverse academic workforce and an intellectual landscape which produces diversity/culturally competent students as well as effective collaborative relationships within America’s Heartland communities. They also tackle the ways that assessments do and don’t provide insight into their impacts as well as how to address that lack.
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[1] Gutiérrez Y Muhs, Gabriella., Yolanda Flores. Niemann, Carmen. García González, and Angela P. Harris. Presumed Incompetent : The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia. Boulder, Colo.: University Press of Colorado, 2012.
[2] Marybeth Gasman, “An Ivy League professor on why colleges don’t hire more faculty of color: ‘We don’t want them’”, Washington Post. September 26th, 2016. Accessed September 27th, 2016 at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/09/26/an-ivy-league-professor-on-why-colleges-dont-hire-more-faculty-of-color-we-dont-want-them/.
