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President's Message |
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Students at California State University, Chico now have the opportunity to minor in Asian American Studies. The addition of an Asian American Studies program enhances CSU, Chico’s commitment to meeting the challenges presented by the multicultural diversity of the state’s population. Asian Americans are the fastest growing ethnic minority group in California and the nation. The Asian American Studies program frames Asian American experiences in structural terms. It examines how U.S. policies toward Asia affect Asian immigration to the United States and the effect of global restructuring on social and economic political order in Asian American communities. During the spring 2000 semester, we offered three courses: Introduction to Asian American Studies, Asian Immigration: World System Perspective, and Asian American Literature. In fall 2000, we will offer a new course, Southeast Asian Culture in Transition. Asian American groups differ enormously in their socioeconomic characteristics, cultural backgrounds, and historical experiences. Contrary to the prevailing stereotype, the vast majority of Asian Americans do not fit the “model minority” stereotype. Many Asian Americans have made substantial socio-economic progress, but compared to the white population, a larger proportion of Asian Americans still live below the poverty line. Despite the predominance of Asian Americans among the freshman classes at many UC and CSU campuses, the vast majority of today’s Asian American students are not stereotypical overachievers from well-to-do families. A minor in Asian American Studies prepares students with the basic knowledge necessary to understand and interact with the fastest growing segment of our society, as well as a large segment of the emerging global economic marketplace. Asian American Studies provide students the tools they need to deal with cultural differences. The Asian American Studies minor program examines relevant socialization patterns of Asian children from Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, and Southeast Asian backgrounds. The program culminates in an internship in the Asian American community and a related research project that is presented publicly.
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