"The mission of the Intercollegiate Department of Asian American Studies is to examine through various academic disciplines the experiences of people of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage in the Americas. The Asian American Studies curriculum helps to unify an important area of intellectual investigation and enhances appreciation of particular disciplines in the humanities and the social sciences. The department is committed to excellence in teaching and scholarship and is a vital information resource for students and researchers. Moreover, its faculty endeavors to create an intellectual climate which fosters cross-cultural dialogue.
Established in 1998, the IDAAS offers a rich academic program to all students at The Claremont Colleges (Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, Pomona and Scripps). Interdisciplinary in both research and teaching initiatives, the IDAAS promotes collaborative projects with other departments at the Colleges, and with scholars at other institutions.
The department�s curriculum includes courses in art, history, literature, psychology, sociology and interdisciplinary areas. These courses are designed to accommodate the needs of both majors and non-majors. Asian American Studies courses provide significant preparation for students pursuing careers in a variety of fields, including education, social work, public policy, law, medicine, business and international relations." (See IDAAS webpage)
Almost thirty years after the Intercollegiate Department of Black Studies and the Chicano Studies Department were established, the Intercollegiate Department of Asian American Studies was established in the Claremont Colleges (Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, Pomona, and Scripps Colleges). Ironically, it was also thirty years after the San Francisco State Student Strike in 1968.
Asian American Studies Timeline
1969 = Creation of Intercollegiate Department of Black Studies (IDBS), Office of Black Student Affairs (OBSA), Chicano Studies Department (CSD), and Chicano-Latino Student Association (CLSA)
1974-1977 = Tim Dong and Rick Tsujimoto taught one Asian American Studies (AAS) course per year in the Claremont Colleges
1980s = Zero AAS classes are offered within the 5-Colleges
1987 = Suicide death of an Asian American Pitzer student
Feb., 1989 = Proposal by female Pomona seniors for an Asian American Resource Center (AARC)
Summer, 1990 = Ford Foundation Grant to create AAS course at Pitzer; AAS professors include Joe Parker, Jack Ling, and Linus Yamane
Fall, 1990 = AARC established at Pomona
Spring, 1991 = ASAM 101 is taught for the first time
Spring, 1992 = Walker Wall Incident
Summer, 1992 = Summer Workshop with AAS Professors
Spring, 1993 = Students take over Alexander Hall
Spring, 1993 = Planning Group organized (with two professors and two students from each of the 5-Cs) to look into the founding of an AAS department
Spring, 1994 = David Yoo (History) is hired at CMC; Yoo is the first faculty member ever hired who specializes in AAS
Fall, 1994 = Sharon Goto (Psychology) is hired at Pomona
1995 = Janet Clarke (Literature) is hired at Pitzer
1996 = Call to Action (another student effort); Lead to an upgrade of the AARC (through the years, AARC went from having a part-time director to two full-time directors)
Feb., 1997 = Proposal for IDAAS
Fall, 1997 = Balch Hall Teach-in
July, 1998 = IDAAS created (as well as the logo--one 'A' faces east for Asia, one 'A' faces west for the Unites States
September, 1998 = Ron Takaki gives the keynote address for the opening of the IDAAS program
2000 = Thomas Kim (Politics) hired at Scripps
2001 = Center for Asian Pacific American Students (CAPAS) founded at Pitzer
2002 = Seung Hye Suh (Literature) hired at Scripps
2003 = Position opens for a professor of Sociology
2004 = Estimated date of a 5-C AARC
As the Program Statement of IDAAS states, "At the heart of its program, IDAAS offers an array of classes each academic year that address Asian Pacific American issues and populations. The department's curriculum in the humanities and social sciences includes courses in the arts, economics, ethnic studies, history, literature, psychology, sociology, and a number of interdisciplinary areas of study."
The issues that are explored and studied in the Claremont Colleges' IDAAS courses include--but are not limited to--Asian American history, Asian American political activism, civil rights, racism and prejudice, media representation, employment, higher education and affirmative action, and the model minority myth.
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