Lattimore says, "Having white students in a class about Black issues often brings up topics at a simple level--it makes you look at things from the fundamentals." Citing the integrated population of concentrators, Herron says, "I don't know if it's a Harvard phenomenon or what. But, I think Afro-American studies is exciting and intellectually challenging and I think that everybody is interested in it."
Being a white student can have its disadvantages, Worthman says. "I am not as personally informed as other students, but I would not major in it if I felt at all uncomfortable with the subject matter."
The racial mix of students reflects the make-up of the professors in the department. Out of five professors this year, two are white and three are Black, including Herron, who is the only Black female professor at the College. Each professor brings a different perspective to the discipline, which is affected by the experiences of his or her own race, Sollors says.
The department attempts to combine the perspectives of Blacks and whites, because disciplines concerning living subject matter are most effectively studied through varied approaches, Sollors says. As a result, one can acquire a feeling of an "insider-outsider" analysis for many of the areas of study.
As a white professor in the department, Sollors admits there are some drawbacks to not being Black and an Afro-American expert. "Looking at it [Afro-Am] from the outside, you are particulaly prone to see larger cultural patterns and the connectedness of the fabric of Afro-American life to modern life in general," he says. "But, there is always the fine tuning of the field that becomes most apparent from being a part of Afro-American life, particularly in the realm of literature."
From the student perspective, Dawkins says, "White professors tend to ignore the social implications of literature." Yet others say it is not color that matters, but expertise. Herron admits to "being a classicist" and adds, "I don't like prolonged periods of working with texts that are apt to bring up what is emotional in myself." Authors such as Alice Walker tend to tie themselves up with intense emotion where classic writers like Homer lend themselves to a more intellectual reading of the text, she says.
As all Afro-Am courses are cross listed under the specific concentrations to which they are related, cross-listed under Afro-Am are several courses that could actually be classified as African Studies, including Religion 1901, "Introduction to African Religions;" Government 1220, "Government and Politics in Africa;" and English 167c, "Black Writing in South Africa." The lack of an African Studies Department at Harvard forces the Afro-Am Department to take the responsiblity for courses relatively unrelated to the Black experience in America.
Some professors say that the African course offerings detract from the focus of the department. Huggins agrees, "It is hard enough to deal with Afro-American subject matter than to have to address the quite dramatically different culture and lifestyle of Africa." Many professors and students agree that Harvard should offer more courses that deal strictly with Africa, to create an interdisciplinary concentration.
The one problem that both professors and students cite repeatedly is that the department is too small at this point to accommodate the growing number of concentrators. Six positions are open for professors, and only two professors will remain after this academic year. The department is conducting a search for qualified professors. "My tutorial is far too big. There should be two professors to split the 10 students in sophmore tutorial," Dawkins says.
Professors explain the small size of the department by citing the subject's relative lack of popularity. Harrison says, "The main emphasis on any department's size rests on the importance or expanding nature of it." Thus, during the 1960's and the Civil Rights Movement, Afro-American Studies was by necessity a more popular field of study and a larger department.
But, professors add, the department's current small size should not be seen as undermining the importance of Afro-American Studies today. As history itself is perceived in dualities, it is impossible to study American history without looking at Afro-American history, as each is an integral part of the other, Huggins says. He adds, "Afro-American studies is important because it is a central way of viewing American life."