In 1993, the Faculty created a Committee on Ethnic Studies, which appoints visiting professors, organizes symposia and compiles lists of ethnic studies offerings at Harvard.

One visiting professor is appointed each term by the Committee on Ethnic Studies jointly with a department, says Werner Sollors, Cabot professor of English and professor of Afro-American studies.

Is Harvard Doing Enough?

Visiting appointments and related courses currently provide the basis of Harvard's ethnic studies program. But many professors, such as Michael JonesCorrea, assistant professor of government, say this isn't enough.

"Ethnic studies is an emerging topic and we need to pay more attention to it," he says.

Doris Sommer, acting chair of the Committee on Ethnic Studies, says more courses in ethnic studies should be incorporated in regular and existing programs.

Yet Sommer, a professor of romance languages and literature, says she does not believe Harvard needs an ethnic studies concentration.

"I don't favor an independent concentration, which would suggest that ethnicity is an issue separate from the general study of the Americas," she says. "I'd prefer to see the focus mainstreamed in ways that represent this hemisphere as composed of multiple and resilient ethnicities."

Sollors also says he does not think Harvard needs an ethnic studies concentration.

"Judging by the number of students who have tried to do Ethnic Studies as a special concentration, the answer is prob- ably no," Sollors says. "Students wouldundoubtedly like more courses, yet they have notalways flocked to the courses offered."

Seeing Eye-to-Eye

Hsu says he believes Harvard has increased itsfocus on ethnic studies in the last four years.

"When I came here," he says, "[the Faculty's]position was that Harvard already had enoughprofessors working in ethnic studies."

The focus of debate several years ago, Hsusays, centered around the way students and facultydefined ethnic studies.

The faculty committee perceived it as "thestudy of diversity." The student Academic AffairsCommittee modelled its definition on severalCalifornia universities, which have separatedepartments for Asian American, Latino American,African American and Native American studies.

"People on the [faculty] committee had theirown definition of ethnic studies and werereluctant to accept our definition," Hsu says.

According to Hsu the relationship betweenstudents and faculty interested in ethnic studieshas greatly improved since 1995.

Since then, he says the debate has moved awayfrom political concerns of representation and ontoacademic pursuits.

Sommer also says student activists and facultyare seeing eye-to-eye more than in the past.

"Students have been articulate, convincing,consistent in their pressure yet admirablyrespectful of the procedure," she says. "They arean inspiration.