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University of Wyoming

 

CHICANO STUDIES Academic Plan 2004-2009

 Executive Summary

 

Much like the trend at many other institutions, the UW Chicano/a Studies Program is confronting and debating the implications of a rapidly changing U.S. racial/ethnic population.  Economic globalization and the development of transnational communities are largely responsible for the dramatic swell in the U.S. Latino/a population, and for its increasing diversity.  This demographic shift has made U.S. Latinos/as the largest racial/ethnic minority group nationally, and in many cases the largest racial/ethnic minority group at regional and local levels.  Latinos/as are the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Mountain Division and in Wyoming.  And while Mexicans are the majority Latino ethnic group in the Mountain division (55.7% of the identified minority persons); there is an uncharacteristically high proportion of “Other” Latinos/as (30.7%).  A similar yet nuanced pattern exists in Wyoming as Mexicans (63.0%) and “Other” Latinos/as (34.6%) are proportionately higher than Mountain divisional proportions.  Even though actual numbers may be small, the mission of a state sponsored land grant institution is to provide university access to all of its citizens.  In fact, it was in response to struggles for equal access that universities all over the country responded with the development of the various minority studies programs. In the same tradition, the Chicana/o Studies Program at UW is committed to structuring the program to maximize the inclusion of diverse Chicana/o and Latina/o voices.

 

To that end, engaging in a serious discussion on the feasibility of a name change for the program to better reflect ongoing population and institutional trends is in order (i.e., Chicano/Latina Studies). (CHST 3)  Notwithstanding, it is clear that, at least for the next five-year academic cycle, the UW Chicano Studies Program must continue to stand alone in its ongoing development of teaching, research, and service excellence.  The continued development of scholarly excellence is necessary in order to collaborate effectively with higher administration and other academic units in the likelihood of requesting joint tenure-track faculty positions.

 

The unwavering commitment of foundational core faculty, staff, and students is primarily responsible for Chicano Studies’ current programmatic viability.  With the addition of a new director and recently appointed faculty members in Criminal Justice, Sociology, and Education Studies trained for and actively engaged in Chicano Studies teaching and research, there is little doubt that the program will achieve local, regional, and national distinction.

 

To accelerate this goal, the majority of academic planning efforts will be channeled to the restructuring of the Chicano Studies curriculum for a number of reasons.  Many courses currently offered can and should be listed as Non-Western and University Studies Program courses.  Curriculum streamlining will better reflect College of Arts and Sciences minor requirements.  Re-structuring will make possible the regular rotation of core required courses, and most importantly, will facilitate student completion of a Chicano Studies Minor. An underlying goal is for increased Chicano Studies enrollments that will increase the opportunities for mutually beneficial faculty/student research.

 

Our plan for academic excellence is further detailed in the following sections beginning with a response to progress on the 1999 Chicano Studies Program Academic Plan Action Items.

 

1. Progress on 1999 Action Items

 

With the exception of the program’s significant role in enhancing student, staff, and faculty diversity there is little reference to Chicano Studies in UW’s 1999 Academic Plan Action Items.  In that regard, the program has been relatively successful through its primary mission of creating a high quality interdisciplinary academic program that makes available to students, the university community, and the people of Wyoming, substantive knowledge regarding the history, culture, and contemporary socioeconomic status of Mexican Americans, the largest U.S. Latino ethnic group.

 

A brief assessment of the five highest priorities listed in the program’s 1998 academic plan can further illustrate this success.

 

a)      Formalization of the Chicano Studies Program.  The Chicano Studies Program and minor were in place as scheduled within two years of its proposal.  This phase included the organization and staffing of an office; the establishment of an advisory committee consisting of faculty/staff/students; and the development of the Chicano Studies Minor curriculum with newly created and cross-listed courses.  Work with UW bibliographers is producing a respectable Chicano Studies collection of books, videos, journals, and databases.  Chicano Studies scholarships have been developed and awarded on a meritorious basis.

 

b)     Faculty Recruitment.  Unfortunately, the program lost two formal lines through resignation (History) and retirement (English).  This critical loss was recently offset with the addition of two formal lines, one in Sociology and one in Criminal Justice.  Visiting, adjunct, and temporary instructional staff has been instrumental in filling core disciplinary gaps.  Rather encouraging are budding partnerships with Education Studies, Family and Consumer Sciences, International Studies, Mathematics, Nursing, Social Work, and Women’s Studies to create new courses and to examine the possibility of joint tenure-track faculty positions.  Partnerships developed here can be the basis for future targeted partnerships with other academic units in and outside of the traditional Chicano Studies core of humanities and social sciences (e.g., Agriculture, Health Sciences, and Engineering).  (CHST 4)

 

c)      Commitment to Outreach.  As noted in UW’s 1999 Academic Plan, Chicano Studies, despite their nascent stage, performed remarkably well in outreach efforts.  This observable strength is most likely the outcome of a core Chicano Studies principle on the importance of the university serving the community.  Hence, strong and stable relationships with student support services have been a hallmark of Chicano Studies programs.   In collaboration with the Office of Minority Student Affairs and MEChA, a Chicano Studies Summer Seminar was held and attracted high school students and teachers from Wyoming, Colorado and Texas.  Co-sponsorship of many campus (e.g., Hispanic Heritage Month, Chicano Awareness Week) and community events (e.g., Rawlins Cinco de Mayo) further aided in making the university accessible to the Chicano community.  Thus far, curricular and extra-curricular courses through the Outreach School remain an untapped resource (CHST 4)

d)     Commitment to Interdisciplinarity and Internationalization.  In addition to curriculum restructuring and faculty recruitment outside of the College of Arts and Sciences, an Ethnic Studies Freshman Interest Group/Intellectual Community course can go a long way in strengthening interdisciplinarity.  This in conjunction with a study abroad component can similarly work in strengthening internationalization.  (CHST 3)

 

e)      Chicano Studies Major.  While significant progress has been made for the establishment of a Chicano Studies Major, a more realistic goal considering fiscal and institutional constraints is the development of Cross-Disciplinary Chicano Studies and/or an Ethnic Studies major.  (CHST 5)

 

2. Curriculum

 

Faculty, staff, and students have made it clear that the re-structuring and streamlining of the Chicano Studies curriculum is a priority for its goal of local, regional, and national academic distinction (CHST 2).

 

Chicano Studies Programs emerged from nationwide social, economic, and political unrest that characterized much of the late 1960s and early 1970s.  Chicano/a academicians, community activists, and students questioned traditional models of acquiring knowledge that rendered the Chicano/a experience invisible.  In addition, traditional models were deemed lacking in responding to the needs of the Chicano community.  To these concerns, early Chicano/a scholars/activist (re)created educational models that were dedicated to seeking social, economic, and political justice both for Chicano communities and all global citizens.

 

Over the decades Chicano/a Studies scholars have continuously (re)evaluated and (re)structured curricula to reflect a critical interdisciplinary and transnational examination of gender, culture, and institutions. UW Chicano Studies courses probe the indigenous, European, and African roots of Chicano culture beginning with pre-Columbian cultures of the Iberian Peninsula, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America.  UW Chicano Studies courses explore the historical and contemporary significance of Chicanos/as on the U.S. social, economic, and political landscape.  Finally, UW Chicano Studies courses provide students with the necessary analytical and methodological skills to better comprehend the key role Chicanos/as have in the future development of and increasingly transnational and multicultural U.S. society. 

 

A UW Chicano Studies Minor can serve those students planning professional careers of special importance for the Chicano community such as law, the health sciences, social services, and education. With this in mind, Chicano Studies proposes key curricular changes for the successful completion of an academically rigorous minor that better reflects the increasing interdisciplinary and multicultural nature of knowledge and professionalism.

 

Introduction to Chicano Studies should introduce students to the interdisciplinary and transnational nature and scope of the discipline that drives much of its scholarly activity.  Chicano History can be a streamlined course consisting of material covered in CHST 2370 and CHST 2385.  Chicano Culture & Literature can expand the scope of CHST 2360: Mexican American Literature.  Chicano Social Science can focus on the current social, economic, and political status of Chicanos/as.

 

Campaigns are currently underway to design and implement Freshman Interest Groups/Intellectual Community, service learning, cultural exchange and Outreach courses in order to attract more students into this dynamic area of study.

 

Growing stability in leadership and support staff will insure that the reorganization of the Chicano Studies curriculum results in courses taught on a regular rotation in order for UW students to complete a Chicano Studies Minor in a timely fashion, and to provide UW students added flexibility in planning and developing their Non-Western and University courses of study.

 

3. Assessment

 

At present, The National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS) has not developed standardized evaluation methods for Chicano Studies curricula.  At UW an assessment plan will be developed in a series of phases and with the help of NACCS and the Chicano Studies Advisory Committee. (CHST 1)

 

a)      AY 2003-2004: The Director, in his capacity as the Mountain FOCO representative of the Coordinating Committee for NACCS, will introduce the standardization of curricula assessment techniques to the association at annual regional and national meetings.  The Director, with guidance from key NACCS scholars, will appoint several members from the Chicanos Studies Advisory Committee to examine Chicano Studies websites at selected peer and non-peer institutions in order to propose program goals and expectations, student-based outcomes, and assessment techniques for Chicano Studies curricula.  The Director will request current and prospective students in the program to participate in in-depth interviews to cross-validate findings from the Chicano Studies Advisory Committee.  Students will be asked to comment on why (or why not) they chose a Chicanos Studies Minor and what they expect from the program’s curriculum.  Short exit survey instruments will be developed for future graduating minors.

 

b)     AY 2004-2005: UW Chicano Studies will formalize, present, and publish its program goals and expectations, student-based outcomes, and assessment techniques for Chicano Studies Program curricula to NACCS, as well as the UW community. Chicano Studies support staff will begin the collection and examination of past and present Chicano Studies cross-listed course syllabi, grade reports, and course evaluations, as well as data collected from exit surveys and other relevant sources.

 

c)      AY 2005-2006: A new Chicano Studies curriculum will be proposed to the program’s Advisory Committee.  In addition to changes proposed earlier, a capstone course, a CHST minor thesis, and/or an internship/practicum will be considered.

d)     AY 2006-2007: Data will be collected and evaluated with respect to the newly approved Chicano Studies curriculum that students will matriculate through.  Appropriate adjustments will be implemented and evaluated repeatedly through the 2007-2009 AY.

 

4. Areas of Distinction

 

a)   Environmental and Natural Resources.  Chicano Studies, along with the School and Institute of Environmental and Natural Resources, Women’s Studies, American Indian Studies, African American Studies and International Studies can and should develop stronger ties to be more effective in combating the growing issue of Environmental Racism.  A regional conference to examine the nature and scope of Environmental Racism in the Rocky Mountain region would be a good start in developing and strengthening such ties. (CHST 4)

 

b)   Life Sciences and Critical Areas of Science and Technology.  Chicano Studies is increasingly turning to the recapturing and dissemination of indigenous knowledge to expand on and better inform traditional epistemological models of science now in place.  With the assistance of such organizations such as the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/as and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), the UW Chicano Studies Program will look to play an expanded role strengthening these two UW areas of distinction. (CHST 4)

 

c)   Professions and issues critical to the region. Chicano Studies’ partnerships with Education Studies and Modern Languages have produced important contributions in the development of educator competence in multicultural curricula and pedagogy critical for Wyoming’s changing racial/ethnic society.  Partnerships with Criminal Justice, Nursing, Sociology, and Social Work also provide important contributions to the multicultural training of future Wyoming professionals. (CHST 4)

 

d)   History and culture of Wyoming and the Mountain West Region.  Chicano Studies has made important contributions in documenting the history of Latinos in Wyoming and the Mountain West Region with faculty/student research projects resulting in end products such as a special journal issue on the Wyoming Mexican American Experience, and a video production of Chicanos in Albany and Carbon Counties.  A new partnership with the College of Agriculture’s Academic and Student Programs Office and the American Heritage Center is working towards a student produced monograph documenting the often ignored contributions of women and people of color to the nation’s agricultural industry. (CHST 4)

 

e)   Statewide leadership in cultural endeavors, the arts and humanities.  The program has been instrumental in the development and support of campus and non-campus cultural activities.  Broadening the nature of cultural activities to include such events as an International Chicano Studies Speaker Series, National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Rocky Mountain FOCO Conference, Chicano Cuisine, and widening the scope of their distribution through conventional and innovative technology such as through Radio Montaņesa, 93.5 FM, Laramie; Video Teleconferencing; Outreach; and Extension can enhance Chicano Studies’ role in this endeavor. (CHST 4)

 

 

5. Institutional and College of Arts and Sciences issues germane to the program

 

a)   The Learning Environment.  Chicano Studies’ primary planning efforts for formal assessment of the program will help insure a truly personalized, connected education.  The director will look to Ellbogen Center for Teaching Excellence staff expertise to assist in the design and implementation of an Ethnic Studies Freshman Interest Group (FIG) that will be anchored by an Ethnic Studies Intellectual Community Course in the first semester and a study abroad/cultural exchange component in the second semester.   (CHST 3)

 

b)   Scholarship and Graduate Education.  An Ethnic Studies FIG can prove invaluable in the recruitment and retention of students interested in Ethnic Studies minors.  Heightened student interest and demand for Ethnic Studies minors can provide justification for cross-disciplinary majors and graduate degrees (CHST 5)

 

c)   Diversity, Internationalization, and Access.  Chicano Studies actively promotes diversity on the UW campus through its teaching, research, and service mission.  In addition, the historical importance of U.S.-Mexico social, economic, and political relations forced the examination and inclusion of international relations into Chicano Studies teaching, research, and service by default.  Contemporary increasing globalization and immigration from all parts of Central and South America, and to regions of the U.S. not traditionally recognized for their Latino/a populations (i.e., Wyoming), is forcing an increased emphasis on the transnationalist and diasporic study of U.S. Latino/a pan- ethnicity.  There is little doubt that this pan-ethnic trend will subside in the foreseeable future, so UW and Chicano Studies must be poised to capitalize on this trend by attracting, recruiting, and retaining a diverse Latino/a scholarly community. (CHST 4)

 

6. Other issues germane to the program

 

a)   Outreach and Extension.  Sadly overlooked in academic planning documents is the development of human capital among university support staff, particularly since a significant proportion are Latinos/as.  In addition, many newly arriving Latinos/as to the state are moving into remote areas of the state.  Finally, many Latinos/as are first-generation college students who tend to enroll into closer, more intimate community colleges primarily for family and financial reasons.  Thus, Chicano Studies should work more collaboratively with UW Outreach and Extension personnel to help provide all Latinos/as the full range of university resources and services available to them as tax-paying citizens of the state. (CHST 4)

 

 

7. Action Items 2004-2009

 

The following action items will assure that planning efforts are systematically implemented.

 

CHST 1.        Develop and implement a plan for the assessment of student learning for the Chicano Studies Minor.

 

CHST 2.        Restructure and streamline the Chicano Studies curriculum to produce a more effective minor program.

 

CHST 3.        Explore the viability of a program name change, an Ethnic Studies Freshman Interest Group, Intellectual Community Course, and Study Abroad Program.

 

CHST 4.        Strengthen existing and explore new interdisciplinary curriculum and faculty partnerships in and outside of Chicano Studies traditional core disciplinary areas of the humanities and social sciences.

 

CHST 5.        Examine the viability of Cross-Disciplinary Chicano Studies and/or Ethnic Studies majors, and Ethnic Studies graduate degrees.

                                                                       

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