The creation of ethnic studies departments and curriculum at colleges and universities (e.g., Black Studies, Asian American Studies, Latinx/Chicano/Chicana Studies, Indigenous Studies), arose from the longstanding need for critical analysis and representation. Yet, despite the documented benefits of such programs, higher education institutions have merged and dissolved these programs and limited curricular offerings. To examine the ways Miami University both developed and dissolved their ethnic studies programs, our research focuses on campus documents and archives using document analysis. More specifically, we utilized student newspapers, institutional documents, and campus archives through discourse and thematic analysis. From our preliminary findings, we discover how several of the ethnic studies courses were created at Miami— what were the catalysts, movements towards actions, and challenges in implementation. For fuller findings, we will include the chronological development of how these courses were then merged and the institutional motivation behind these decisions. Findings from this study serve as an example of the rhetoric, justifications, and challenges Ethnic Studies departments face at Miami and other institutions.
Authors: Hanah Bloom, Tristen Hall, Dr. Katherine S. Cho
Advisor: Katherine S. Cho, Educational Leadership
Graduate Advisor: Tristen Hall, Educational Leadership
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