Asian American Studies minor coming to Chapman next spring, classes available next semester

 Stephanie Takaragawa, the associate dean of Chapman’s Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, is spearheading the creation of an Asian American studies minor on campus. MADDIE MANTOOTH, Staff Photographer

After years of campaigning from both faculty and students, Chapman University is in the process of implementing an Asian American studies minor, which was made possible with a $150,000 grant from the National Endowment of Humanities. 

Stephanie Takaragawa, the associate dean of the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, began applying for grants to help fund an Asian American studies program at Chapman after both students and Wilkinson staff members expressed interest. 

According to Takaragwa, alumni Farrah Su and Darryl Zhao were instrumental in writing the earlier versions of the grant proposals while attending Chapman. Su, who was the president of Chapman’s Asian Pacific Student Association organization at the time, did an analysis of Asian American studies programs at other universities.

Takaragawa explained to The Panther that in these early stages, some faculty did not fully understand why there was a need for this program. 

“We had to draw from programs at other universities to show the importance of having both as an option for students,” Takaragawa said.

Many universities like Northwestern University and the University of California, Irvine have had the Asian American studies minor since the 1990s, responding to calls from student activists.

Asian American Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study that critically examines the histories, social and political formations, lived experiences and perspectives of Asian American/Pacific Islander communities. It emerged from the 1960s and 1970s social movements and was formally instituted at San Francisco State University and UC Berkeley in 1969. 

According to Takaragawa, the addition of the minor will mean more Asian American guest speakers for the university. She is particularly excited about one upcoming speaker, though she said she cannot reveal their identity at the moment.

Students will officially be able to minor in Asian American studies starting in the spring of 2023. However, certain classes in Asian American studies will be available for students to take in the upcoming fall semester. Cathery Yeh, an assistant professor in the Attallah College of Educational Studies, plans to teach the Introduction to Asian American Studies class in the fall. 

“There’s been a major interest from my students (in this subject) for a while, so I’m very excited to finally be able to make it a reality,” Yeh told the Panther. 

Michael Zhou, a sophomore majoring in business administration who plans to add the minor, told The Panther he is pleased with the university’s decision as it recognizes the intersectionality that come with being both of Asian descent and American. 

“It’s great that Chapman (has) its Asian (American) studies minor (as I’ve been) really interested in exploring my own identity further,” Zhou said. “I was relieved I had time to add it into my schedule.”

Natalie Karim, a senior political science major at Chapman, believes the creation of the minor takes on additional importance in the atmosphere of racism and xenophobia towards Asians that followed the pandemic. Although she is disappointed that the program was created in her final year at Chapman, she is excited for the new generation of students to be able to enroll in the minor. 

“I never had the opportunity to learn about my culture in school (as) it simply wasn't in the curriculum,” Karim said. “This minor presents the chance for people to explore their identities and for non-Asian individuals to gain a deeper understanding of the vastness of Asian American culture.”

Correction: An earlier version of this piece previously misnamed alumni Farrah Su and Darryl Zhao. Their names have since been adjusted to reflect the proper spelling.