Sunday, May 21, 2017

Aaron Seitz Week 8 Blog Post

Aaron Seitz
Section A03
Week 8-Monday May 22

Response to “What Asian Americans Are Bringing to Campus Movements for Racial Justice” By Mark Tseng Putterman

            The reading this week connected to the theme of “Student Activism” by explaining how Asian American students in several universities around the country are advocating for more acceptance of Asian Americans as well as other minority groups and pushing for more Asian American courses in universities. The article noted that often times Asian Americans are left out of the conversation when it comes to talking about groups impacted by oppression and racism. This is something we have discussed in class before and because Asian Americans are considered a “model minority,” there is this idea that Asian Americans are treated equally in the community when this is simply not true. It is obvious that Asian American studies in universities are lacking in several ways which is why, as the article explains, students must advocate for change. I believe that the areas of study that a university provides should be equivalent in diversity to that of the student population if not more diverse. Another topic briefly touched on in the reading was the idea that there is a disconnect between Asian Americans and International students from Asia. I certainly have witnessed this clash first hand and I think there is room for change. The cultures experienced by each group are different but by saying that this group of international students are “so different” from Asian Americans causes less understanding faculty at the university to group all Asian Americans in with international students. When this happens, administrators like to ignore the needs of international students all together claiming that “it was their choice to come here to study so they can accept things the way they are” which does not create an environment for change. All students should advocate for change but Asian Americans should also avoid creating a divide between International students from Asia and themselves so that faculty do not ignore the rights of everyone.

Question: What is the ratio of international students that get involved in advocacy in comparison to people from the U.S.?


 
This picture portrays how many students are afraid to get involved in advocacy because they are afraid of being seen as overly assertive and selfish.

Resources:

[Me 2]. (n.d.) Retrieved May 21, 2017, from https://www.lssu.edu/accessibility/InformationforProspectiveStudents.php


Putterman, M. T. (2016, February 1). What Asian Americans Are Bringing to Campus Movements for Racial Justice. Retrieved May 21, 2017, from https://www.racefiles.com/2016/02/01/what-asian-americans-are-bringing-to-campus-movements-for-racial-justice/

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