Ethnic studies prepare students to be racially literate

The argument

In her article “The Whitewashing of Higher Education,” Connie Hopinks explores the nuances and implications of predominantly white narratives in schools. Hopinks argues that school curriculums must include culturally diverse voices to foster racially literate students entering the world. Implementing ethnic studies does not require a radical shift of the whole curriculum to be centered around ethnic studies. Instead, adding ethnically diverse voices as a facet to existing curriculums gives students the holistic understandings which they need to be racially literate. America particularly has a culturally rich demographic as the nation has been built upon immigrants. Being educated to handle race relations is especially crucial to succeed in such a racially diverse nation. The University of San Francisco is a prime example of the benefits of racial literacy, as the institution diverged from a eurocentric curriculum to a multicultural one. The school requires the study of Latin American literature, women’s literature, the psychology of ethnic groups in America, and BIPOC authors in the core curriculum. These steps ensure students are prepared to handle the social, economic, cultural, and political issues of a multicultural society.

Context

Being racially literate refers to the ability to have critical yet formative conversations about race relations. Having a racial literacy education is essential for navigating the increasingly diverse world.

Premises

Counter-arguments

John Miller, author of The Unmaking of Americans: How Multiculturalism Has Undermined America's Assimilation Ethic argues that multiculturalism has detrimental effects to society. Miller focuses on the adulteration of American culture when mixed with foreign culture. Miller contends that immigrants should leave behind their heritage to assimilate into mainstream society. If schools incorporated ethnic studies, this would backtrack efforts for western purity, according to Miller. He strongly asserts that western society—including schools—should uphold the Eurocentric values it was based upon.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] The premise treats "racially literate" as a settled outcome without saying what it consists of or how it would be measured, so the claim that Eurocentric curriculums leave students unprepared is asserted rather than demonstrated. [Rejecting P2] A single university's core requirements are an illustration of what a multicultural curriculum looks like, not evidence that it produced the effect claimed — no comparison, cohort or outcome is offered — and adding required courses is a decision about what to displace, which the argument avoids by presenting the change as a costless addition to existing content.