"I question the value of this. Especially in today's world where there have been numerous academic studies showing we're experiencing a higher-ed bubble," Sen. Howard Stephenson said.
SALT LAKE CITY — Educators at the University of Utah are celebrating the decision by the Utah Board of Regents to approve a new major in ethnic studies. But the move comes after at least one Utah lawmaker, who oversees state education spending, is expressing concern over such courses.
The issue of ethnic studies caused a wave of controversy in Arizona last year after the Arizona Legislature passed a law banning ethnic studies courses in Arizona schools. The law, signed by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, bans schools from teaching classes that promote resentment, advocate ethnic solidarity or the overthrow of the U.S. government, or are designed specifically for certain ethnic students.
Also last year, Utah Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, co-chairman of the Legislature's education committee, wanted to take a close look at ethnic studies courses in Utah, saying parents and students have complained about the requirements to take the courses in public schools, colleges and universities. Stephenson said that while he wanted to examine the courses, he did not want to go as far as Arizona.
Earlier this month, the Board of Regents voted to approve the new curriculum at the U. for an undergraduate degree in ethnic studies, making it the first higher education institution in the state to offer such a degree.
"An ethnic-studies major at the U. is long overdue," said Joyce Valdez, a member of the U.'s board of trustees, in a statement. "The major will enhance the educational experiences of all students, broaden their understanding of the times in which they live and help them navigate in a global inclusive society."
Stephenson said, unlike Arizona lawmakers, he is not opposed to the nature of ethnic studies, but rather is concerned that Utah's universities and colleges are offering students majors that have no real-world job value, or as he likes to call them, "degrees to nowhere." His attempt to have the Legislature dig into university majors has failed to gain significant momentum among fellow lawmakers.
"I question the value of this. Especially in today's world where there have been numerous academic studies showing we're experiencing a higher-ed bubble," Stephenson told the Deseret News. He points to studies conducted by Harvard and Georgetown universities, which he says show certain university degrees have less job-market value than others.
Stephenson said Utah's universities should be up front with students about their chances of actually getting a job in a given field when they choose a major. "Students don't know what they're getting into," he said.
Stephenson said he plans to call for a legislative inquiry into the benefit and value of such majors and blasted the U. and the Board of Regents for approving the ethnic studies major. "It's like they're fiddling while Rome is burning," he said, pointing out that America is in a job crisis.
Calls seeking comment from U. interim director of Ethnic Studies Baudong Liu were not returned.
Utah Higher Education spokeswoman Holly Braithwaite pointed to the fact that the Board of Regents reviewed a comprehensive feasibility study before making its decision. In addition to curriculum requirements, institution and faculty readiness, and budget demands, the study also contains a section entitled "labor market demand."
"Employers are seeking a workforce that not only has the linguistic competency to engage these various ethnic groups, but also the cultural knowledge of these populations to engage them respectfully and comprehensively," the study states.
The study also points out that according to the Utah Bureau of Economic and Business Research, ethnic-minority populations in Utah have grown dramatically. Among five Wasatch Front counties — Salt Lake, Summit, Tooele, Utah and Weber — ethnic minorities constitute between 14 percent and 23 percent of the population.
Components to the curriculum will include African-American, American Indian, Asian-Pacific-American and Chicano studies. Educators point out this is an important move for the U. as many Pac-12 universities have programs that study and develop ethnic-related research.
Roderic Land, a U. assistant professor of education, culture and society, said he's had long conversations with Stephenson about this issue. He said the value of ethnic studies goes beyond job value, but that it does have job value as well.
"We are very much a global market," Land said. "Companies are now looking for graduates who are equipped with that background. That's because America is changing and the world is changing."
"The major allows students to use their experience in a number of graduate programs such as history, law, anthropology, education and political science, to name a few," said Daniel Edwards, professor of American Indian studies and social work. "In our multicultural society there is a continuing need to promote educational opportunities to meet the needs of our growing diverse communities."
Stephenson says he's not convinced and points to degrees such as law and psychology, where students struggled to find jobs in those fields after graduating.
Ethnic studies as a subject has been around since the 1970s at the U. Different courses were brought under one unified program in 1982.
Beyond career value, Land and others say, ethnic studies also enriches students' sense of American history. "You can't truly understand and know U.S. history without ethnic history as well. You can't ignore the fact that America is a country of immigrants," Land said.
While it may seem that ethnic studies singles out certain groups, or revises American history, Land said that's not the case. "It is American history," adding a fear by some that ethnic studies somehow takes away from mainstream history is simply unfounded.
"It is the case that during these courses in ethnic studies someone might in fact feel uncomfortable," said Ron Scapp, interim president of the National Association of Ethnic Studies. "It comes from having to rigorously investigate and analyze narratives demonstrated to be different than we believe."
"Why should white people study African-American history?" Scapp said, or for that matter Asian-American history? It opens up to the fact that American history is "broader, richer and more complex" than most tend to realize, he said.
Email: gfattah@desnews.com