by Brenden Morrow ’27
In the fall of 2023, for the first time ever, Bellarmine launched Ethnic Studies, a different perspective on global history, as a required freshman course. Specifically, Ethnic Studies covers units that focus on identity, the migration of different ethnic groups, and systems of power. To learn more about the introduction of Ethnic Studies, we interviewed Mr. Liu, a previous Bellarmine student who now teaches the class, about his thoughts on the course.
Q: Why did ethnic studies start as a new course this year?
A: “I think partially it was due to many of the issues that popped up in 2020, particularly George Floyd and other racial inequalities that we have. So Black Lives Matter protests as well as other inequities that have really come out through the pandemic. I think this was also a conversation that started with the first attempt at Trump’s Muslim ban, and I know that the social science permit has moved and tried to move in the direction of including more, more perspectives for voices and ethics. It seemed to be the way to do that. And so, I believe the decision was made by a principal researcher to start implementing ethnic studies as the required freshman course for the 2023, 2024 school year and this was this would replace on World History for freshmen as well as replacing the rhetoric requirement. The World History requirements are now just for sophomores.”
Q: How is this different from regular world history?
A: “As you know, as a student of mine, the second unit mostly focuses on historical voices that have been systematically and oftentimes marginalized. We learn about those where we might learn about those who are Jewish and Irish immigrants, and largely is a wide swath of it pretty much seminar I think, on different individuals, different ethnic groups within the United States. So, I don’t want to say it’s divorced or separate, per say from history. We’re different from like any other history, but there is a focus on how different ethnic groups have contributed to the American War and the American story, and how those ethnic groups ought to be celebrated. And, you know, it’s all due to the fact that they had to overcome so many things of what’s coming to America.”
Q: Is there any way that you think the course should improve or have you heard from any other students about how they think it can improve?
A: “I receive a lot of positive and constructive feedback when it comes to teaching itself. There’s definitely be more of a focus on issues regarding the present. I know that, you know, for first semester in the first-year teaching about this, there was a large focus on history, right, like what is going on history what we learned about Ozawa, right versus US. We learned about US versus Thind, both Supreme Court cases that, you know, determined that whiteness was a prerequisite to, not to being citizen, but I wanted to, you know, one thing I really wanted to focus on is how those concepts and ideas are then particularized and applied to modern day society. Right? You know, how do those Supreme Court cases apply to say, like immigration law today, or what’s happening at Southern border, right? Like you still have these conceptual ideas of what it means to be American or what it means to be welcomed in society, if they are apart or if they are not white, right, so on and so forth. So, I think that to that extent, what I really want to see this course evolve more into is something of course, that focuses a lot more on the present in on sort of, like, you know, like modern day, you know, post 2000 as compared to, you know, just a history focused course on what happened in the past.”
Q: What are the main takeaways of the course? What do you want people to take away from this course?
A: “I want people to understand our themes of dehumanization, like in other words, I really want folks to understand how different ethnic groups have had to deal with, say discrimination or racism in in our nation’s history, and more importantly, how those groups have resisted. Like we talked a lot about labor unions. That was a huge way for Filipino workers to strike for Mexican workers for Japanese workers to strike right now even the Japanese and the Mexican workers bound together Japanese and Filipino Workers bound together as one large social group and when our social movement under the general a right Japanese Mexican labor Association, and staccatos and the Japanese together in Hawaii, right to repossessed exploitation. And so, I really want to set boundaries and how that can mirror what we can do today to fight against social injustice. That’s right. We just came back from our Social Justice Party. We’ve heard too. We’ve already heard Camille, one of the speakers talk about how it is important to act right there needs to be a call to action. There needs to be some sort of way for us to emigrate opportunity we see what it’s like to live in here are how expensive it is how important it is to understand that many people do not have the same resources as we do. So how can we band together, even if we’re part of different ethnic groups, right to ensure that we provide the equitable interest resources across the board for everyone.”
This class was rooted off the racial issues and inequalities that have recently occurred in America. Now it has become a new course for all freshman to look forward to.