Debate focuses on multiculturalism and education

South Asian Regional Studies Professor Peter Gaeffke and Bard College President Leon Botstein discussed the importance of multiculturalism within the undergraduate curriculum yesterday as part of SCUE's Education Week '92. Political Science Professor William Harris moderated the event and presented the two panelists as people with different opinions that "were not at far extremes." Gaeffke said that the credentials which qualify him to be a spokesman on multicultural issues include his studying in Germany, teaching in Holland, living in India, having a son-in-law who is a "Jew from Mexico" and a Muslim daughter-in-law. His argument concentrated on the inclusion of multicultural study in a college education. He said that, because of the omnipresence of Asian students in Western schools, American educators must now deal with multicultural issues much more forcefully than they did in the past. Gaeffke said that students should be able to choose their special interests within the broad topic of multiculturalism without being forced by administrators to fulfill requirements. "Multiculturalism shouldn't be a compulsive requirement and shouldn't be taught in a confrontational way," Gaeffke said. Botstein argued in favor of a required undergraduate multicultural curriculum. He stated that American sensibility is becoming less European-based and that economic exchange is global in nature. According to Botstein, these "historical realities" deem necessary a more diverse curriculum. Botstein, speaking to the 50 students in attendance, stressed that it is increasingly relevant for today's college student to study non-Western and non-European cultures. "French and British history are irrelevancies to the nature of your culture except indirectly through the eyes of Shakespeare . . . perhaps," Botstein said. The main question Botstein presented concerned the type of thinking that should be stimulated in the mind of the 1990s undergraduate. Arts and Sciences graduate student Savita Nair said it was interesting to note that the speakers chosen to discuss multiculturalism were white males. But Botstein said that his background qualified him to discuss multicultural issues despite his race and gender. "You don't have to be a woman to teach feminist materials, and you don't have to be Catholic to teach Catholic theology," Botstein said. In response to a student's question about the difficulty of trying to get a complete understanding of another culture in only four years, Gaeffke said that his search for multicultural knowledge has been a lifelong project. "It has taken me 60 years to understand culture," Gaeffke said. SCUE Education Week co-chairpeople and Wharton juniors Liz Rabii and Stephen Jamison said that they were pleased with student turnout at the event. Rabii said that they tried to get two speakers with "different angles" but "the same ideas." "The week has been successful so far," Rabbii said. "Each event brings different people with different concerns." Jamison said that their main interest was to present the real issues from a common middle ground, rather than having two speakers with radically contrasting positions. "We wanted to raise student consciousness about these issues," Jamison said. As an additional part of SCUE's Education Week, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education John Childers will be speaking today at 3:30 p.m. in College Hall 200.

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