Let me make myself clear before I begin to more deeply explain my frustration: I am upset with the academic departments at Tufts for their failure to offer sufficient courses on Latin−American history, political science and other disciplines.
Before I introduce myself, I want to point out an aspect of Tufts culture with which I feel most prospective students and incoming freshmen fall deeply in love, regardless of their background, their interest and their intended major: the Tufts rhetoric.
It is comprised of, among many facets, international focus, tolerance of other world views and a balanced battery of both curricular and extra−curricular programs that are designed to grow active citizens. In most respects, Tufts does a fantastic job of fulfilling these claims about its ethos; I have been privileged to have such engaging experiences in my classes and extracurriculars. I've realized, however, at one of the final junctures in my Tufts career, Tufts has — in this case — failed to fulfill the reputation that the university expounds.
My name is Erik Antokal, and I am currently a first−semester senior here at Tufts, pursuing a double major in Latin American studies and community health, in addition to pre−med requirements. Before this semester, course variety in Latin American studies had been fairly adequate, although more choices would definitely have been appreciated in the context of my perennially tight schedules.
However, I was stunned by the lack of course offerings for this spring's Latin American history and political science courses. Because the courses typically offered were not, I am being forced to change the curriculum of my major in order to graduate. Of the 30 region−specific classes offered by the history department, only one focuses on Latin America. Worse, this class is introductory; there are no intensive courses. In political science, one of the 10 region−specific courses (PS 138) focuses in some significant part on Latin America.
These departments, especially history, provide important foundations for young students' interests and have a powerful influence on their college careers. How does Tufts expect to back up its wide claims about internationalism and cultural heterogeneity while excluding a diverse and turbulent region of 580 million people?
This represents a critical lapse, not only in Tufts' adherence to its own principles but also in its commitments to its areas of study. Without the courses to incite interest in Latin America, the current lack of understanding will surely continue. Even as you read, the Africana studies program is being cemented, and Tufts will soon be faced with the challenge of providing sufficient classes to sustain the major of Latin American studies. I am fully in favor of the Africana studies program, but I ask that you, the Tufts administration, consider your commitments to sustaining the majors you already offer.
The solution is simple for both administrators and students. Administrators: Offer more classes about Latin America and other non−western regions. I understand that bringing in new faculty or preparing existing faculty to teach a new class is an intensive process, so although it would be greatly appreciated, I am not expecting you to change your course offerings for my last semester. But quite frankly, I do expect you to provide educational opportunities that reflect the values for which Tufts, and especially Tufts students, hold such fondness. And to those students, I ask only that you speak up. If you have similar concerns, simply voice them, as I have here.
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