Editor:
In the history, social science and English courses that I have had in high school and college, I do not remember learning anything but "white" history unless I deliberately registered for courses dealing with other races. I do not share Ms. Meister's sentiment of feeling "forced" to take already required courses covering minority groups and non-Western civilization. Their goal is to help us understand how our ancestors interacted in the past, which may get us through some of the mistrust and racism that exists today.
I do agree with her point that we should not have to take any more additional courses. We need to revise current courses. For example, American history tends to lump all white people into a mythical homogenous group that has descended from the Protestant authors of the Constitution and places minority groups as being outside of the American experience. German, Italian and other European immigrants were once seen with the same disdain as current Latin American immigrants, legal and illegal alike. On the same note, many Mexicans lived in the Southwest long before this area became part of the U.S. and the U.S.-Mexico border was moved south. These changes would reflect a more accurate account of our nation's history so that we may learn about each other's culture without having to take outside classes.
Anna Elizondo
B.A., English-American Literature
Mathematics major