The University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts requires students to take one “Race and Ethnicity” course of at least three credits, but this requirement is not University-wide. The LSA requirement was instituted in 1990 under the name “Race or Ethnicity: A College Requirement” before the University changed it to “Race and Ethnicity” in 1995. Other schools such as the Ford School of Public Policy, the School of Public Health and the Ross School of Business have similar requirements. Students applying to the Public Policy School, for example, must complete an R&E course through LSA while students in the Business School must complete an Inclusive Leaders Pathway course to graduate.
To qualify as an R&E course, a class must address and create discussion around the meaning of race, ethnicity and racism; racial and ethnic intolerance and the resulting inequalities; and comparisons of race-based discrimination with religious, socioeconomic and gender-based inequalities.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Karla Mallette, Italian language professor and Department Chair of Middle East Studies, spoke about her R&E course ITALIAN 240: Italian Mafia. Mallette described the course’s transformation to an R&E requirement and how discussions surrounding historical discrimination in the justice system connect with the course content.
“As I was teaching this course, I realized mafia history, the history of organized crime in general, often is R&E history,” Mallette said. “It typically really is people who don’t have access to the legitimate economy or don’t have access to a legitimate justice system, finding workarounds for themselves so they can succeed and can pursue justice on behalf of themselves or on behalf of their communities.”
Public Policy senior Isabella Tomlinson told The Daily about her experience with the R&E requirement as a prerequisite for the Public Policy School’s application process and said she believes it is an important aspect of students’ education.
“I think it’s incredibly important for every perspective, every discipline, no matter what you’re studying, to try to at least learn, in some fashion, about race and ethnicity, but also just about multiple perspectives,” Tomlinson said. “It creates the base of being able to understand other people, learning about other people, so that maybe something you didn’t know before you’re going to know in the future and be able to take into your work.”
Tomlinson said the ideas of R&E courses are ingrained in most Public Policy classes, and that an R&E prerequisite prepares students for policy discussions throughout the rest of their Public Policy School experience, particularly while crafting policy recommendations.
“You’re taking policy classes, and you’re taking (classes) integrated with these concepts for the rest of your career, so if you’re not ready to talk about it then you’re probably not going to be ready to talk about it later,” Tomlinson said.
In an interview with The Daily, Public Health junior Alyssa Caldito described the health equity requirement in Public Health and her experience with R&E classes as someone pursuing an Asian American Studies minor in LSA. Caldito said , AMCULT 214: Introduction to Asian/Pacific American Studies, an LSA R&E course, taught her many concepts that had been ignored in her high school classes.
“As someone who came in never really learning about Asian American and Pacific Islander history in my K-12 education, it was really eye opening to see all of the different histories that get swept under the rug when you’re taking your Advanced Placement United States History or other U.S. history courses in high school and how those histories are connected to larger themes in a racialized America,” Caldito said.
The College of Engineering does not have an explicit R&E requirement, only a broader “Intellectual Breadth” requirement which is composed of 16 liberal arts credits and aims to provide students a chance to learn about how history and societal factors relate to engineers.
Engineering freshman Cameron Smith spoke about his thoughts regarding the R&E requirement in an interview with The Daily. Smith said he understands both those who might advocate for an R&E requirement in the College of Engineering and those who do not.
“It would be very beneficial, especially with our changing society and our society norms,” Smith said. “Helping individuals understand the histories is important so we don’t repeat some of the really bad things that we’ve done in the past. To fit in this extra requirement on Central Campus might make the commute a little bit more difficult for engineers. That’s the only concern I see.”
Similar to the R&E requirement, the Business School has implemented an Inclusive Leaders Pathway, formerly known as the Identity and Diversity in Organization Requirement. The requirement is fulfilled by multiple core classes in the curriculum.
In an interview with The Daily, Business freshman Kevin Toledo said the ILP requirement begins within the first required Business class, BA 100: Introduction to Ross: Foundations for Learning Business.
“One of the first assignments we had was an identity wheel,” Toledo said. “We talked about the different aspects like socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, et cetera and how that played into our business mindset and within the workplace.”
Caldito said she believes the topics R&E courses cover are relevant for all students regardless of their career path. She said inequities surrounding race and ethnicity cannot be avoided in any area that a student goes into after graduation.
“There’s not a single field you will encounter post-grad that does not ask you to consider inequities in whatever field you are in, whether that’s engineering or computer science or nursing,” Caldito said. “You will 100% encounter those topics, and I think having some sort of equity requirement makes us better prepared to be leaders.”
Daily Staff Reporter Grace Schuur can be reached at gschuur@umich.edu.