American University will launch a new Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies this coming fall in an effort to build “a truly equitable, visionary university.”
Eileen FindlayThe university said in a statement that the department grew out of the former Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies Collaborative (CRGC), formed in 2015.
“The transformation of the CRGC into a department is the fruit of many years of hard work from selfless faculty and staff who have labored on behalf of under-represented groups and have modeled interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship on this campus,” said Eileen Findlay, professor of history and chair of CRGC.
The new department will focus on five interdisciplinary programs: African and African American Diaspora Studies; American Studies; Arab World Studies; Asian Studies; and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. This fall, it will begin work toward launching a sixth program, Latinx Studies.
“Creating the new department will create an institutional basis for an inclusive campus climate in many ways,” the university said in the statement. “The CRGC’s events, classes, and distinctive yet collaborating interdisciplinary programs create a powerful sense of belonging for students, faculty, and staff across campus and from a multitude of backgrounds.”
