Support Asian Canadian Studies Course at UBC

Support Asian Canadian Studies Course at UBC

In a November 16, 2011 media release, UBC recognized the Japanese Canadian students who were expelled from campus in 1942.  They proposed a three-part approach, with each component related to the academic mission of the university.  On May 30, 2012 during a special convocation at the Chan Centre, they completed the first part which was to confer honorary degrees to these students.  The second part was also completed.  UBC Library has preserved and digitized historical records of Japanese Canadians and will continue to add to the collection as more surfaces.  This repository will be accessible to researchers and contribute to the ongoing understanding of our history.  The third part is the problem.  At the Symposium on March 21, 2012, Dean of Arts, Dr. Gage Averill announced that UBC will offer a new course called Asian Canadian Studies in September of 2013.  This program is now called Asian Canadian Studies and Asian Migration Minor.  It is a Minor to enable students from all faculties to have access to it.  In December of 2013, the Arts Faculty approved the course and sent it to the Chair of the Senate Curriculum Committee.  The UBC Senate has yet to vote on it.  They were to meet in January of this year but have failed to do so.  The date has been moved to February.  I am requesting members of our community who are passionate about having our history and other Asian Canadian history taught at UBC by September 2014 to write and urge the Senate and President Toope to approve the proposal now.

Please email your letters to the following.

Kristen Elder kristen.elder@ubc.ca
She is a staff member of the UBC Senate office.

Please address letter to President Stephen Toope
Presidents.office@ubc.ca

Please blind copy to Dr. Yu. Henry.yu@ubc.ca
He is collecting all the letters and will be teaching the course.

Thank you,

Mary Kitagawa