It would be difficult to dispute that CAAS' expanding academic offerings are everything its founders called for. Not only does it offer classes in a range of disciplines, but it also provides courses that study many of America's racial and ethnic groups. This semester alone it is offering classes that examine issues of concern to all racial groups, such as POL 334/AAS 335: The Politics of Race and Health in America, as well as courses that focus on specific groups, such as AAS 329/ENG 415: Chinatown USA and AAS 428/ENG 428: Latina/o Performance.
Given the success with which the center has answered its mandate to study issues of race in general, however, it seems that "African American Studies" no longer encompasses the entirety of the center's mission. The name of such a center is of paramount importance to those who find their academic identities in its offerings. CAAS should therefore be renamed the Center for Race and Ethnicity Studies to better reflect its broader role. A center so named would be able to more inclusively cater to students interested in studying the experiences of a variety of racial and ethnic groups in the United States. It would also break down the needless divisions made when some groups' experiences are judged to merit a center and others' histories are deemed undeserving of such attention.
A renamed Center for Race and Ethnicity Studies could offer a variety of certificate programs focusing on specific groups in the United States in much the same way that the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies coordinates certificate programs that cover many regions of the world. Demand for increased variety of certificates in the study of specific races in the United States will almost certainly grow in the future, and this center could provide a structured, cost-effective way in which to address undergraduates' evolving academic needs. Furthermore, if a major is to be offered in this field, the University could, by framing it as a major in Race and Ethnicity Studies, incorporate the broader disciplinary focus that characterizes Princeton's existing departments. By implementing this change, the University could grow a center that would be broadly devoted to the study of race both in name and in fact and meet the needs of a wider range of students in Stanhope Hall.
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