Black Studies: A Beginning
A BLACK STUDIES Program supplies educational needs of both black and white students, but in different ways. Thus Robert G. McGuire III '58, coordinator, views the purpose of the new Dartmouth program introduced this fall under his direction. For black students, it is an opportunity, often denied them by traditional educational systems, to learn about their own heritage. Knowledge of black contributions to world historical-cultural development can help them reach the psychological and emotional maturity necessary to attain full intellectual growth. The white students also suffer from their unbalanced educational background and through Black Studies can gain a new perspective on the world in which they live. Mr. McGuire feels that students who have been exposed to Black Studies will be more effective in dealing with the problems of our modern society.
The coordinator of Dartmouth's Black Studies Program brings to his new position an impressive academic background in addition to rich and varied experiences. The son of Robert G. McGuire Jr. '32, he graduated from Dartmouth when he had just turned 20. He continued his studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and received his master's degree in 1961 with a concentration in Soviet studies. He then joined the Peace Corps and taught international relations fox two years at the University of Rajshani in East Pakistan. While there he developed an interest in the "Third World," the Asian-African bloc of nations. His interest in Africa continued to grow and when he returned to Washington as a Peace Corps evaluation officer, he asked to work with personnel assigned to Africa. As part of his job, he made several trips to that continent. In 1965 he began work at Columbia University on a Ph.D. in international politics, this time with a concentration on India-Pakistan and West Africa. He returned to New Hampshire last year to teach at Franconia College.
When this black alumnus was approached about coming to Dartmouth to coordinate the Black Studies Program, the position appealed to him because of his interest and study in African affairs and his personal commitment to black students. At Dartmouth he would have an opportunity to work with a significant number of black students as opposed to the ten or so enrolled at Franconia.
The outline of the program Mr. McGuire heads was drawn up last April by the Afro-American Studies Committee as part of the College's agreement with the AfroAmerican Society. The joint faculty-student committee grouped together a number of courses from various departments to form the core of a Black Studies Program. As described in the 1969-70 College Bulletin, it "is designed to provide students with an understanding of the historical, economic, political, social, and artistic experience of people of African ancestry in the New World and in Africa." Students completing six course credits in the program will graduate with certification in Black Studies, but they are also responsible for fulfilling the requirements of their major.
Several courses included in the program are new this year. For example, in the history department during the fall term Prof. Charles Wiltse, a distinguished historian of nineteenth-century America and editor of the Webster papers, is offering a course on "The South in American History," in which the role of the Negro in Southern history is an essential element. In the spring term Prof. Jere Daniell '55, a specialist in the colonial and Revolutionary War periods, will give a course entitled "Black America." The problems and challenges of the city, home of most American blacks, will be analyzed in "Urban Economics," a course introduced during the winter term by George Pidot Jr., Assistant Professor of Economics.
Drama Professor Errol Hill, a native of Trinidad, who is an author of several plays and has directed or acted in more than 50 productions on three continents, is conducting another new course this fall entitled "The Black Experience in Theater and Film." Supplementing the traditional lecture format will be weekly films, including The Green Pastures and The Emperor Jones. In addition, two black artists are scheduled to visit the class- Frederick O'Neal, president of Actors' Equity who won critical acclaim for his Broadway performance in AnnaLucasta, and Lloyd Richards, a professor at the New York University School of the Arts and director of the premiere Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun.
The core of courses included in the Black Studies Program is still in the process of evolving, according to Mr. McGuire. Part of his job is to encourage other departments in the College to develop courses dealing with the black experience. For example, two areas where no such courses exist at the present time are in art and music. He has also recommended adding a course entitled "Introduction to Black Studies" to be required of all students enrolled in the program. This course would focus on helping students understand the various. aspects of the black experience and analyze contemporary problems of race relations and racism.
But the most important part of the new program, from Mr. McGuire's point of view, is field study. Only through field work, he explains, can the essential experience of direct contact with a black community be provided to the student of Black Studies at Dartmouth. But he also feels that the various field programs, in order to be most effective, should be very academically oriented and tied closely to course work. Field study will usually be offered in the spring term, and he believes that all students participating in it must be required to take a special seminar course during the preceding winter term to prepare them for their experience. And during their field work they will engage in another seminar and conduct specific research projects to maximize their learning experience.
At the present time three new field study programs are being developed, in addition to the existing intern program in Jersey City sponsored by the Tucker Foundation. One new project would send a group of about ten students and a professor to Sierra Leone for a term of study at Fourah Bay College.
A second field-work option would utilize the Joint Community-University Center for Inner-City Change located in the Roxbury section of Boston. This organization provides training and information to community action groups in the area. Visiting students would be included in the Center's activities, be introduced to community agencies, and participate in a seminar where community problems are analyzed in the context of Black Studies.
Another project would allow students to be research assistants at the Institute of the Black World in Atlanta. The Institute is an organization of black scholars that is in the process of defining the new field of Black Studies, encouraging research in this speciality, and consulting with colleges seeking to develop their own programs.
Indeed, only by working with such associations as the Institute in Atlanta and the Joint Center in Roxbury does Mr. McGuire think Dartmouth can develop a viable Black Studies Program. He notes the difficulty in attracting significant numbers of Black Studies experts to the College permanently because for the most part they are reluctant to isolate themselves from the black community in non-urban New Hampshire. But through relationships with black organizations, qualified individuals can be brought to the campus for varying lengths of time to supplement the regular teaching staff of the Black Studies Program.
Coordinator McGuire points out that the field of Black Studies is just beginning to develop and may take a form quite different from some of the more traditional disciplines. At Dartmouth, for instance, in order to be a valid program, students would have to spend much time away from campus. But he emphasizes it is nonetheless important for the Black Studies Program to retain a strong academic content. The pilot program developed this year will help determine whether or not it is feasible or desirable to develop a major in this area at Dartmouth.
Robert G. McGuire III '58, Program Coordinator
