Based on recent legislation, Marquette Student Government thinks so.

Last month, the MUSG Senate unanimously passed a resolution recommending the addition of more "non-Eurocentric" history courses.,”Does the history curriculum at Marquette need more diversity?

Based on recent legislation, Marquette Student Government thinks so.

Last month, the MUSG Senate unanimously passed a resolution recommending the addition of more "non-Eurocentric" history courses. According to the unanimous resolution, "courses such as the history of Africa and the history of Latin America are general overviews" while "courses in Eurocentric history are divided into specific eras."

The recommendation cited Saint Louis University, Loyola University Chicago and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as offering a "more diverse selection of history classes" than Marquette.

Tip McGuire, a junior College of Arts & Sciences senator, co-authored the bill.

"I don't think there's any question students would benefit from an expanded, more balanced selection of classes," McGuire said.

Currently, Marquette offers two African history courses, one Latin America history course, one East Asian history course as well as courses focusing on China, Japan, Mexico, the Caribbean and the Middle East, respectively.

According to their undergraduate bulletins, Saint Louis University and Loyola University Chicago offer several more classes in African, Asian and Latin American history than are offered at Marquette. UW-Milwaukee, a school of more than 23,000 undergraduates, offers dozens of non-Eurocentric history classes, according to its undergraduate bulletin.

Chima Korieh, an assistant professor specializing in African history in his first semester at Marquette, said students should appreciate the offerings Marquette has.

"We have much more than some other schools of our size," Korieh said. "African and Asian history courses are a part of the core curriculum, so it's not just history majors learning about different cultures."

Korieh said he would like to see additional African history classes, but the number of faculty limits the department.

"Diversity in history helps students build connections between different societies and helps to break down cultural stereotypes," he said.

Assistant Professor Laura Matthew, instructor of Latin American history, said Marquette is in the process of "building a program" by hiring more faculty members specializing in diverse history.

"Right now, the department is focused on hiring faculty," she said. "It's a process that takes a while."

Matthew said a diverse curriculum is not solely the responsibility of one department.

"There can be diverse courses in literature and philosophy and economics," she said. "One field can't do it all."

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