Race on Campus: Debunking Myths with Data

by Julie J. Park

Overview

2020 Critics' Choice Book Award, American Educational Studies Association (AESA)

In Race on Campus, Julie J. Park argues that there are surprisingly pervasive and stubborn myths about diversity on college and university campuses, and that these myths obscure the notable significance and admirable effects that diversity has had on campus life.  
 
Based on her analysis of extensive research and data about contemporary students and campuses, Park counters these myths and explores their problematic origins. Among the major myths that she addresses are charges of pervasive self-segregation, arguments that affirmative action in college admissions has run its course and become counterproductive, related arguments that Asian Americans are poorly served by affirmative action policies, and suggestions that programs and policies meant to promote diversity have failed to address class-based disadvantages. In the course of responding to these myths, Park presents a far more positive and nuanced portrait of diversity and its place on American college campuses.
 
At a time when diversity has become a central theme and goal of colleges and universities throughout the United States, Race on Campus offers a contemporary, research-based exploration of racial dynamics on today’s college campuses.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682532324
Publisher:	Harvard Education Press
Publication date:	10/09/2018
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	975,225
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Julie J. Park, an associate professor of education at the University of Maryland, College Park, studies race, religion, and social class in higher education, including the diverse experiences of Asian American students. Her first book, When Diversity Drops: Race, Religion, and Affirmative Action in Higher Education (Rutgers University Press, 2013), addresses how bans on race-conscious admissions affect the everyday lives of students. Her work has also appeared in outlets like the Washington Post, Huffington Post, and Chronicle of Higher Education. She earned her PhD in education from UCLA and BA from Vanderbilt University. Raised in the Midwest, she now calls the Washington, DC, metro region home.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Black Students and the Cafeteria-What's the Big Fuss? 11

2 Who's Really Self-Segregating? 29

3 Is Class-Based Affirmative Action the Answer? 49

4 Why Affirmative Action Is Good for Asian Americans 71

5 Why the SAT and SAT Prep Fall Short 99

6 The Problem of the "Problem of Mismatch" 123

7 How Then Should We Think? 145

Notes 157

Acknowledgments 189

About the Author 191

Index 193

Editorial Reviews

10/29/2018
Professor of education Park corrects common misconceptions in this concise, clear, and well-argued examination of research on race in education. The opening focuses on the mischaracterization of students of color as self-segregating; Park turns the question on its head, asking why responsibility for integration is placed on students of color when white students also self-segregate. Previously published research reveals that students of color who belong to race-affiliated clubs actually have more interracial interaction than those who don’t, and much more interracial interaction than white students involved in predominantly white fraternities and sororities. The latter, over time, become “less likely to support interracial marriage and higher levels of symbolic racism,” a belief that black people are to blame for inequalities affecting them. Park also makes quick work of fallacious arguments that affirmative action helps only affluent black people and harms Asian-Americans. Park argues that increasing access to test prep services does not help those from racial groups that are already behind due to systemic inequity, chiefly because the tests are inherently biased, and that making SAT scores optional in college applications would be more helpful. This cohesive, superbly argued text will reward readers interested in critical race theory or equity in education. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"This cohesive, superbly argued text will reward readers interested in critical race theory or equity in education." —Publishers Weekly


"In Race on Campus: Debunking Myths with Data, author Julie Park methodically presents and dispels prevailing myths surrounding race, race-conscious admissions practices, and segregation in higher education. Throughout this text, Park uses research and data to tackle what are often controversial and divisive discussions in postsecondary education." —Georgianna L. Martin, Teachers College Record


"Race on Campus should be promptly read, cited, and expanded upon by any faculty, student affairs practitioners, and students interested and invested in diversity work in education." —Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education


"[Julie J. Park's] book is an important contribution to the literature on race in higher education and furthers the conversation on how higher education can optimize success for all students." —Journal of College Student Development


"Park addresses the looming myths and symbols that are central to debates about race in education by highlighting relevant studies on race in an accessible manner. Race on Campus provides an important foundation for grounding higher education scholarship and praxis in data to dispel racist myths. Using Park’s work as a springboard, we call on scholars, including ourselves, to expand their thinking from “how should we think” to “what should we do” using a power-conscious analysis that exposes the anti-Blackness and white supremacy within the academy." —Journal of Student Affairs and Practice

From the Publisher