The California Aggie: Small Humanities Departments Foster Community and Connection on Campus
The following article was originally published by The California Aggie and can be read in its entirety here
By RACHEL GAUER — features@theaggie.org
In the bustling academic landscape of UC Davis, where sustainability, agriculture and STEM often dominate the university’s spotlight, a handful of small humanities departments quietly flourish and foster passion and community amongst students and faculty.
The least populated majors for undergraduate students include a variety of foreign language and cultural studies including French, Italian, German and Russian, as well as medieval and modern studies and Native American studies, according to UC Davis’ Aggie Data for the 2023-24 academic year.
The experience of completing a bachelor’s degree in a small department inevitably poses significant differences compared to pursuing a degree in a department composed of hundreds of students and faculty. In these departments, students noted that they have been able to find more opportunities for personalized interactions with professors and peers.
Eric Louis Russell, who serves as both the undergraduate faculty advisor for Italian and a professor of French and Italian, emphasized the welcoming environment that both departments cultivate.
“We foster community in ways that I think are really hard for large departments to do,” Russell said. “Our students feel like they’re really part of something — their professors know their names, and they know their classmates really well.”
Russell also expressed that in a school which primarily focuses on STEM-related subjects, hosting close-knit communities in the humanities is a way to create academic balance for students.
“We see students especially in the STEM field being drawn to the humanities for some balance — balance in terms of how they are using their minds and their intellects and balance also for how they are doing these four years as a university student,” Russell said. “I think it’s a really great thing that we offer that especially on a campus that is very STEM focused.”
Nestor Perez, a second-year Russian and Italian double major, also noted the more personable relationships with professors that are inevitably fostered in smaller courses.
“I often run into my Russian professor from last year, and we always say hello and catch up,” Perez said. “It’s very nice compared to other professors who I’ve taken for [general education classes] that have 150 or 200 students; I don’t know them and they don’t know me. With small classes, they know you and they’re not going to forget you.”
As a heritage Italian speaker, Perez knew he wanted to study the language in university and applied to Davis under the major. Within his first year, he declared Russian as his second major, which he explained that he was drawn to for both his general interest in learning languages and his love for Russian music.
Though some students, like Perez, begin their undergraduate studies majoring in a language, other language students tend to add the major later on or alongside their first area of study.
Alexa Arredondo-Aguilar, a fourth-year political science and Italian double major, registered for her first Italian class during her first year after growing a passion for cooking Italian cuisine.
“During [COVID-19], I got really into cooking Italian food, and I really wanted to learn how to read the recipes,” Arredondo-Aguilar said. “I thought maybe taking an Italian class would help.”
As a native Spanish speaker, Arredondo-Aguilar began her journey with ITA 031, Beginning Italian for Spanish Speakers, and followed the course’s series throughout her first year. With growing interest and encouragement from the department, she continued pursuing higher-level Italian courses.
“Because I was taking a bunch of classes, I got to know the professors in the department and eventually they all inspired me to major in Italian,” Arredondo-Aguilar said.
Since declaring the major, Arredondo-Aguilar has served as an Italian language tutor for the department and now holds the position as one of the department’s peer advisors. She also highlighted the department’s welcoming atmosphere.
“I feel as if I’m in a family, rather than [being] lost in a big maze I can’t get through in a department,” Arredondo-Aguilar said.
Though many have found advantages in being in a small department, some disadvantages also arise. One significant challenge Russell noted within the departments is their perceived invisibility within a broader university context. Russell emphasized that this lack of visibility often translates into limited resources. Perez also highlighted this sentiment, noting limited physical resources for the Italian department:
“In the tutoring room we have a blackboard that is falling apart,” Perez said. “How much does a whiteboard replacement really cost? Compared to the investments for some of the huge faculties, it’s like, we’re here too, can’t we get something?”
Despite the lack of visibility across campus, the enthusiasm for language learning remains strong among some students. Russell, who has been employed by the university for 20 years, has noticed a shift away from interest in language studies, which he attributes to broader national trends as opposed to specific issues at the university.
However, Russell remains optimistic about the importance of language education in higher learning.
“Having the ability to study languages and cultures and to develop translinguistic and transcultural competence is something really valuable that should be part of public education,” Russell said. “We are here to serve the people of California, and we are not serving them well if we don’t at least have that available to them.”
Written by: Rachel Gauer — features@theaggie.org