CUNY Dominican Studies Institute
Encyclopedia
The CUNY Dominican Studies Institute (CUNY DSI) is an interdisciplinary research unit of the City University of New York
devoted to the study of Dominicans
in the United States
and other parts of the world, including the Dominican Republic
. The Institute is housed at The City College of New York
in Upper Manhattan
, a campus bordered by the City's historic Washington Heights
and Inwood
neighborhoods, which are home to the largest concentration of Dominicans in the country.
The Institute sponsors academic research projects in the areas of education, migration
, language
, literature
, history, economics
, women's issues, politics, youth
, cultural identity
, sports, performance and visual arts.
. It was officially approved by the Board of Trustees at its February 22, 1994 meeting, and soon became an integral component of the City University of New York.
Since its inception, the Institute has sponsored more than 80 conferences and symposia
on diverse topics in various disciplines, bringing scholars at different stages of their careers to exchange knowledge and ideas on various aspects of the Dominican experience. The events are attended by audiences of students, faculty, and community residents. The Institute promotes a linkage between the academy and the community, and has encouraged the participation of members of the community in all its public events, allowing the latter to have the opportunity to participate in a dialogue that is usually reserved for academics.
Through its original research published in monograph
s, and its Archives and Library, the Institute also works to increase the visibility of CUNY.
In 1997, Dr. Ramona Hernandez, speaking at Columbia University
, pointed out the continuing demographic changes
of the Dominican Americans, especially its increasing population
and poverty
. In 2007, for its 15th Anniversary, the Institute honored Oscar de la Renta
.
The founding members of the Council of Dominican Educators established the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute in 1992.
Luis Álvarez-López, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Puerto Rican and Latin American Studies Department
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
The City University of New York
Ana García Reyes, M.A.
Special Assistant to the President for Community Relations
Director of International Programs
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College
The City University of New York
Franklin Gutierrez, Ph.D.
Professor of Spanish Language and Latin American Literature
Coordinator of the Spanish Program, Department of Foreign Languages
York College
The City University of New York
Ramona Hernández, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
The City College of New York
Director
CUNY Dominican Studies Institute
The City University of New York
Fausto de la Rosa
Assistant Principal
Walton High School
The Bronx, New York City
Nelson Reynoso, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Student Development
Bronx Community College
The City University of New York
Anthony Stevens-Acevedo
Assistant Director
CUNY Dominican Studies Institute
The City College of New York
Silvio Torres-Saillant, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of English
Director, Latino-Latin American Studies Program
Syracuse University
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
devoted to the study of Dominicans
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and other parts of the world, including the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. The Institute is housed at The City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
in Upper Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, a campus bordered by the City's historic Washington Heights
Washington Heights, Manhattan
Washington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest point on Manhattan island by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the...
and Inwood
Inwood, Manhattan
Inwood is the northernmost neighborhood on Manhattan Island in the New York City borough of Manhattan.-Geography:Inwood is physically bounded by the Harlem River to the north and east, and the Hudson River to the west. It extends southward to Fort Tryon Park and alternatively Dyckman Street or...
neighborhoods, which are home to the largest concentration of Dominicans in the country.
Mission and goals
The missions of the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute are, generally, (1) To gather, produce, and disseminate academic knowledge, from interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives, on the experiences of people in the United States who trace their ancestry to the Dominican Republic; and (2) To advance research and teaching at the City University of New York, focusing on the Dominican population.The Institute sponsors academic research projects in the areas of education, migration
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
, language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
, literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, history, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, women's issues, politics, youth
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
, cultural identity
Cultural identity
Cultural identity is the identity of a group or culture, or of an individual as far as one is influenced by one's belonging to a group or culture. Cultural identity is similar to and has overlaps with, but is not synonymous with, identity politics....
, sports, performance and visual arts.
History
The CUNY Dominican Studies Institute was founded in 1992 by the Council of Dominican Educators, community activists, and other academics from CUNY, to address the lack of reputable information on Dominicans available to students, scholars, and the community at large in the United States. It is the only university-based research institution in the United States focusing on the study of Dominican life outside of the Dominican Republic. CUNY DSI began as a pilot project in August 1992, with a development grant made available by CUNY’s ChancellorChancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
. It was officially approved by the Board of Trustees at its February 22, 1994 meeting, and soon became an integral component of the City University of New York.
Since its inception, the Institute has sponsored more than 80 conferences and symposia
Symposium
In ancient Greece, the symposium was a drinking party. Literary works that describe or take place at a symposium include two Socratic dialogues, Plato's Symposium and Xenophon's Symposium, as well as a number of Greek poems such as the elegies of Theognis of Megara...
on diverse topics in various disciplines, bringing scholars at different stages of their careers to exchange knowledge and ideas on various aspects of the Dominican experience. The events are attended by audiences of students, faculty, and community residents. The Institute promotes a linkage between the academy and the community, and has encouraged the participation of members of the community in all its public events, allowing the latter to have the opportunity to participate in a dialogue that is usually reserved for academics.
Through its original research published in monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
s, and its Archives and Library, the Institute also works to increase the visibility of CUNY.
In 1997, Dr. Ramona Hernandez, speaking at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, pointed out the continuing demographic changes
Demography
Demography is the statistical study of human population. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic human population, that is, one that changes over time or space...
of the Dominican Americans, especially its increasing population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
and poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
. In 2007, for its 15th Anniversary, the Institute honored Oscar de la Renta
Oscar de la Renta
Oscar de la Renta is one of the world's leading fashion designers. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1973.-Career:...
.
Founders of CUNY DSI
Council of Dominican EducatorsThe founding members of the Council of Dominican Educators established the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute in 1992.
Luis Álvarez-López, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Puerto Rican and Latin American Studies Department
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
The City University of New York
Ana García Reyes, M.A.
Special Assistant to the President for Community Relations
Director of International Programs
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College
The City University of New York
Franklin Gutierrez, Ph.D.
Professor of Spanish Language and Latin American Literature
Coordinator of the Spanish Program, Department of Foreign Languages
York College
The City University of New York
Ramona Hernández, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
The City College of New York
Director
CUNY Dominican Studies Institute
The City University of New York
Fausto de la Rosa
Assistant Principal
Walton High School
The Bronx, New York City
Nelson Reynoso, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Student Development
Bronx Community College
The City University of New York
Anthony Stevens-Acevedo
Assistant Director
CUNY Dominican Studies Institute
The City College of New York
Silvio Torres-Saillant, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of English
Director, Latino-Latin American Studies Program
Syracuse University
See also
- African American studiesAfrican American studiesAfrican American studies is a subset of Black studies or Africana studies. It is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to the study of the history, culture, and politics of African Americans...
- Black studies
- Chicano studies
- Latino studies
- List of academic disciplines
- Native American studiesNative American StudiesNative American Studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that examines the history, culture, politics, issues and contemporary experience of Native peoples in North America, or, taking a hemispheric approach, the Americas...