By ALISA THOMAS

Staff Writer

Sociology 321, Race and Ethnic Relations, is now being offered this spring as a cross-listed course for both sociology and geography students.

Dr. John Strait, an assistant professor of geography, will be teaching the course this spring from a geographical view point.

“My approach to the course will basically involve an exploration of the social dimensions of race and ethnic relations from a spatial [or geographical] point of view,” Strait said.

A cross-listed course is a course that may have been a part of another department’s curriculum guide but is available to students in other departments to take as part of their required curriculum.

Very few courses are cross-listed in the College of Liberal Arts.

Strait sees the addition to the geography curriculum guide as a positive thing.

“We all agreed that it should be offered in any social science department and that it provides an upper-level course for the geography department that would have broad appeal,” Strait said.

The major focus of the course will center on how theories can be understood geographically and how race is experienced in different parts of the world.

The importance of this course, Strait said, is it allows students to venture off.

“It will be important because it will provide students an opportunity to explore important issues and topics from an inter-disciplinary perspective,” Strait said.

The interest in actually participating in a course from students supported the department in the decision of offering the course.

“This new course may help people to understand race and ethnics more and allow people to be more acceptable of its effects in different regions,” Melissa Boje, a junior sociology major, said.

The course will also take advantage of one of Strait’s areas of expertise.

At the moment he is actually researching racial disparities.

Strait sees this course as being beneficial to the university and its students, and said it can help evolve the ideas students have about race and ethnics and their connection in society.

“Our notions of race have been constantly evolving for some time now,” Strait said. “Given that Tech is a racially diverse campus, students here should benefit immensely from the course.”

Sociology professors see the course as a way of broadening the students’ mind for a better perception of the course for students.

Dr. Cathy Martin, an assistant professor of sociology said, “It is an excellent idea because it will make the course have a more encompassing approach and will lead to a greater understanding of race relations in the U.S.”