But as I looked around the room, I saw the progress we made in this corner of the world. Maybe we can make a difference. At the time VaLecia Adams approached me about her desire to offer a course on racial identity development I was considering a request for propo-sals from the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity for the development of a core course on the subject. To present psychological and educational matters on racial and ethnic identity, when America has become confessional about its obsession with race and when ethnic studies courses have been placed yet again under review, was paradoxical and yet timely. The opportunity to blend our work, mine on the orthogonal nature of bicultural competence and hers on the role of mutuality in African American identity formation, was intriguing.
Most theories situate the process primarily in adolescence.
As questions began to arise about how to design the class I reflected upon conversations with my daughter during her move to the reservation as a young woman reared primarily on university campuses. I anticipated that the students would probably be ready for the topic. They had recently changed their environments to attend Stanford, travel, make new friends and do community service. Many had formed new social groups. Both perspectives were in order.