More than 30 years after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. spawned the establishment of black studies departments at institutions across the country, professors say they still have to defend their field.

Controversy recently arose over the subject when Harvard University President Lawrence Summers reportedly questioned the standards of scholarship and activities of Cornel West, a widely known black scholar.

Summers later apologized for the comment, citing miscommunication, but the implication remains that these departments and professors do not reach the levels of scholarship that other departments do.

Cary Fraser, director of the Africana Research Center, questions why anyone would think there are lower standards of scholarship in black studies departments in the first place.

"I didn't know people's brains resided in their skin color," he said.

Susan Welch, dean of the College of the Liberal Arts -- which houses Penn State's African and African American Studies (AAA S) department -- said all departments have different standards because they each have different curriculums and a variety professors with different teaching styles.

"I see no evidence that our AAA S department is more or less rigorous than other departments," Welch said.

Still, some professors have expressed discontent with the way things are handled at various colleges and universities. James Stewart, a labor studies professor at Penn State and president of the National Council for Black Studies, said in an interview with the Associated Press, "Everybody has a war story."

The field has "a very tenuous relationship in many institutions," he added.

At Penn State, the AAA S department does not receive the same amount of funding as other departments because of its size, Welch said.

"It's on the small end of the range," she added.

In two to three years, the AAA S department should have 10 faculty members, while most departments in the university have between 10 and 40.

"I think for the size and age of the department it is doing a good job," Welch said.

She said the only way the AAA S department could grow to the magnitude of the English department -- which is the largest in the university -- would be if the University Faculty Senate required a course in the department, such as the racism class that was proposed by the Black Caucus last year.

Welch said she doesn't think the Senate should make such a suggestion.

"I think they have to give more flexibility than that," she said. "Any decision like that has a lot of financial implications and hiring implications."

Sam Richards, senior lecturer of sociology who teaches AAA S 409 (Inequality in America), described the programs within the department as diverse and rigorous.

Colleen Morrissey (senior-sociology) said that by taking the class she learned a broader, more inclusive version of American history than she learned in high school.

"I had never taken an AAA S class before and it interested me," Morrissey said. "It turned out to be one of the best courses I ever took."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.