Cultural Diversity

Requirement:  3 semester credits

Cultural Diversity embraces differences in race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class, disability status, language, national origin, and religion within and across peoples and nations. Understanding of the value of cultural diversity is fundamental to national and global citizenship and is therefore an essential foundation to the undergraduate and graduate curriculum, regardless of specific intellectual field or focus. While curricula should contain courses specifically addressing one or more dimensions of cultural diversity, cultural diversity content should also substantially suffuse curricula.

Cultural Diversity core courses will:

  • facilitate an awareness of how historical events, institutionalized differences in power, and long-standing customs have shaped cultural diversity and thus contemporary political, social, and economic relations within and across peoples and nations;
  • identify and discuss indicators of discrimination within and across specific institutions and groups and demonstrate how discriminatory practices and attitudes create barriers for some and opportunities for others;
  • an appreciation of how cultural diversity affects the ways in which individuals and peoples perceive, understand, and live in the world.

Upon completion of the Cultural Diversity core, students will be able to:

  • demonstrate an awareness of the centrality of cultural diversity to their own and other human societies;
  • demonstrate an awareness of the negative impacts upon cultural diversity of economic, social, and other forms of institutional and interpersonal discrimination;
  • demonstrate competence and effectiveness in interacting with culturally diverse people by understanding cross- and inter-cultural interaction and communication;
  • demonstrate the ability to advocate for non-discriminatory policies and behaviors on their own behalf and on behalf of others, including peers, clients, and colleagues.

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