Spring 2004 Syllabus  

      

Jan 29      Does a diverse student body matter?   

Researchers have yet to explore adequately how the presence of historically-excluded or invisible groups impact student learning on all students under ideal circumstances –   when campus and classroom climates support full participation.  Under less-than-ideal circumstances, then, does a diverse student body make a difference in the quality of the education we deliver?  Is the impact positive, or negative?

Kenji Hakuta, Dynamics of Race in Higher Education.  Executive Summary of Chapter 4 on  the benefits of diversity in the classroom.  Feel free to peruse other sections of this study using the links on the right of the page above.

Debra Humphries, The Impact of Diversity on College Students:  The Latest Research   This article indicates some of the problem areas as well as some of the positive trends. 

Feb.  12    Does a diversity-based curriculum matter? 

James A. Banks (1991) identifies 5 necessary components in effective multicultural education:   content integration, knowledge construction, prejudice reduction, equity pedagogy, and an empowering institutional culture.  He notes that most schools continue to assume that content integration is both beginning and end, leading to the assumption in the sciences and math that multicultural education does not involve them.  Higher education is also affected by students’ prior educational experience.

Debra Humphreys, Diversity and The College Curriculum:  How Colleges & Universities Are Preparing Students For a Changing World (1998) 

This is my recommendation from the "Principles and Practices" section of the Curriculum Change segment of DiversityWeb.org.  Click "Curriculum Change" at the top, then Principles and Practices" on the left to see many more.

Feb. 26     Doing diversity

Most historically white colleges and universities have not managed diversity change very well.  Let’s begin with what it means to do it poorly in the ways most schools do it.

Rural U.: A Cautionary Tale."  Responses to Lynne Goodstein.  "The Failure of Curriculum Transformation at a Major Public University: When 'Diversity' Equals 'Variety.'" 

Elizabeth Kamarck Minnich. “‘Prisoners of Hope’: Even When We Have Tried to Go Further than It Turns Out We Yet Can, We Have Not Simply Failed.”  

“Lynne Goodstein Responds.” Goodstein, Lynne; NWSA Journal, v6 n2 p 291-313 Sum 1994

Experts evaluate a curriculum transformation project at the college level.  All articles are in the EbscoHost database (link should work on campus).  Easiest way to get all three is to search on “Goodstein” in “default fields” with “NWSA Journal” in “Journal Name.”

 

Mar. 11    Doing diversity well  – the  role of Racial and Ethnic Studies.

This section originated with our question:  If we benefit our students by doing diversity well, what does that mean?  Two major interdisciplinary fields have played vital roles in how higher education “does diversity.” Racial and Ethnic Studies is one. 

Evelyn Hu-DeHart, “Ethnic Studies in U.S. Higher Education:  History, Development, and Goals,’
in Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education, 2nd ed, by James A. Banks and Cherry A. McGee Banks, eds. (San Francisco:  John Wiley, 2004), (869-881). From Deb.

Mar. 25    Doing diversity well – the role of Women’s Studies

This section originated with our question:  If we benefit our students by doing diversity well, what does that mean? Two major interdisciplinary fields have played vital roles in how higher education “does diversity.” Women’s Studies is the other.

Betty Schmitz, ohnella E. Bulter, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, and Deborah Rosenfelt, “Women’s Studies and Curriculum Transformation in the United States,” in Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education, 2nd ed, by James A. Banks and Cherry A. McGee Banks, eds. (San Francisco:  John Wiley, 2004), 881-905.  From Deb.

 

Apr. 8    What does a transformed curriculum look like?

Are these good models according to what we have read?

Ann K. Fitzgerald and Paul Lauter, “Multicultural and Core Curriculum,” in Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education, 2nd ed, by James A. Banks and Cherry A. McGee Banks, eds. (San Francisco:  John Wiley, 2004), 906- 930.  From Deb.

Apr. 22   What does a transformed course look like?

Are these good models according to what we have read?

DiversityWeb.org -- Innovations:  Curriculum Change    Browse around whatever interests you in the interdisciplinary programs, Diversity Requirement Models, and Gen Ed Requirements.courses within the disciplines, US and Global courses.

 

May 6   Planning, review, and celebration

Planning for Next Semester, TFD Website Review, and End of Semester Celebration