SOCIAL DIVERSITY
IN THE GEOGRAPHY CURRICULUM
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While "saying it doesn't make it so," some universities and units of universities make clear the administration's, faculty's, or student groups' commitment to increasing social/cultural diversity and our understanding of diverse cultures and personal situations by giving this salience on their web sites. Some of these are more substantive than others: here are some of the more substantive ones.
University of California, Berkeley does not highlight these matters in its top-level web site, but its human resources site has a presentation of "Why Diversity Matters" that explores the relationships among diversity goals, equal employment opportunity, and affirmative action, and what the University is attempting in terms of staffing.
University of California, Santa Barbara has a thoughtful and earnest overview of "What's So Important About Cultural Diversity?" and some associated material relevant to student life and activities; in addition, this site in the Student Handbook highlights courses and parts of the University's curriculum "that explore a wide variety of issues related to cultural differences and diversity."
University of Colorado, Boulder has a fairly elaborate and well-linked site, organized by its Office of Diversity and Equity. Within it are links to campus statistics, activities, an annual "State of the Campus Diversity Report," reports of an annual, Chancellor-convened "diversity summit," and a link to relevant faculty research (listed as a bibliography).
The Ohio State University lists diversity as one of four "key initiatives," along with academic excellence, outreach and engagement, and research.
The Pennsylvania State University web
site has a top-level section and set of links to an overview
of efforts to foster diversity, organized by its Vice Provost for
Educational Equity. This includes a link to a five-year
plan, which has an explicit curriculum
component.
U.Cal., Berkeley's human resources site includes a dictionary,
which adapts a definition from a 1991 human-resources book:
Generally, diversity refers to "human
qualities that are different from our own and those of groups to which
we belong; but that are manifested in other individuals and groups.
Dimensions of diversity include but are not limited to: age, ethnicity,
gender, physical abilities or qualities, race, sexual orientation, educational
background, geographic location, income, marital or partner status, military
experience, parental status, religious beliefs, work experience, and job
classification." (Adapted from Marilyn Loden and Judy Rosener, Workforce
America! Managing Employee Diversity as a Vital Resource, Illinois:
Business One Irwin, 1991, p. 18.) In this context, diversity represents
a comprehensive organizational and managerial process for developing an
environment that maximizes the potential of all employees by valuing difference.
Ohio State University's site includes a dictionary,
which provides this definition:
A situation that includes representation
of multiple (ideally all) groups within a prescribed environment, such
as a university or a workplace. This word most commonly refers to differences
between cultural groups, although it is also used to describe differences
within cultural groups, e.g. diversity within the Asian-American culture
includes Korean Americans and Japanese Americans. An emphasis on accepting
and respecting cultural differences by recognizing that no one culture
is intrinsically superior to another underlies the current usage of the
term.
University of California, Santa Barbara has an explicit discussion and listing of University courses and programs "that explore a wide variety of issues related to cultural differences and diversity." Geography courses are not within this listing.
University of Colorado, Boulder has an action plan (dated 2000) that includes a section (Goals, I.B.) calling for