MICUA

Cultural diversity is an essential element in the pursuit of academic excellence and continuous improvement at all MICUA institutions. Diversity of thought and opinion are promoted and protected in course syllabi and school honor codes. Courses that study diverse populations and perspectives are represented in the undergraduate and graduate curricula. General education requirements at most independent institutions include a cross-cultural component. This requirement may be satisfied by taking classes in a foreign language, ethnic studies, or courses on non-western civilizations. A few noteworthy examples are described below.

Stevenson University recently initiated a new honors seminar entitled Foundations of Stigma, which delves into three aspects of multiculturalism: race and ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. The course examines the historical events that have contributed to stigma against marginalized groups in society. Students examine their own perceptions of stigma and identify strategies for compassion as a society.

McDaniel College revised its general education program in Fall 2007 and introduced a diversity graduation requirement. All entering students are required to take at least one course in the area of Multiculturalism in the United States. These courses study issues such as race, class, ethnicity, gender, religion, and sexual orientation and attempt to foster appreciation of cultural groups that have been marginalized in the United States. The College also requires two international courses—one of which must be non-western—which also include issues of diversity. The College offers specific programs in Africana Studies and recently added new programs in Latino and Latin American Studies, Asian Studies, and Arab Studies.

At St. John’s College, undergraduates take part in a rigorous, all-required curriculum based on reading and discussing original texts. As part of its core curriculum, every senior is required to read and discuss selections by Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Dubois, and Abraham Lincoln.

Notre Dame of Maryland University offers master’s and doctoral programs in Instructional Leadership for Changing Populations. The program is designed to prepare graduates who will be equipped to provide instructional leadership for linguistically and culturally non-mainstream learners at the classroom level. The purpose of the program is to prepare competent professionals to integrate the knowledge gained from relevant contemporary theory when creating learning environments that improve the academic performance of all students and meet the particular needs of new learners.

Hood College’s mandatory core curriculum has a component entitled “Non-Western Civilization,” which requires students to complete course work from an array of 27 different courses involving examination of cultural diversity. In addition to this general requirement, virtually every academic department emphasizing “language-based” study—e.g., history, religion and philosophy, English, and foreign languages—offers additional courses related to diverse cultures. Hood students may also complete minor course work in African-American Studies, Women’s Studies, African Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, East Asian Studies, Gerontology, and South and Southeast Asian Studies, all of which introduce students to diverse cultures or populations.

A core principle at Capitol College states that “Graduates will be able to demonstrate an understanding of different cultures and values.” Students are encouraged and in some cases required to address cultural diversity in course assignments. Curriculum is examined and taught using a global lens, and textbooks are examined to ensure that they include the global and cultural diversity perspective appropriate to the field of study.

Washington Adventist University has imbedded diversity into the curriculum in many of its programs. For example, the Department of Education is preparing teacher candidates to meet the needs of students in diverse school settings and those with special needs. Throughout the education curriculum, teacher candidates must understand and plan for the cultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity that will face them in the classroom. All elementary/special education and early childhood education majors develop an action plan for social change and are required to develop thematic units representative of diverse populations. In Fall 2010, the University added a new master’s program, Educational Leadership for a Diverse Society, which provides a unique emphasis on inclusion and multicultural education. In the Department of Social Work, each course has a list of diversity elements that must be addressed in class discussions and assignments, and the syllabus is mapped to ensure that these diversity elements are represented throughout the course.

Since 2007, Loyola University Maryland students have been required to complete a diversity course as a pre-requisite for graduation. The University developed a set of criteria for faculty review of the courses qualified to satisfy the requirement. More than 130 courses are designated in the undergraduate curriculum.