Agenda Item #08-37 Effective ?

Proposal for Revision of the Cultural Diversity Requirement

The Cultural Awareness ad-hoc committee of Student Government hereby proposes the following changes to the Cultural Diversity Requirement:

• An increase from the current requirement of three credit hours carrying the cultural diversity designation to six credit hours as a part of the general education curriculum. • The Cultural Diversity Requirement may be completed from either the Humanities and Fine Arts or the Social and Behavioral Science segments of the General Education curriculum.

Rationale

The current requirement fulfills the Illinois Articulation Act’s basic requirement for the state of Illinois. By researching peer institutions of Eastern Illinois University outside of Illinois we were able to find many other Universities have already established a cultural diversity requirement minimum of six credit hours. This encouraged us to expand the Cultural Diversity Requirement, bringing Eastern Illinois University to the same level of our peer institutions, while being at the forefront of Illinois institutions.

The committee wanted feedback from all areas of campus concerning the proposed changes. In conversation with the student body the committee received positive support. A presentation was given in regards to the new requirement at various student organizations. This gave the students an opportunity to discuss, ask questions and vote. The following organizations voted unanimously in favor for the changes: • Black Student Union • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People • Asian American Association • Latin American Student Organization • PRIDE • National Pan-Hellenic Council

The committee received input from faculty members in various departments. Their input was vital in creating the proposal. The faculty offered suggestions, concerns and support. The following faculty members are in support of this proposal:

Many professional studies have been conducted regarding cultural diversity in the classroom.

The conclusions made were in favor of an expansion in the curriculum. Two main points could be taken away from the studies. 1. A curriculum involving cultural awareness courses fosters a better environment for students to be open minded:

“A Curriculum that deals explicitly with social and cultural diversity, and a learning environment in which diverse students interact frequently with each other, naturally will affect the content of what is learned.” (Guren)

“A relationship does exist between the instructional methods used in stand-alone cultural diversity courses and changes in the cultural diversity awareness of students.” (Brown)

“A curriculum that exposes students to knowledge about race and ethnicity acquired through the curriculum and classroom environment and to interactions with peers from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in the informal college environment will foster a learning environment that supports active thinking and intellectual engagement.” (Hurtado)

2. A curriculum with cultural diversity courses will create a more open minded citizen.

“One goal embraced by most colleges and universities, is to prepare young people for active participation in our democratic society, which is an increasingly diverse society.” (Guren)

“Racial diversity and student involvement in activities related to diversity have a direct and strong effect on learning and the ways students conduct themselves in later life, including disrupting prevailing patterns of racial separation.” (Guren)

“Students who experienced diversity in classroom settings and in informal interactions showed the most engagement in various forms of citizenship, and the most engagement with people from various races/cultures. They were also the most likely to acknowledge that group differences are compatible with the interests of the broader community.” (Guren)

“Diversity experiences during college had impressive effects on the extent to which graduates in the national study were living racially or ethnically integrated lives in the post-college world. Students who had taken the most diversity courses and interacted the most with diverse peers during college had the most cross-racial interactions five years after leaving college. This confirms that the long-term pattern of segregation noted by many social scientists can be broken by diversity experiences during college.” (Guren)

“Students educated in diverse institutions will be more motivated and better able to participate in an increasingly heterogeneous and complex society.”(Hurtado)

The increase to total six credit hours for the Cultural Diversity Requirement will give students a better opportunity to achieve a more unique education, while striving to fulfill the three-fold mission of our general education: • To enhance student literacy and oral communication • To encourage students to think critically and reflectively; and • To introduce students to knowledge central to responsible global citizenship

Eastern Illinois University seeks to foster cultural understanding to assist its students to become responsible citizens in a diverse world. The general education curriculum furthers this objective by requiring students to complete at least one course carrying the cultural diversity designation. Appropriate courses will focus on one or more of the following in their content: the study of diverse peoples (including issues of race, ethnicity, and gender) at home and abroad; the history, traditions, and/or language of other countries or cultures; and the role of cultural sensitivity in making informed and ethical decisions. Cultural diversity courses are marked with an asterisk following the course title.

Finally, responsible global citizens appreciate the diversity of the world in which they work and live. As a part of their general education program, all students are required to complete a course with a focus on cultural diversity six credit hours that focus on cultural diversity from the following designated courses:

Humanities and Fine Arts

ENG 3009G - Myth and Culture. Credits: 3 ENG 3099G - Myth and Culture, Honors. Credits: 3 ENG 3100G - Cultural Foundations I. Credits: 3 ENG 3110G - Cultural Foundations II. Credits: 3

FLE 2061G - German Literature in Translation. Credits: 3 FLE 2062G - Hispanic Literature in Translation. Credits: 3 FLE 2063G - Francophone Literature in Translation. Credits: 3 FLF 2201G - Intermediate French I. Credits: 4 FLF 2202G - Intermediate French II. Credits: 4 FLG 2201G - Intermediate German I. Credits: 4 FLG 2202G - Intermediate German II. Credits: 4 FLL 2201G - Intermediate Latin I. Credits: 4 FLL 2202G - Intermediate Latin II. Credits: 4 FLS 2201G - Intermediate Spanish I. Credits: 4 FLS 2202G - Intermediate Spanish II. Credits: 4

HIS 1500G - Roots of the Modern World: Society and Religion. Credits: 3 HIS 1510G - Roots of the Modern World: Slavery and Freedom. Credits: 3 HIS 1520G - Roots of the Modern World: Global Interactions. Credits: 3 HIS 1590G - Roots of the Modern World: Society and Religion, Honors. Credits: 3 HIS 1591G - Roots of the Modern World: Slavery and Freedom, Honors. Credits: 3 HIS 1592G - Roots of the Modern World: Global Interactions, Honors. Credits: 3

PHI 3100G - Cultural Foundations I. Credits: 3 PHI 3110G - Cultural Foundations II. Credits: 3

ART 2012G - Nonwestern Fine Arts. Credits: 3 ART 3340G - Multicultural Aesthetics. Credits: 3 ART 3610G - African Art. Credits: 3 ART 3611G - Art in India and Southeast Asia. Credits: 3 ART 3612G - Art in China and Japan. Credits: 3

MUS 3562G - Non-Western Music. Credits: 3 MUS 3592G - Non-Western Music, Honors. Credits: 3

THA 2012G - Non-Western Theatre. Credits: 3 THA 2140G - Introduction to the Theatre. Credits: 3 THA 2190G - Introduction to the Theatre, Honors. Credits: 3 THA 3751G - Theatre History I. Credits: 3 THA 3752G - Theatre History II. Credits: 3 THA 3755G - African-American Theatre. Credits: 3

Social and Behavioral Sciences

ANT 2200G - Introduction to Anthropology. Credits: 3 ANT 2290G - Introduction to Anthropology, Honors. Credits: 3

CSC 3001G - Survival of Humanity Credits: 3

ECN 2800G - Economics of Social Issues. Credits: 3

GEG 1100G - Cultural Geography. Credits: 3 GEG 1190G - Cultural Geography, Honors. Credits: 3 GEG 1200G - World Regional Geography. Credits: 3 GEG 1290G - World Regional Geography, Honors. Credits: 3

HST 2200G - Health Citizenship. Credits: 3

PLS 2253G - Introduction to International Relations. Credits: 3 PLS 2293G - Introduction to International Relations, Honors. Credits: 3

REC 3400G - World Leisure: A Cultural Perspective. Credits: 3

SOC 2710G - Introductory Sociology. Credits: 3 SOC 2750G - Social Problems in Contemporary Society. Credits: 3 SOC 2890G - Social Problems in Contemporary Society, Honors. Credits: 3

WST 2309G - Women, Men, and Culture. Credits: 3

BIBILOGRAPHY

1. Brown, Elinor L. (2004) What Precipitates Change in Cultural Diversity Awareness during a Multicultural Course: The Message or the Method? Journal of Teacher Education, 2004; Vol. 55; p.325.

2. Gurin, Patricia. (1999) The Compelling Need for Diversity in Higher Education, Expert Reports in Defense of the University of Michigan’, Equity & Excellence in Education, Vol. 32:2, p.36-62.

3. Gurin, Patricia; Dey, Eric; L Hurtado, Sylvia; Gurin, Gerald. (2002) Diversity and Higher Education: Theory and Impact on Educational Outcomes Harvard Educational Review, p.330-366.