Diversity Course Criteria
How diversity courses are designated
Diversity-designated courses are approved by the Instructional Diversity Committee (IDC) through an application and review process; they must meet the following criteria:
The course must have a primary focus on at least one of the following categories:
- One or more groups historically excluded on the basis of culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class, disability, religion, age, immigration, or geopolitical power within the U.S., outside the U.S. or across national borders.
- An aspect of one or more historically excluded groups (e.g., literature, history, culture, art, profession/labor, etc.).
c. Critical approaches to the study of culture, power, stratification or oppression (e.g., racism, sexism, homophobia, poverty, ageism, persecution, imperialism, etc.).
The course must also substantively address at least 2 of the following categories:
- Recognize one's social position and geopolitical location, along with the consequences of both.
- Examine economic, political, and social relations, along with their impact on communities, systems of interdependence, inequalities, or processes of transformation.
- Analyze the multiple identities, histories, cultures, perspectives, contributions, knowledges, struggles or strategies of historically excluded groups.
- Understand the operations and effects of institutional oppression and dominant group privilege; prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination; or the construction of dominant perspectives and disciplinary knowledge.
- Develop skills and concepts related to conflict resolution, intercultural communication, cultural competencies, confronting inequitable treatment, or advocacy for social justice; and or learn to collaborate and interact effectively, equitably and respectfully in diverse groups within the classroom or campus-related workplaces and practice areas