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Cultural diversity is a foundational aspect of life in America. It helps define the nation's political identity, and it is a feature of society that has had profound influence in both broad historic ways and in site-specific contexts. Cultural diversity and difference continue to shape the national conversation today, with very real stakes at play. This class asks students to question what defines a culture and what it means to be multicultural, and to explore all areas of possibility related to multiculturalism. These areas include immigration, education, globalization, gender, national affiliation, identity, the celebrate diversity movement, and stereotyping. The purpose of this exploration is to introduce practical methods for reading “texts” (print, visual, auditory, social, etc.) and to activate the writing process as a method for engaging with the dynamic issues they raise. Together we will examine a number of short and long texts that draw from and speak to discourses from across the academic disciplines, and we will explore different techniques for self-expression and different types of writing. Operating under the premise that our diverse community stands to benefit from intellectually informed ideas and opinions, part of our focus will be given to discussing the cultures that we live in, and writing about our own lives and experiences in multicultural America. In this course students will be asked to read deeply and carefully, with the goal of forming their own perspectives on relevant issues through acts of informal and formal writing and expression.
