Resources and Information for Parents and Families

UNR Core Curriculum Diversity Subcommittee

Click here to view the sample rubric for diversity courses

Proposed New Criteria for Diversity Courses at UNR:

The course must enhance students’ understanding and appreciation of diversity in relation to race, ethnicity, gender, social class, religion, sexual orientation, ability, national origin, and other cultures;
The course must further students’ knowledge of diversity in society, whether in the United States or abroad, historically or in contemporary times;
The course must increase students’ understanding of at least one non-dominant or marginalized group by exploring the perceptions, viewpoints and life experiences of its members and/or by examining their relationships with others in society;
The course must provide students with appropriate theoretical and methodological tools with which to critically analyze and to critique their own culturally embedded viewpoints; (Theoretical tools include discipline-specific mastery of concepts and structuralist, postmodern, feminist, and postcolonial theories - among others - with which to analyze course materials. Methodological tools include content analyses, surveys, literary reviews, questionnaires and case studies, among others.)
The course must require students to communicate effectively, primarily in writing but also orally and/or visually through artistic expression, technology or other appropriate means;
The course must meet the academic requirements of a 200-level course or above.

Learning Goals:

Students will:

Develop an understanding of and appreciation for diversity/pluralism in society.
Develop an awareness of their own culturally embedded viewpoints and be able to examine and critique their own culturally derived notions.

Learning Outcomes:

Students should be able to:

Compare and contrast the differences and commonalities that exist in the perceptions, worldviews and experiences of people in different social groups, and/or
Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between members of a non-dominant or marginalized group with the dominant and other groups in society.
Demonstrate the acquisition and application of appropriate theoretical and methodological skills required to analyze and critique their own culturally embedded points of view.
Articulate the ways in which the course content has influenced their own culturally embedded viewpoints and dispositions.
Communicate such understanding effectively, primarily in writing but also orally and, in appropriate circumstances, by means of artistic expression, technology or other forms of expression.

Performance Indicators and Assessment Methods:

The instructor will evaluate students’ work through a variety of means that effectively test their understanding of diversity in society and their ability to critique their own culturally embedded viewpoints. Strategies and techniques for evaluation include but are not limited to observations, text and curriculum-embedded questions and tests, oral questioning, benchmarks or reference sets, interviews, peer and self-assessments, course evaluations, writing samples, exhibits, portfolio assessments, project and product assessments.

Performance Indicator 1: Students are able to compare and contrast a range of perspectives and experiences of people in non-dominant or marginalized groups with those of other groups in society.

Assessment for Performance Indicator 1: Students will submit term papers, conduct oral presentations, answer exam questions or submit other appropriate materials to be evaluated by the instructor. A sample rubric for diversity assessment is attached.

Performance Indicator 2: Students will apply appropriate theoretical and methodological tools to illustrate the complex relationship between their own culturally embedded viewpoints and dispositions and those of others.

Assessment for Performance Indicator 2: Students will answer exam questions and/or write term papers or submit other appropriate materials in which they will apply certain theories and methods in formulating their arguments. The instructor will evaluate their performance using an appropriate rubric.

Revised September 17, 2009 by Sandy Ott (sott@unr.edu) for the UNR Diversity Subcommittee