Honors

Policy & Social Justice 2007-2008

Diversity and Education

The goal of the Diversity and Education Think Tank was to engage students in academic and social activities throughout the year to heighten their awareness of domestic diversity in the United States, but more specifically, the history of students of color at the University of Utah. The course presented students through individual and collective inquiry, the opportunity to learn more about the lived experiences of African American, Asian American, Polynesian, Native American, Latina/a and Mexican American, and 3rd and 4th generation Middle Easterner students who attended the University of Utah from its inception to the present date. Students utilized archival data (i.e. newspapers articles, journals, student organization brochures, etc), institutional statistics, oral histories, and narratives from currently enrolled students of color to write manuscripts. Their research offered cultural lenses into the academic, social, race, gender, language, cultural, political, and socio-economic triumphs and barriers of those students of color. Broadening the Think Tank students' definitions of diversity to extend beyond race/ethnicity, class, and gender, to understand that"diversity within diversity" exist was a critical component of this Think Tank. Diversity is infinite in that it also embodies the totality ofthe human experience which include, but is not limited to difference in ideologies, sexual orientation, phenotype, language, nationality, political party, etc. Students learned that it is imperative to take the next step and move theories to practice by increasing the awareness, respect, and appreciation for diversity in its broadest terms. The course ended with testimonies from each class participant that was filmed to capture their thoughts and reflections of their journeys that year.