Multiculturalism/Diversity/Inclusive Classrooms: Incorporating Multicultural Content into Your Teaching

Infusing multicultural content into courses and curricula presents an important challenge for college and university campuses across the U.S. All students benefit from exposure to diverse cultures and perspectives, while those from traditionally underrepresented groups are supported when their special needs and contributions are recognized. This section provides resources for designing curricula, programs, and courses that incorporate multicultural content and acknowledge diverse student populations. The first few links deal with curriculum transformation; the following links focus on course content and syllabi.

Multicultural Curriculum Transformation (Northern Illinois University)
Definitions, rationale, and phases involved in transforming a curriculum to be “genuinely inclusive of all people.”
Link: http://www.niu.edu/mcti/mcinfo.shtml

“Effective Multicultural Curriculum Transformation in “Advanced” Mathematics and “Hard” Sciences,” Christine Clark (University of Maryland, College Park).
Discusses the need for a multicultural curriculum in math and science, and gives examples of how this is being done in both pedagogy and content. Includes bibliography.
Link: http://www.diversityweb.org/Digest/fw02/mathscience.html

Diversity Digest, Fall/Winter 2002: Curriculum Transformation.
Online articles in this focused issue of Diversity Digest explore changes in curriculum and course content at several universities that infuse diversity throughout the curriculum or the general education program.
Link: http://www.diversityweb.org/Digest/archives.html

Center for Curriculum Transformation (University of Washington, College of Arts and Sciences).
Dedicated to helping faculty develop courses and curricula that include the study of diverse populations and cultures, this site provides guidelines for course transformation and for departmental review of diversity issues in their curriculum.
Link: http://depts.washington.edu/ctcenter/who.html

Diversity Web: Diversity Innovations: Curriculum Change.
This comprehensive web site provides annotated links to sites that present multicultural programs and curricula, general education requirements, examples of multicultural courses across the curriculum, and interdisciplinary programs focused on a wide variety of specific populations.
Link: http://www.diversityweb.org/diversity_innovations/curriculum_change/index.cfm

Achieving Excellence in Multicultural Instruction: Sample Syllabi (Michigan State University, College of Communication Arts and Sciences).
This site contains links to sample syllabi in many fields. For some, multiculturalism is the central focus; others integrate multicultural material into a course with another focus.
Link: http://www.diversity.cas.msu.edu/syllabi/index.html

Resources for Multicultural Teaching and Learning (University of Minnesota, Center for Teaching and Learning Services).
Scroll down to “Approaches to Multicultural Teaching and Learning Course Design” for many and varied links to materials useful for designing courses that honor diversity and provide multicultural content.
Link: http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/resources/diversity/resources.html

MSU Resources

Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatves: http://www.inclusion.msu.edu/

Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities: http://www.rcpd.msu.edu/Home

Web Accessibility: http://www.msu.edu/webaccess/index.html

Office of Accessibility and Usability: http://usability.msu.edu/

Women's Resource Center: http://wrc.msu.edu/

Office of Study Abroad: http://studyabroad.msu.edu/

Office of International Studies and Programs: http://www.isp.msu.edu/

Office of International Development: http://www.oid.msu.edu/

Library Electronic Resources: Ethnic Studies and Gender Studies:
http://er.lib.msu.edu/subject.cfm?cat=0&type=All&Subject=Ethnic%20Studies
http://er.lib.msu.edu/subject.cfm?cat=0&type=All&Subject=Gender%20Studies