Undergraduate
Liberal Arts Pathways Minors
Diversity and Inclusion Pathways Minor in Liberal Arts
The Diversity and Inclusion Pathway Minor is an interdisciplinary program of study allowing students to develop an understanding of the components of diversity, inclusion, power, and privilege, which include intersectional identities impacted by race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexuality, religion, language, social class, aging, and disability. This minor not only aids students in understanding the scholarship of diversity and inclusion but prioritizes applied knowledge through engaged learning experiences involving how diversity and inclusion can be examined and fostered within various personal and professional environments and interactions. This minor supports any major/profession that involves encounters, interactions, and work with diverse populations.
Professional fields in which a working and practical knowledge of how to respect and collaborate with those who have differing intersectional identities than one’s own include education, business, industry, social work, community and service organizations, government, law, and all of the health-related fields, such as medicine, nursing, dentistry, rehabilitation, and health administration. Providing students with the ability to be conscious and reflective in regard to their own implicit biases and potential microaggressions can be extremely important to the success of our students, for example, in health-related fields where their care decisions can mean life or death for those they serve.
Students will complete 15 credit hours of approved Pathways courses, including 6 credit hours of:
- two foundational courses: ENG-W 131 or ENG-W 140 and COMM-R 110 in which students in the Pathway Minor program will be required to complete modules and signature assignments designed to introduce them to Pathway Minor themes
- introductory Thematic Concentration,
- intermediate Thematic Concentration and
- advanced Engaged Learning
INTRODUCTORY THEMATIC CONCENTRATION (3 cr.):
- AFRO-A 140: African American Experience
- ANTH-A 104: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
- COMM-C 282: Experiencing Intergroup Dialogue on Social Identity
- COMM-C 299: Communicating Queer Identity
- NAIS-N 101: Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies
- WGSS-W 105: Introduction to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
INTERMEDIATE THEMATIC CONCENTRATION (3 cr.:
- AFRO-A 326: Race, Beauty and Culture or ENG-L 378 Race, Beauty and Culture
- ANTH-E 353: Global Migration
- ANTH-E 457: Ethnic Identity
- ENG-L 364: Native American Literature
- NAIS-C 209: Native American Culture and Communication
- NAIS-N 398: American Indian Women in Religion or REL-R 398 American Indian Women in Religion
- POLS-Y 324: Gender and Politics
- REL-R 328: Afro-Diaspora Religions
- WGSS-R 350: American Feminist Rhetoric
ADVANCED ENGAGED EXPERIENCE (3 cr.):
- *AFRO-A 303: Introduction to Caribbean Literature (only this title under 303 number will count here) or ENG-L 245: Introduction to Caribbean Literature (Study Abroad)
- AFRO-A 311: Religion and Racism or REL-R 314 Religion and Racism (Community Engaged Research)
- ANTH-E 404: Fieldwork in Ethnography (Community Collaborative Research)
- ENG-W 397: Writing Center Theory & Practice Practicum (Knowledge in Practice)
- SOC-R 461: Race and Ethnic Relations (Service Learning)
* Students taking this course will be encouraged to enroll under this 300-level number. Students who take this course as ENG-L245 should request an exception from an advisor since this is currently the only one where the high impact practice is study abroad.
Other requirements and options:
- Students must take a minimum of 3 credit hours of Thematic Concentration courses at the 300-level or
- Students may opt to complete two courses from the intermediate Thematic Concentration list in lieu of the introductory Thematic Concentration
- Students are required to take 3 credits from the approved list of Engaged Experience courses, which will be 300- or 400-level and feature a high impact practice (internship, service learning, research intensive, collaborative project, study abroad, e-portfolio, ).
- Students who opt not to apply foundational courses to fulfill their 15 credits towards their minor must still complete a Pathways
Substitute courses
Students may petition, either before or after taking a course, to count a course toward the minor. Students will petition the Director of the Liberal Arts Pathways Minor Program. They will include the following information in their petition:
- course number, title, instructor and term of instruction
- a copy of the syllabus
- statement of how the course meets specific Learning Outcomes of the minor
- completed assignments (if course is finished) that best demonstrate Learning Outcomes
