A Diversity Curriculum: Integrating Attitudes,Issues,and Applications

Abstract

Because programs in public administration and affairs face new challenges in preparing students to function effectively in an increasingly pluralistic world and to manage a nontraditional workforce, faculty face the question, “What kind of curriculum will promote the competencies students need to understand diversity and to realize its value in managing high-performing public and nonprofit organizations?”

This question served as the impetus for a pilot seminar on valuing diversity, aimed at providing opportunities to examine in detail the ethical dilemmas, public attitudes and values, and social consequences of the compelling diversity issues of the day.¹

This article describes the rationale and structure of the seminar as it addressed personal values and attitudes; explored a range of economic, political, and social issues; and, through three case studies, provided the opportunity for students to apply new knowledge and insights. A content analysis of students' final papers identifies common themes in the students' development of the competencies related to valuing diversity. Through this testimony, students articulate the results of a curriculum that integrates personal experience, theory, and practice.

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