Correction appended
For 17 years, students at UCLA have pushed to make a diversity
requirement part of the general education curriculum for each
undergraduate student.
While propositions for the requirement have been submitted to
the university over that period, the Academic Senate ““
UCLA’s faculty government directly in charge of academic
matters ““ has decided against such plans in favor of other
measures to foster multiculturalism.
But all other University of California undergraduate campuses
have long since had diversity requirements, which are designed to
foster learning about race, culture and ethnicity among all
students.
At UC Berkeley, all students are required to take an American
cultures course within a collection of university-approved classes
from a variety of majors, each of which is intended to explain the
processes and consequences of cultural interactions.
First-year American studies student Caitlin Kowalczyk, who plans
to take her diversity requirement course next semester, said it is
an important part of the UC Berkeley general education
curriculum.
“It makes sure everyone has some experience with the
discipline of studying culture,” she said, “especially
for non-humanities students who get caught up in math and
science.”
“It also addresses an area that tends to be neglected in
high school,” she added.
Despite the requirement being a valuable addition to her
education, Kowalczyk said she does not know whether such a class
would relate back to her student life experience at Berkeley in an
entirely fruitful way.
“It’s hard to relate a class like that to your
school experience ““ a lot depends on your professor and the
type of class,” she said.
Other students merely see the requirement as one of the boxes
that must be checked en route to graduation.
Natasha Paris, a second-year mechanical engineering student at
UC Berkeley, took a class which explored issues related to
university access for students.
“The reason why I took the class was because it was a
requirement to graduate,” she said. “I really
didn’t like the class all that much.”
Students at UC Riverside are also required to take a course that
deals with the study of race and ethnicity in California and the
United States, in particular concentrating on one of four principal
minority groups: African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos and
Chicanos or American Indians.
Kira Patel, a third-year psychology and business administration
student at UC Riverside, completed her requirement with Ethnic
Studies 3, a class that focuses on African American experience and
culture.
Originally from Newhall, a city in the Santa Clarita Valley near
Los Angeles, Patel grew up in an area where there were very few
blacks.
She said her class gave her real insight on issues relating to
the African American community and what stereotypes other people
may hold.
“If you absorb what you are learning, you really get to
see that people have different perspectives to you,” Patel
said.
She added that the requirement forced people to take courses
ultimately impacting how they react to events in their daily
lives.
“I would have never taken the class if I didn’t have
to,” she said.
With reports from Menaka Fernando, Bruin senior
staff.
Correction:UC Berkeley student Natasha
Peris’ name was misspelled.