Understanding Human Differences: Multicultural Education for a Diverse America - Softcover

For Multicultural Education/Diversity as well as General Education courses. Students develop conceptual understanding about complex and emotionally-charged issues of diversity in today's world. The authors use clear examples, lucid language, and engaging activities to involve students in thinking through fundamental ideas that ground their understanding of diversity. Authors investigate three converging elements in their examination of human differences: individual attitudes and behaviors, cultural expectations, and institutional policies and practices. This examination provides the basis for the conceptual organization of the text.

The content of this text is grounded in interdisciplinary research from the behavioral and social sciences including education, psychology, sociology, biology, history, and anthropology. After a brief introduction, each chapter consists of leading questions and responses based on interdisciplinary research and author expertise. Through this inquiry format, the authors encourage students to discuss and debate topics, thereby promoting a deeper understanding of the issues addressed within each chapter. In the chapters examining issues stemming from race, gender, social class, sexual orientation and disability, stereotypes, myths and misconceptions are confronted. Students are challenged to reconsider their perceptions of individuals if their perceptions are based on such stereotypes and misconceptions.