CRITERIA FOR COURSES SATISFYING THE
MULTICULTURAL UNDERSTANDING REQUIREMENT

SCOPE

"Culture" may be described in its broadest sense as all socially patterned, symbolically mediated, learned behavior among humans. It covers everything from technology to aesthetic judgments. Students who would be truly educated must have an appreciation of the interrelatedness of and the diversity within cultural traditions on a regional and global scale. They must also recognize that issues of culture are not limited to the societal level but include race, class, and gender.

The multicultural understanding requirement recognizes and reflects the full range of human groupings and cultural perspectives as well as the complex relationships among them. Its role is to enhance students' self-understanding and their understanding of the contemporary cultural context, a context characterized by a rich diversity of cultures and experiences in which the Western European intellectual tradition figures as one among many.

To satisfy this requirement, students will be required to take one course from each of the two categories described below. Such courses will be selected from among courses marked with an "x" or "y" in the Undergraduate Bulletin. While the content of individual courses might address concerns outlined in both categories, no course may be designated as fulfilling both.

SPECIFIC CRITERIA

1. Cross-cultural Studies ("X")

Courses will introduce students to cultural variation around the globe. Courses will examine differences among cultures in general or will examine in detail one or more cultural traditions outside the dominant currents of European civilization.

2. Diversity in Western Experience ("Y")

Courses will introduce students to the diversity within Western culture by examining the nature of the relations among the many groups that have contributed to Western experience. Courses will focus primarily on one or more groups whose contributions traditionally have been undervalued. Topics such as race, class, gender, or ethnicity will be explored.

GENERAL CRITERIA

To be approved for multicultural credit, the instructor must:

1. include an activity/assignment that requires students to demonstrate the ability to analyze and synthesize knowledge about cultural variation within and/or between cultures;
2. develop and submit a common rubric for evaluating students' performance on this assignment; and
3. agree to submit students' scores on this rubric to the Undergraduate Policy Committee for inclusion in its annual report to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Revised: 10/04