facebook icon facebook icon facebook icon
  • About
  • ADS
  • Masthead
    • Editorial Board
  • Submission
  • Subscribe
The Wellesley News -
  • News
    • Contract ratified by Wellesley’s Maintenance and Service Employees Union
      Contract ratified by Wellesley’s Maintenance and Service Employees Union
    • News in Brief
      News in Brief
    • Wellesley adapts to end of race conscious admissions
      Wellesley adapts to end of race conscious admissions
    • Senate Report
    • News in Brief
  • Features
    • Professor Spotlight: Dr. Faisal Ahmed
      Professor Spotlight: Dr. Faisal Ahmed
    • Spotlight: New Professor Kathryn Winner
      Spotlight: New Professor Kathryn Winner
    • Spotlight: New Professor Lucia Nhamo ’11
      Spotlight: New Professor Lucia Nhamo ’11
    • Humans of Wellesley
    • Archives
  • Opinions
    • France’s Abaya Ban Unveils Its Own Misogyny
      France’s Abaya Ban Unveils Its Own Misogyny
    • Editorial: In defense of affirmative action
      Editorial: In defense of affirmative action
    • I am an NCAA champion: we should end college recruiting
      I am an NCAA champion: we should end college recruiting
    • Editorials
    • Letters to Editors
  • Arts
    • The SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strikes: What’s happening in Hollywood?
      The SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strikes: What’s happening in Hollywood?
    • Digging into Hozier’s Unreal Unearth: “De Selby (Part 1)” and the Population of Loss
      Digging into Hozier’s Unreal Unearth: “De Selby (Part 1)” and the Population of Loss
    • Summer Releases to Help Usher in Fall
      Summer Releases to Help Usher in Fall
  • Sports
    • Gauff and Richardson Shatter Expectations
      Gauff and Richardson Shatter Expectations
    • Student Athlete of the Month: Kennedy Mayo
      Student Athlete of the Month: Kennedy Mayo
    • No image
      What even is a BORG and why does it matter?
  • Multimedia
    • Photo of the Week
      Photo of the Week
    • “Stronger Together” Rally with Chelsea Clinton
      “Stronger Together” Rally with Chelsea Clinton
    • College Government Vice President 2016 End of the Year Report
      College Government Vice President 2016 End of the Year Report
    • Podcasts
    • The Wellesley Snooze
  • Projects
      • The News in Conversation
    • About
      • Contact
      • Join the News
      • Masthead
      • Editorial Board
    By The Wellesley News Staff Opinions, Staff EditorialApril 29, 2016

    Multicultural requirement fails as a diversity education measure

    Photo courtesy of Wellesley College.

    As part of distribution requirements, students are required to take a single unit of coursework that demonstrates awareness of a non-Western culture or of social dynamics involving minority groups within a Western culture. Although Wellesley College attempts to demonstrate a commitment to multiculturalism, this requirement seems like pure lip service to diversity education.

    In fact, the general tone on campus centers on bending the rules in order to fulfill this requirement rather than actually taking the class. It is no mystery that fulfilling the distribution requirements in addition to a major is difficult. Moreover, it seems nearly impossible to both graduate on time and take a few “fun” classes for which liberal arts schools are famous. However, despite that, multiculturalism should be a more significant, rigorous obligation in our Wellesley education.

    The implication of the requirement is that students’ worldviews and opinions change as a result of this class. In our increasingly diverse global climate, this seems like an important stipulation that should be advocated for and protected by the school. A common criticism of Wellesley is the inherent focus on “white feminism,” suggesting that the philosophy the college advocates is not intersectional. For instance, the institution will be content as long as it is churning out women who will eventually be bankers, lawyers, doctors, C.E.O’s and occupants of otherwise traditionally high-earning jobs. There is inadequate emphasis on jobs in equally valuable sectors, like social service or justice. Having merely a single unit dedicated to multiculturalism and diversity seems consistent with this reputation. There is an indication that because a credit on multiculturalism doesn’t look impressive to Goldman Sachs or Harvard Law School, it doesn’t have merit. From a liberal arts school whose objective is to give students an overall education on a variety of topics, including cultures of the entire world, this viewpoint is unacceptable.

    In addition, this requirement seems to simply be a token for the school. Does Wellesley truly believe that one class alone is enough to further a student’s multicultural knowledge? Given that this class is seen by the community as a throwaway, and that the bounds of the requirement are vague at best, the college needs to improve and emphasize its commitment to pluralism. Wellesley should dedicate itself to the diversity of the world and its own student body. International students and students of color have long seen the history of their people as irrelevant. The history of women, people of color and LGBTQIA+ students are often separate panels in textbooks, a separate and comparatively unimportant topic. Our single unit of multiculturalism is doing the same thing. It is a negligible course to appease the student body, but is separate from the overall requirements of a serious liberal arts curriculum. As a community, we must evolve our distribution requirements to better fit the needs of our students. That is, we must expand the provision to be more than just a single unit of vague multiculturalism. Rather, we must encourage departmental majors to ensure that they are offering courses that too promote diversity.

    Share on

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Google +
    • LinkedIn
    • Email
    Previous articleAnti-Zionism should not be conflated with anti-Semitism
    Next articleNew waitlist system guarantees a streamlined course registration

    You may also like

    France’s Abaya Ban Unveils Its Own Misogyny

    Editorial: In defense of affirmative action

    I am an NCAA champion: we should end college recruiting

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    The Wellesley News

      SECTIONS

    • News
    • Features
    • Opinions
    • Arts
    • Sports
    • Multimedia
    • Projects
    • About

      ABOUT

    • Contact
    • Join the News
    • Masthead
    • Editorial Board

      RESOURCES

    • Advertising
    • Submission
    • Subscribe

      CONTACT US

    • Contact
    COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS