About
All courses in the MCES program are designed to promote understanding of and appreciation for the richness of differences among the people of the world. Promoting this understanding involves exploring the nature of difference and examining its impact on our lives and our ways of thinking. It also involves analyzing the sources of conflict among different groups and the structures of power that determine which cultures are validated and are invited into power and which cultures are oppressed and silenced. The goal of all MCES courses is for students to develop a multicultural perspective--that is to go beyond the limits of their own cultural and social background to see the world from different points of view. Such skill is critical for anyone who wants to make informed personal and political choices in the complex global community.
MCES courses seek to develop students' critical consciousness concerning the diversity of and relationships between cultures and subcultures in the U.S. and internationally. These courses will develop students' abilities to analyze and critique social, political, and economic institutions. Students will learn methodologies that challenge hegemonies of all sorts including racism, homophobia, and ethnocentrism. They will use this awareness to critique the assumptions and belief systems that shape social institutions and to investigate the complexities of both systems of oppression and various practices of resistance and revolt. Many MCES courses will address these issues within the context of a particular problem or historical movement or the development of a cultural tradition. Some courses will approach these issues by exploring one ethnic group or cultural group and in these courses students will study the art, music, culture or history of a particular group. Other courses will seek to improve cultural competence and focus on developing students' abilities to interact, communicate and work cross culturally.