NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Educational Conflicts 3, Diversity Diversity is a fairly new world that expresses one of the vital educational issues as we begin to move through new millennium. Diversity is a term covering all significant differences between people- not just the obvious ones. These differences include age, education, role, abilities and experience as well as gender, race, ethnicity, language and literacy skills. In the article by Yan Guzman the issue of diversity is being analyzed and discussed in some detail. The professional world and universities are stressing on the importance of diversity and undertaking programs to implement diversity successfully. Well before we undertake any discussion on diversity, it is imperative to understand why this term has become so sensational and taken the professional world and universities by storm.
Our country has always consisted of people from diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, the other major happenings around the world today are collaboration, technology advances and globalization. This increasing globalization has resulted in people working in foreign locations. This calls for people from different cultures to work towards a common goal, for which, one needs to learn and accept the cultural differences. Coming from a diverse background and belonging to a diverse country, we are of the opinion that diversity is important to the success of an organization. Our group members belong to the Indian sub-continent, with 6 of us from India and one person from Pakistan.
This society was initially an alien society to us. But the diversity in this country and the value given to it helped us in the process of assimilation. We believe that we can learn from this culture and teach our values to this culture in all our actions. Diversity is a must and as Dr. John Hall of Drexel University puts it, Diversity has only advantages, there are no cons.
The cons are nothing but barrier to diversity in an organization. (quoted in Guzman) College campus community projects are initiated in almost all colleges across the country. Their efforts include expanding the curriculum, diversify the faculty, and improve campus climate. The college also increases the number of international students. In addition to programs for locals to understand other cultures, orientations are held, so that the international students appreciate and understand the local culture.
Thus, it is a two way process. Many institutions of higher education across the nation are currently struggling with a more diverse population of students, faculty and internal debates about the meaning of multiculturalism on their campuses. Many colleges have attempted to address the issue of cultural diversity through revisiting its mission statement and building linkages with the surrounding community. In the past, educational systems, like most other institutions assumed that there was a common culture to which all aspired. Whether it was the core curriculum, teaching methods, or just general expectations about the role of faculty, students, or higher education in general, there was comparatively little disagreement about the basic values. This was in part, because the people who populated the higher educational systems of the United States were all socialized into the common values and beliefs of their rather narrow gender, class, and racial backgrounds.
It is important for all to realize the importance of diversity and work towards achieving a coherent diverse setting. Diversity helps us to appreciate people from all backgrounds. It teaches us to accept the drawbacks of others and learn from their strengths. A diverse organism will definitely possess the very best and with cooperation can overcome their cumulative drawbacks.
To be concise, one can only gain and not lose by learning to live in a diverse community. We can create a community in which individual and group differences form a mosaic, not a melting pot that tries to mask them in a heterogeneous mix. We are a community of different identities, and we must create a context in which a true diversity of views, opinions, persons and groups, politics and perspectives, is nurtured, valued and shared. We must learn to appreciate our similarities and differences and become responsible members in the community. When you have rich cultural diversity, you have something out of the classroom as well as in the classroom that you can take to the workplace in terms of intellectual development.
Bibliography: Yan Guzman. Diversity as a means of improvement. Ontario Statesman, issue June, 2002, pp. 45 - 46.
Free research essays on topics related to: diversity, international students, educational systems, cultural diversity, higher education
Research essay sample on Cultural Diversity Educational Systems
