Curricular diversity: a global attempt

The Latino Curriculum Transformation project should be commended for its persistent efforts to push for more courses on Latino heritage and Latino-American issues. But, it is necessary to keep in mind that the act of simply increasing more courses specifically catered to minority issues will not solve concerns on the lack of curriculum diversity at Tufts, nor will it guarantee a that all students become educated about minority issues.

In order to truly foster the kind of diversity that we should be seeking at a prestigious liberal institution like Tufts, topics that foster an understanding of different racial, ethnic, and cultural issues must also be addressed in mainstream classes, not only in a few limited classes offered for students with a specific interest in student ethnic issues. In a sense, the need for a specific committee on curriculum transformation based on a particular underrepresented minority group points to the divisiveness and compartmentalization of the issue. In actuality, it is one that should span school-wide curricula and be incorporated globally.

It is true that many classes the committee proposes would prove an enriching experience that broadens the scope of students' understanding of important minority issues. However, it is also true that the students who would most readily register to take these courses would already have background knowledge or a founded interest in such subject matter. These courses would benefit a minority of students already passionate about the topics but may not draw in students who wouldn't normally sign up for such courses. And while Tufts absolutely should offer classes that teach students about their unique heritage, the second piece of the diversity puzzle has been neglected in public discussion by recent curricular transformation projects.

To prevent counterproductive divisiveness in an attempt to achieve the very opposite outcome _ open understanding of diverse issues _ departments must not only focus on offering a variety of classes on a variety of issues, but perhaps more importantly, must foster a well-rounded understanding of diverse topics and issues within each class. Diversity education needs to reach out to the majority by inserting topics of race and ethnicity into a variety of classes.