The residents of the Honors House awake one morning to find swastikas painted around the interior of their building. A resident requests a room change after learning his roommate is gay. The residence hall system at the University of Maryland houses a diverse group of eight thousand undergraduates.
Students learn speaking and listening skills and address cross-cultural communication issues.
They learn about communication with nonnative English speakers, with deaf students, and with students from diverse cultural backgrounds. Using videos and interviews, they learn about the nature of prejudice and discrimination and attend meetings of diverse cultural, religious, and ethnic groups. Issues surrounding freedom of expression are also addressed in the course. Every RA can expect to encounter things with which he or she may personally disagree but that residents may have the right to say or display. It is also essential to make RAs aware of all available resources on a campus.