Since this is a course in child development for educators, issues of human diversity are essential. The diversity of the school population with respect to ethnicity, gender, religious conviction, etc. requires that teachers understand diversity in child development and children's behavior in schools. Cross cultural negotiations and cross cultural management are enterpreneurial skills pertinent in today's society and are developed through class discussions utilizing the diversity of students in the class from different cultures, genders, economic backgrounds, geographic areas, and religions. Business failure is treated differently in rural versus urban communities. Business success is treated differently in Muslim versus Christian Protestant cultures.
Women face different obstacles than men in creating businesses.
These are a few of the issues discussed. The NSD 151 prerequisite introduces students to preferences and practices of various ethnic groups and stresses the ability to meet nutrient needs with different food patterns. This knowledge is expanded on in this class using case studies that include individuals from various ethnic groups, with specific attention given to Hispanic, Black and Afro-Americans, and those of Western European descent. For the case studies, students work in small groups of 3-4 and develop suggestions for approaches to nutrition education. This information is then shared with the rest of the class.