Curriculum Transformation, Recommended Resources - DiversityWeb Curriculum Transformation American Pluralism and the College Curriculum Higher Education in a Diverse Democracy Overview Higher education has a central role to play in preparing students for the complexity and diversity of their society. But we need a much richer conception than most campuses hold of the curriculum basic to this preparation. In this richer conception, education for democratic pluralism is just as important as education in cultural pluralism.
Students require both global knowledge and domestic knowledge.
Colleges and universities shortchange their students when they view courses on world cultures and United States diversity as interchangeable, or leave attention to United States diversity optional and elective. Education for participation in United States cultural and democratic pluralism is preparation for citizenship and leadership. It deserves its own time and space in the curriculum. It is important that programs and departments involve students in extensive opportunities to practice deliberative discourse on subjects about which they care intensely. All graduates in all programs must learn to listen to others' experiences and challenges, explore multiple ways of knowing and forming knowledge, and open themselves to experiences of modifying their own understandings based on what they have learned from others' contributions.