Cultural Diversity Curriculum: A Case Study of Required Diversity Courses at a Large Research University

Abstract

This study explored how instructors, administrators, and students experienced a university curricular requirement that facilitated student learning and dialogue around cultural issues. Central Texas University (CTU), a large university in Texas, instituted Cultural Diversity (CD) courses for all undergraduates starting in 2019. However, no research has examined the experiences of the instructors, administrators, and students connected to the CD requirement. Case study methodology was used to explore the experiences of 4 faculty governance representatives, 12 instructors, 13 students, and 5 administrators purposefully sampled within the bounded case of CTU. Through grounded theory methods, initial categories were constructed using interview transcripts and class observation notes. Additional information from course syllabi, student course evaluation reports, and other media substantiated participant data, provided context, and further defined the categories. A Critical Whiteness Studies paradigmatic lens was used to address the research questions.

The results of this study were grouped into 6 overarching categories: Administrative Processes, Institutional Support of DEI Curriculum, Course Purpose, Course Design, Instructor Expertise, and Student Positionality. The findings suggest local context is a critical consideration when designing centrally administered diversity education initiatives. Additionally, the application of a Critical Whiteness Studies lens highlighted that the CD requirement at CTU did not acknowledge the role whiteness and white structures have in diversity education at the Predominantly White Institution. This study suggests that future investigations of diversity education requirements should consider the institutional and social context in which the requirement was developed.