Understanding Human Differences: Multicultural Education for a Diverse America

Students develop conceptual understanding about complex and emotionally-charged issues of diversity in today's world. The authors use clear examples, lucid language, and engaging activities to involve students in thinking through fundamental ideas that ground their understanding of diversity. Authors investigate three converging elements in their examination of human differences: individual attitudes and behaviors, cultural expectations, and institutional policies and practices. This examination provides the basis for the conceptual organization of the text. Race, class, gender, and diversity. Multicultural Education/Diversity as well as General Education courses.

Understanding Human Differences: Multicultural Education for a Diverse America, is an incredibly useful tool for helping students develop conceptual understanding about complex and emotionally-charged issues of diversity in today's world. The authors use clear examples, lucid language, and engaging activities to involve students in thinking through fundamental ideas that ground their understanding of diversity. This is an innovative approach to teaching diversity that challenges students' misconceptions, perceptions, and assumptions with interactive exercises and discussion exercises. In reading and engaging in controversial issues, students are challenged to think about implications from research and to draw conclusions on their own, rather than feeling like they are being subjected to opinions to which they must agree because of “political correctness.”

The content is grounded in interdisciplinary studies from behavioral and social sciences including psychology, sociology, education, biology, history, and anthropology. Each chapter is presented in an inquiry format, consisting of questions within the narrative followed by discussion activities and exercises that relate to the topics and issues raised. There are a variety of activities so instructors can select which ones they think will be most effective with their students.

“Written with wisdom, clarity, compassion, and a deep moral commitment to building multicultural democracy. This tremendously engaging and thoughtful book will provoke thinking and needed dialogue.”
Christine Sleeter, California State University Monterey Bay

“Koppelman and Goodhart probe the many facets of diversity and examine how society makes the lives of many difficult through racism, classim, sexism, ableism, and homophobia... An extraordinarily useful book for all concerned with building a truly democratic multiracial America.”
Joe R. Feagin, Graduate Research Professor, University of Florida and author of The Many Costs of Racism (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003).