Immigration
Multicultural Education
Date Rape
Media Violence
Affirmative
Action
Speech Codes
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There once was a time when most Americans educators and scholars could agree on what
constituted a good education. The list of authors and works that all educated people were
supposed to have read was referred to as the canon. In recent years, however, some critics
have charged that the canon, as it has traditionally been established, is like an exclusive
club, with otherwise qualified members kept out for reasons of class, gender, and race.
Indeed, when one examines the traditional canon, it is clear that with few exceptions the
viewpoints represented are male, middle class, and white. For this reason, some educators
have proposed a more inclusive, multicultural curriculum that exposes students to more
works by women, people of color, and writers from different cultural backgrounds. The
result has been that literature, history, and other courses at many high schools and
colleges are now more culturally diverse than they were several years ago.
A fierce debate rages, however, around the issue of multicultural education.
Critics charge that some teachers care less about the intellectual quality of the works on
their reading lists than they do about the racial and ethnic backgrounds of the authors
represented. Others contend that multicultural courses are more concerned with making
students feel good about themselves than with fostering critical thinking. Still others say
the curriculum is being broadened at the expense of the great works of Western thought
that reinforce our society's basic values.
Multicultural Pavilion
Offers links for K-12 teachers, a multicultural discussion group, activities to promote
cultural diversity, and a thematically organized list of other sites promoting
multiculturalism.
Multiculturalism
Provides an outstanding set of categorized links on the topic, including links to opposing
views.
Standards
Provides four issues of an online international journal of multicultural studies, with links
to relevant sites from each issue, the latest on education.
World Village Project
Offers an answer to the question "What if the world were a village of 1000 people?";
gives graphs, statistics, and more, broken down by gender, race, religion, etc.
It Takes All Kinds
An online site to accompany the POV [Point of View] presentation; provides personal
narratives centered around multicultural experiences and offers a discussion forum and
teen stories.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Human Genome Diversity Project
Provides an FAQ on the international, cross-disciplinary team project to uncover the
mysteries of human identity hidden in DNA.
The Atlantic Unbound: Race
Collects articles on race, diversity, affirmative action, etc., from past Atlantic Monthly
issues by authors including Juan Williams, Stanley Fish, and Daniel Moynihan.
Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Provides a summary of the belief structures of 63 major world religions, a debate section
for "hot topics" in religion, and news related to religion--all in an environment devoted to
objectivity.
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