Iowa State University


Inside Iowa State
July 26, 1996

Departments review diversity requirement course lists

by Linda Charles
Lists of courses that can be used to meet the diversity requirements have been sent to all departments and academic programs with undergraduate majors.

The diversity requirements, which go into effect in 1997, were approved by the Faculty Senate last year. Under the U.S. diversity requirement, students must earn three credits in coursework that addresses human diversity within U.S. society. Under the international perspective requirement, students must earn three credits in course-work that provides an international context for the analysis of world conditions.

Lists of approved courses were compiled over the past year. Departments nominated courses to meet the diversity requirements, and college curriculum committees and the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee approved the final lists.

The next step is for departments to decide which of the approved courses can be used to meet the diversity requirements for specific majors. John Schroeter, associate professor of economics and chair of the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee, expects these decisions to be made by early fall semester.

Schroeter said he thinks many departments will accept any course on the lists. However, departments could adopt a subset of the main lists.

He added that he doesn't expect many complaints about which courses were included, or omitted, from the lists because the choices really were made at the departmental and college level.

"None of the college-approved nominations got the ax at my committee level," he said.

Less than a dozen courses show up on both the U.S. and international lists, Schroeter added.

Iowa State homepage

Inside Iowa State, inside@iastate.edu, University Relations
Copyright © 1996, Iowa State University, all rights reserved
URL: http://www.iastate.edu/general/Inside/1996/0726/diversityCourses.html
Revised 7/25/96