Lessons in diversity could ultimately lead to unity

As a new year begins, students will surely be debating the cultural diversity requirements. It seems every time another semester rolls around, the same arguments are again mulled over, and people are further isolated from each other in the process.

As everyone knows, the United States is a nation comprised of immigrants with the exciting opportunity to show the world that people from different cultures can live together peacefully. It has always been a difficult challenge.

The tension we experience today is not new, for it is the natural consequence of a multicultural society. The pressing question is not "How did we get here?" but "Where are we going?"

Is the solution to assimilate into one culture, as the original white immigrants did? Or did they? In my family, the Polish side still has Polish weddings, the Scots-Irish still visit the Scottish games, and signs of Irish and German culture decorate various relatives' houses. Have the whites in our society really assimilated into one boiling pot?

They have not, and we are not any weaker for it as a nation.

Of course, the white community of today is quite cohesive and shares many similar features. We do not hear about different white cultures being publicly concerned about the loss of their individual heritages. However, the lesson is still there: it is possible for different cultures to live together, find common ground, and still keep their individual identities.

For this to occur, we must strive to understand and support all cultures within our country.

This is where diversity in the curriculum enters into the picture.

Since African- and European-Americans often live in separate spheres, the two groups usually do not understand each other's backgrounds and values.

Cultural diversity classes strive to cut through these misunderstandings and unite us as a people who enjoy our differences. Better yet, we often have the opportunity to become aware of our similarities as people, for in these classrooms, many become friends with members of a different race or ethnic group for the first time.

Some students believe that different cultures are being "forced" upon them in these classes. Keep in mind that in history class throughout high school, most of the history we learned was that which was created by white males.

Although interesting and important, this group makes up only one slice of the pie. Blacks of both sexes and women of all colors were "forced" for years to listen to white male history while the contributions of all women and minorities who helped make this country better were ignored.

In history class I studied the formation of the government, yet never heard a word about the Iroquois Indians, whose own governing body inspired Franklin's vision of the American government.

Slavery was briefly discussed, but I was in college before I studied the ramifications caused by this dark spot in American history.

Cultural diversity courses are not being used to promote one group over another. The courses are required -- as are many other classes we will never need for our careers -- in order for us as a group of people called Americans to understand each other better.

As social psychology has taught us, familiarity breeds liking. Desegregation occurred in the 1960s not because the majority wanted it, but because the government forced the civil rights' agenda forward. A few years after the desegregation, polls showed people were now significantly more in favor of this program.

It was not until after interacting with African-Americans that people started to approve of inter-racial schooling.

Similarly, cultural diversity courses promote understanding by "forcing" us to sit together in college classrooms and learn about each other. There is a great chance that better relations in society may spring from this "forced" situation.

Going to college is more than learning a trade. It's about having to take lots of requirements -- in social sciences, humanities, and yes, cultural diversity, so that we become well-rounded individuals.

We choose this situation when we go to a university and not a specialized school. To graduate from a university ignorant about others in our own society leaves us ill-prepared for the real world.

The best and most surprising element of cultural diversity courses is that they may, quite ironically, lead to a more unified society. Not only do they provide the opportunity for us to learn about our differences, but we may also learn that some cultures have better ways of doing things.

In other words, we can take from each other's cultures to build a happier, stronger country.

And what can college teach us that is better than that?