Diversity Studies, Certificate (University College)

Program Code: DIV_UCT

Program Description

This certificate is designed to provide students with an overview of issues concerning diversity. Students will take one foundational class and additional courses examining women, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and religion.

What is Diversity Studies?

Diversity Studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that is interested in examining social differences defined by culturally constructed categories of race, class, gender, religion, ethnicity, age, diversity, and other markers of identity. Diversity Studies however tends to focus on our own lived experiences, and how our perception of these markers influences personal and cultural interactions – especially our own! It investigates systems of power that organize our schools, workplaces, healthcare systems, criminal justice system, and media, many of them invisible to us. Around the globe those systems of power are organized very differently, sometimes in fundamental ways. Diversity Studies approaches differences intersectionally to expose, critique, and confront historical and contemporary sources of social and cultural conflict. This does not mean “looking past” differences; rather, looking straight at them to find the common ground and empathy that can make us better citizens.

You Might Like This Program If...

  • You want to better understand people from different backgrounds.
  • You are interested in impacting social problems.
  • You want to stretch your own perspectives and actions.

Program Requirements

To earn an undergraduate certificate in Diversity Studies, a minimum of 12 credits is required, three of which must be at the 400-level. 

A course grade of C or higher is required.

Foundation Courses
Foundation Courses: Require a grade of C or better
Select 3 credits from the following:3
American Popular Culture and Folklife Keystone/General Education Course
Cross-Cultural Psychology Keystone/General Education Course
Social Problems Keystone/General Education Course
Introduction to Women's Studies
Representing Women and Gender in Literature, Art and Popular Cultures Keystone/General Education Course
Select 9 credits chosen from Lists II and III; at least 3 credits must be at the 400 level; students must take at least 3 credits from each list:9
List II: Courses on Women, Gender, and Sexuality
Women and the Criminal Justice System
Women Writers Keystone/General Education Course
Gender and Social Development
Women in United States History Keystone/General Education Course
Women's Health Issues Keystone/General Education Course
Introduction to the Psychology of Gender Keystone/General Education Course
Human Sexuality
Gender, Occupations, and Professions
Gender and Theatre Keystone/General Education Course
Women and Theatre
List III: Courses on Race, Ethnicity, and Religion
Race, Crime, and Justice
Alternative Voices in American Literature Keystone/General Education Course
African American Literature Keystone/General Education Course
African American History Keystone/General Education Course
The Indian in North America
Race, Racism, and Diversity Keystone/General Education Course
Introduction to World Religions Keystone/General Education Course

No Prerequisites Required.

Certificate Learning Objectives

  • Increase awareness and content knowledge of diversity issues and challenges related to gender, gender identity, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and/or religion in a complex society.
  • Explore the characteristics of and barriers to attaining a socially just society that embraces complex perspectives and promotes equity.
  • Recognize and analyze cultural differences, cultural rules, and cultural biases of non-dominant or marginalized groups within the Unites States.
  • Describe the perceptions, viewpoints, or life experiences of people in a society or culture outside the United States or in a marginalized or nondominant group within the United States.
  • Relate and explore, through course writing assignments and discussion questions, culturally sensitive strategies and techniques that produce culturally relevant services, policies and practices to advance traditionally underserved communities.

Academic Advising

The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.

Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.

READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY

Shenango

Amy Nagy
Assistant Teaching Professor, Nursing
147 Shenango Avenue
Sharon, PA 16146
724-983-2874
amh175@psu.edu

Contact

Shenango

NURSING, R.N. to B.S.
147 Shenango Avenue
Sharon, PA 16146
724-983-2874
amh175@psu.edu

https://shenango.psu.edu/academics/degrees/nursing-rn-bsn