American higher education has had to continually struggle with issues of difference, particularly racial and ethnic cultural difference, throughout its history. While the civil rights and student protest era of the 1960s are easily recognized as moments of cultural struggle, they evolve and take new forms, extending and re-framing ideological and material conflict in the academy. These include battles over: the content of the curriculum; access to college and admissions; and the domains of legitimate knowledge. In this course, we will critically examine and discuss the research and discourse concerning issues of diversity and equity in the current era. We will examine the political, cultural, and social contours of these issues and as well as the efficacy of campus responses to them such as race-conscious admissions policies, identity-based offices, ethnic studies programs, and other DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives.
3 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
American higher education has had to continually struggle with issues of difference, particularly racial and ethnic cultural difference, throughout its history. While the civil rights and student protest era of the 1960s are easily recognized as moments of cultural struggle, they evolve and take new forms, extending and re-framing ideological and material conflict in the academy. These include battles over: the content of the curriculum; access to college and admissions; and the domains of legitimate knowledge. In this course, we will critically examine and discuss the research and discourse concerning issues of diversity and equity in the current era. We will examine the political, cultural, and social contours of these issues and as well as the efficacy of campus responses to them such as race-conscious admissions policies, identity-based offices, ethnic studies programs, and other DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives.
Offered in Winter 2026 at Stanford University.