1 of 19

��HUNTER COLLEGE, CUNY

General Education Requirements Committee

Pluralism and Diversity Subcommittee

Workshop

December 7, 2022

2 of 19

Membership

Lisa Anderson (co-chair)

Nicole Bennett (Associate Provost, ex-officio member)

Nadine Bryce

Sandi Clarkson

Laz Lima (co-chair)

Janet Neary*

Rupal Oza

Gina Riley (Senate Assessment Committee)

Abigail Rodríguez Morales*

Calvin Smiley*

Jeanne Weiler (Senate Undergraduate Course of Study Committee)

*Member of the Presidential Task Force on Racial Equity’s “Curricular Enhancements” group.

3 of 19

II. Background

GER P&D Subcommittee Charge

[The charge is adapted from the recommendations of the Presidential Task Force on Racial Equity’s Curricular Enhancements group .]

1. Reconfigure and revise Hunter’s four existing Pluralism & Diversity (P&D) categories so as to

expand upon and bring nuance to their late-20th-century concerns and understandings
emphasize structural inequality, social justice, and inclusive epistemologies

2. Convene town-hall-style conversations and workshops with stakeholders from across the college to

update the P&D categories as indicated above
develop an approval and expedited re-certification process for courses to fulfill P&D, in collaboration with the Undergraduate Course of Study Committee, the Committee on Academic Assessment, and Senate Leadership, and with additional support from Dean’s Offices and the Office of Assessment

3. Work with schools, departments, and programs to provide students with a robust list of courses to fulfill each reconfigured category, ensuring that such course offerings address social issues of importance and provide students with a well-rounded education

4 of 19

Brief Overview of Current P&D Categories

Pluralism & Diversity courses may simultaneously meet Common Core, Hunter Focus, Writing, major or minor requirements

Non-European societies, particularly those of Africa, Asia, Latin America, or those indigenous to the Americas

B. One or more of the following groups in the US: African Americans, Asian Americans, Latino Americans, and Native Americans

C. Women and/or issues of gender or sexual orientation

D. Europe, including ways in which pluralism and diversity have been addressed

(Source: https://www.hunter.cuny.edu/advising/my-academic-path/my-degree-breakdown#writingpluralism)

5 of 19

GER P&D Subcommittee Goals

Facilitate campus-wide discussions related to P&D categories

Get input from broad campus-wide constituencies on how best to reconfigure P&D categories

Assist departments and programs seeking to revise existing and/or submit new P&D courses

Facilitate process for expedited approval of courses under revised P&D categories

6 of 19

III. Keywords

7 of 19

Keywords Prompt

Small group discussion of keywords submitted by Hunter faculty, students, and staff that are deemed important to P&D.

The purpose of this activity is to better define what “P&D” should mean for a 21^st c. education.

8 of 19

III. P&D Workshop Materials / Documents

III. Small group discussion of materials that highlight P&D initiatives and goals at Hunter and other institutions (original sources are provided in corresponding links).

The purpose of this activity is stimulate dialogue and develop ideas that will inform the P&D Subcommittee’s recommendations.

9 of 19

IV. Debriefing

Debriefing related to today’s workshop and previous discussions about Hunter’s P&D requirement, as well as opportunity to provide feedback about next steps.

11 of 19

Presidential Task Force on Racial Equity,�Curricular Enhancements Committee�

12 of 19

Some Overarching Questions that Emerged Include:

How to balance the need to address racial justice in curriculum across disciplines, while recognizing racial and ethnic studies as specialized fields of study

How to think about the structure of our curriculum such that students think about racial justice in their fields of study rather than as a separate requirement disconnected from their primary academic work

13 of 19

We recommend revising the categories to include an emphasis on:�

Structural inequality
Social justice
Inclusive epistemologies

14 of 19

In our report, we offered a tentative re-framing of these categories for the 21^st century, designed to be broad enough to include existing P&D courses yet encourage curricular innovation in new areas:

Race, Citizenship and Human Rights in the US
Globalization, Culture, Migration, and Diasporas
Gender, Sexuality, and Intersectionality
Epistemologies, Power, and Knowledge Production
Environment, Technology, and Social Justice

15 of 19

Roundtable Presentations

Presenters have been asked to discuss how their teaching, research, and scholarship intersect with topics related to pluralism and diversity.

Roundtable Participants

Linda Alcoff, Department of Philosophy

D’Weston Haywood, Department of History

Calvin Smiley, Department of Sociology

18 of 19

�

Contact GER P&D subcommittee co-chairs:

Lisa Anderson lisa.anderson@hunter.cuny.edu

Lázaro Lima lazaro.lima@hunter.cuny.edu