Working with Diverse Populations

Catalog description

The course focuses on understanding and respecting the role that diversity in its various forms plays in human services and other nonprofit work. Practitioners and professionals may frequently encounter populations that differ from themselves in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, class, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, as well as other identities and social statuses. This course is designed to encourage students to examine how their own identities and experiences shape how they see, interpret, and respond to the needs of the individuals and communities they serve, as well as how certain policies, interventions, or leadership styles may affect individuals and groups differently. In doing so, it aims to build the competencies needed to work effectively and sensitively in organizations with multicultural, diverse client populations, and to recognize and promote the capabilities and strengths of marginalized individuals and groups. Students will explore issues of diversity.