Diversity

A diverse student body is an essential educational resource offered by the University of Washington Bothell. Students and faculty educate each other, in the classroom and in many informal settings; they challenge one another’s assumptions, they broaden one another’s range of experience, and they teach one another to see the world from varied perspectives.

As you learn from others who are different from you, whether in terms of race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, ability, age, nationality and ethnicity, you’ll develop a stronger understanding of your own history, beliefs and values, and you’ll be better prepared to understand and work with others.

The diversity requirement

The University asks you to take no fewer than 5 credits of courses, approved by the appropriate school or college, which focus on the sociocultural, political, and economic diversity of human experience at local, regional, or global scales. This requirement is meant to help you develop an understanding of the complexities of living in increasingly diverse and interconnected societies. Courses focus on cross-cultural analysis and communication; and historical and contemporary inequities such as those associated with race, ethnicity, class, sex and gender, sexual orientation, nationality, ability, religion, creed, age, or socioeconomic status. Course activities should encourage thinking critically on topics such as power, inequality, marginality, and social movements, and effective communication across cultural differences.

These five credits will simultaneously satisfy other Area of Inquiry requirements and do not add to the total number of credits you need to graduate.