Understanding Human Differences Multicultural Education for a Diverse America 5th by Kent L. Koppelman
ISBN 10: 0133949842?0133960560?0134044312
ISBN 13: 9780133949841?9780133960563?9780134044316
Why Do We Need to Understand Diversity?
Americans live in the most racially, ethnically, and socially diverse country on earth.
Yet too often we live, work, and play as if our own social, gender, or religious group
is the only one that matters. To enjoy the advantages of our national diversity, it is
necessary that Americans seek as many facts and consider as many issues as possible to
enhance their ability to interact effectively with individuals from diverse groups. This
book is not a collection of essays providing multiple perspectives on diversity?there
are many books that already do that; instead, this book uses research to examine
problems, perceptions, misperceptions, and the potential benefits of the diversity that
exists in the United States. Understanding diversity is obviously a prerequisite for becoming
an individual who values the diversity in American society.
If we are to value and respect the diversity represented by different groups in the
United States, we can begin by learning how to value and respect opinions that differ
from our own. It is not necessary to agree with everything a person might say, but it
is necessary that when we disagree, we are able to express disagreement based upon
a consideration of all available information and within a context of mutual respect.
The issues this book addresses are not new: Human beings have struggled with
them in one form or another for centuries, as illustrated by the quotations from individuals
of different eras that appear in each chapter. The quotations are not placed
randomly in the text, but near a section of text that relates to each one. For example,
near the section in Chapter 2 addressing the confusion about positive prejudices and
explaining why prejudices are always negative, the quotation by Charles Lamb suggests
that prejudices involve ?likings and dislikings.? Because Lamb was a respected
writer of his era, his confusion about some prejudices being positive was not based
on a lack of education or intellectual ability, but instead illustrates how ancient this
misperception is.
Since the first edition of Understanding Human Differences was published, the rights
of various minority groups in the United States have become common topics for debate.
For example, the term marriage has now become a legislative and judicial football,
and American perceptions about how we differ from one another have changed
in many ways. Students used to come to diversity classes oblivious of the issues, but
that is less likely now, even though many diversity topics are still misunderstood.
