There is an ongoing debate about the omission of specific learners in modern learning theories. Most learning theories are derived from theoretical works by the dominant culture. This paper argues that despite the criticisms and shortcomings of Knowles' andragogical theory, the instructor can alter the framework as needed to meet the varying needs…

We used the Multicultural Mathematics Dispositions (MCMD) framework to analyze preservice teachers' (PSTs) dispositions to teach diverse student populations during a cultural awareness unit in a mathematics methods course. The framework is defined as a function of three constructs: openness, self-awareness/self-reflectiveness, and commitment to…

The 5th International Conference on Language, Literature and Culture has been hosted by Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (Burdur, Turkey), in cooperation with Çankaya University (Ankara, Turkey) and Süleyman Demirel University (Isparta, Turkey). Our main aim has been to provide a forum for discussion, to facilitate integration in these fields, and to…

This paper explores the work of an ongoing research project at University College Cork (UCC) which has sought to further the understanding of students in the BA Early Childhood Studies (BAECS) programme on issues of global diversity, set within childhood contexts. It tracks the process of development of the project thus far, highlighting key…

The literature on diversity in higher education spans a broad range of issues. However, while broad in range, contemporary scholarship on diversity in higher education often suffers from a view of diversity that is ahistorical and acontextual. Through a critique of a study by Wolf-Wendel, Toma, and Morphew (2001), aims to demonstrate how…

The paper examines ethnicity in American society and the role of ethnic studies in education in the context of a critical response to a paper presented at the National Council for the Social Studies in November, 1977. The original study, "Ethnicity and the Schools," by Daniel Selakovich, claimed that ethnic studies should play no role in education…

Cultural context is not the sole source of human knowledge. Postmodern theory, in both its deconstructionist and affirmative approaches, offers an incomplete basis by which to study race, class, and gender, and undermines ethical interaction. Deconstructionism calls for the abandonment of generalizable research findings, asserting that the concept…

This opening address at the annual conference of the Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States (MELUS) introduces a community of ethnic scholars who make a considerable contribution to American Literature. The focus of the conference and the organization is to show that American literature does not have to be…

In his book, "Illiberal Education," Dinesh D'Souza dramatizes the transformation of American campuses and the academic revolution that is allegedly toppling traditional notions of Western civilization. However, many scholars are concerned that D'Souza'a collection of examples might leave readers with a false impression of the severity of…

A literature course developed at the College of Staten Island concerns the human experience with other animals and the environment. Recently, the course has been significantly altered in line with insights gained through participation in a faculty seminar on the topic of inclusion of the "other." The alterations in the course design…

This paper uses feminist theory in exploring multicultural change in academic institutions of higher education. It argues that multiculturalism, while attaining increased acceptance in academic institutions, is actually being shaped to fit into the established organizational parameters without any discomfort to or real change within the…

Although community colleges serve a culturally diverse student population, they, along with other institutions of higher education, have been slow to respond to that diversity. The implementation of a multicultural curriculum threatens the canonical knowledge upon which higher education is positioned. The canon elevates certain aspects of a…

A new approach to teaching "Great Books" in high schools calls for scholars to reconsider the question of whether classics are relevant in a multiculturally conscious age. This classroom approach, referred to as "participant examples," requires students and teachers to act out situations from books they are reading; it strives…