Issues in promoting cultural pluralism in the language classroom are examined: how to "set the stage" for culture contact that is not intimidating but gives students new perspectives, the teacher's role (informer, witness, for example), and building on students' intercultural experiences. (MSE)

Becoming an anthropologist illustrates on a large scale how valuable examining other cultures is. Anthropology should be incorporated into the college liberal arts curriculum to help eliminate the ethnocentrism of educated people in our own society but should focus on great civilizations nearly matching ours in complexity, historical depth, and…

Discusses attitudes of educators toward immigrant children since the mid 19th century. Concludes that prejudice and ethnocentrism in American schools and society have now been replaced by the ideal of cultural pluralism. (ST)

Offers a descriptive analysis and critical evaluation of multicultural education policy and practice. It examines the three ideological systems for viewing assimilation as proposed by M. M. Gordon: "anglo-conformity"; "melting pot"; and "cultural pluralism." The author includes discussions of two educational policy…

I argue in this paper that the hidden and official curriculum of Slovenian public elementary schools work together to develop an ethnocentric and Eurocentric frame of mind when judging other cultures. This presents an obstacle for the professed promotion of intercultural learning and valuation, and fosters the social marginalisation of ethnic…

Modern Western psychology, while claiming to be value-free, has often been in league with the forces of exploitation. The author argues for the coexistence of numerous universal psychologies which do not deny their ethnicity. These psychologies would examine the meanings, experiences, and values associated with various psychological systems. (CS)

The Social Sciences have a conceptual framework that is outside of cultural pluralism and hence, beyond a respect for the dignity of all individuals. There is a continual need to balance the control function of science with its function as a potential agent of social change. However, the scientific method is a controlled inquiry based on a…

Liberal Arts undergraduates at the University of Minnesota must complete at least two courses which focus primarily on Blacks, American Indians, Asian Americans, and/or Chicanos. The consideration that went into shaping and adopting this controversial requirement are recounted and analyzed. (Author/VM)

The experience of the author's son as a literacy learner and an African American illustrates how narrowly school literacy is defined. A reconceptualization of literacy builds on the diverse backgrounds and knowledge of children and acknowledges the role of more than one culture in defining school literacy. (SK)

Discusses the tourist approach to diversity in the curriculum, and the problem of an ethno-centric curriculum canon. Discusses diversity in literature and writing and identity. Argues that technology can provide a place to bring together differing perspectives to view, discuss, and appreciate them together and learn from them. (SR)

Much of today's multicultural education is ethnocentric and has little apparent concern for cross-cultural contacts, our best hope in ameliorating racism. Increasingly, multiculturalism exalts particular racial and ethnic pride at the expense of social cohesion of the American society as a whole. However, the notion of a "common American…

Social problems such as prejudice, discrimination, and societal unfairness are examined from the perspective of their association with language. Research in the psychology of language is reviewed with regard to these issues and with particular reference to the situation in Quebec. The first question addressed is the role that attitudes play both…

The development of social science terminology about ethnicity in the United States is traced from colonial times to the present, and conflict among ethnic groups is examined in relation to contemporary problems in the suburbs of New York. Early in U.S. history, immigrating ethnic groups were thought to contribute to the melting pot character of…

Mixing the academic culture of the classroom with the cultural diversity of its students often results unintentionally in an ethnocentric classroom, an extension of the mainstream Anglo culture. The teacher should know that some views of appropriate classroom behavior are likely to be foreign to some of the students. (Author/MSE)

Discusses three cultural changes influencing the practice of Asian American Studies scholars and their operating assumptions. The author examines the concept of denationalization in arguing how these cultural phenomena are forcing a paradigm shift in Asian American Studies. (GR)