Center for Multicultural Research, Training & Consultation

University of Missouri-Columbia

Experiencing Cultural Diversity in the U.S

Instructors:

Lizette Ojeda	Lizette Ojeda is a 4th year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology. Her hometown is Houston, Texas. There, she obtained an Associates Degree from San Jacinto Community College and a Bachelors Degree from the University of Houston. Lizette aspires to become a professor. Her research interests consist of examining psychosociocultural factors that influence Latino's psychological wellbeing, identity, and educational development. During leisure, Lizette enjoys reading, cycling, and photography.

Rocio Rosales	Rocio Rosales is a first-generation Mexican American raised in Santa Ana, California by her mother along with her two younger sisters. She is fluent in Spanish and enjoys visiting her family in the predominantly Latino city of Santa Ana and Jalisco, Mexico. Ms. Rosales graduated from the University of California-Irvine with a B.A. with honors in psychology, cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa in 2002. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her primary research interests include Latino cultural values, Latino psychology, multicultural issues in psychology, and racial/ethnic minority college student development. After completing her doctorate, Ms. Rosales plans to return to Southern California to reunite with her family and give back to her community as a psychologist and educator.

Course Description

The purpose of this course is twofold: a) to examine cultural diversity in U.S. society and b) to increase self-awareness related to worldviews and beliefs about diversity issues. The course will be taught from an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing from theory and research from various fields. This course is designed as a discussion/seminar and will not involve lecturing. Students are expected to come prepared every class and to engage in a focused exchange of ideas related to the course material. We expect to create a learning environment that is conducive for students to express their informed opinions on the range of topics we will explore in the course.

Objectives

Course goals include the following:

To develop/expand knowledge and think critically about diverse cultural groups with a focus on oppressed groups in the U.S.
To understand the role of prejudices, stereotypes, discrimination, and privilege on diverse cultural groups in the U.S.
To gain skills in recognizing diverse viewpoints and worldviews.
To facilitate personal growth by:
- increasing awareness of one’s own cultural biases and exploring personal perspectives/attitudes related to diverse groups
- increasing understanding of your own worldview and how that has shaped your view of culture and society
- developing multicultural sensitivity and an appreciation for diversity

Spring 2007 Courses:

Course #	Title	Sec.	Ref. #	Day/Time	Room	Instructor
4087	SEM: Experiencing Cultural Diversity in the US	8	24020	11-12:15 TR	202 Townsend	Ojeda
4087	SEM: Experiencing Cultural Diversity in the US	9	24025	9:30-10:45 TR	315 GCB	Rosales
4087	SEM: Experiencing Cultural Diversity in the US	11	24031	12:30-1:45 TR	201 Hill	Rosales

Student Quotes

"It was cool how we were able to talk about subjects that we normally could not have oustide of class and nobody was offended."

"The guest speakers were very helped put a face to teh issued at hand."

"I appreciated the personal experiences that were shared by the class and the instructor."

"Every class activity was mind provoking and got me thinking."

"Learning was made more fun through use of activities, games, videos, and guest speakers."

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