The Ohio State University
General Education Curriculum (GEC)
Request for Course Approval Summary Sheet

4.  Attach a statement as to how the course meets the general principles of the GEC Model Curriculum and the specific goals of the category for which it is being proposed.

Psychology 646 meets the general principles of the GEC Model Curriculum and the specific goals of the GEC Social Diversity in the United States Component in the following ways.

	1.  The course focuses on children, youth, and families of Asian descent living in the United States and discusses their development and adaptation in the context of this country’s diverse multiethnic/multicultural population. 

	2.  The course addresses specific objectives of the GEC Social Diversity Component.

	2.1.  The course fosters an understanding of the pluralistic nature of American society in several ways.  In the introductory lecture, the demographic profile of Asian American children, youth, and families is presented in the context of the demographic profiles of their counterparts in the other major ethnic groups, i.e., African Americans, European Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans. Second, throughout the course, the development and adaptation of Asian Americans may be compared to that of one or more  major American ethnic groups. Third, whenever data are available, regional differences in Asian American development and adaptation within the United States will also be discussed in order to illustrate diversity among Asian Americans and its relationship to regional cultures.  An understanding of American institutions is promoted through presentations of specific American public policies and social institutions (e.g., health care system, social services, schools, judicial system, etc.) and discussions of their impact on development and adaptation of Asian Americans children, youth, and families.  The course will also explore the links between cognitive development and youth’s emerging understanding of American institutions.  
	2.2.  The course is taught from both a developmental-contextual perspective and a comparative perspective.  An appreciation of the significance of diversity in our society is instilled through the use of a comparative perspective that demonstrates diversity within the Asian American population and within the broader American society.  Some of the assigned readings report on studies that compare of Asian American subgroups and many more include comparisons of Asian Americans with nonAsian American groups. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their own cultural roots and to consider similarities and differences with other cultural groups. Furthermore, by showing how diverse cultural practices evolve as a result of the need to adapt to specific habitats and circumstances, the course tries to instill in students an understanding of and appreciation for diversity.  Last but not least, the course emphasis on empirically derived data should give students a more realistic knowledge about Asian Americans and other ethnic groups that, hopefully, will contribute to eliminating myths and stereotypes about them and promote tolerance and equality as values that shape attitudes and behaviors.  Moreover, by emphasizing group similarities (universals) as well as differences (culture-specifics) and exploring  complementarities where differences exist, the course facilitates glimpses of commonality amidst diversity that have implications for improving intergroup relations in the increasingly multicultural society of the United States.   
	2.3.  Definitions for the concepts of gender, race, ethnicity, and class will be provided and the significance of these concepts will be discussed.  Students will be encouraged to ponder the relevance of the concept of race as a population category in light of contemporary scientific knowledge that there are no “pure” races.  In addition, the implications of race as a category in intergroup relations and specific health issues (e.g., vulnerability to specific diseases,  response to certain medications) will be explored.  Throughout the course, ethnicity, gender, and class similarities and differences in developmental processes and outcomes will be examined.  Issues of class and socioeconomic diversity will be addressed in a variety of contexts throughout the course.  For example, many Asian cultures must deal with considerable class diversity (e.g., Asian Indian society faces well known challenges associated with the caste system).  Similarly, many Asian cultures deal with considerable diversity in terms of modernity, which is significantly related to class and socioeconomic status.  With regard to issues of gender diversity, like European-American society, Asian cultures are currently dealing with changing roles for women in the family and in society.  This issue also interacts with issues of class and modernity in that gender roles are especially strictly defined and enforced in lower socioeconomic strata and opportunities (e.g., higher education) for women are particularly curtailed.  Other issues of diversity will be addressed as they arise in the context of class discussions.
	2.4.  This course, when it is offered, will always be intended to meet the GEC Social Diversity requirement.

	3. The course syllabus clearly reflects the objective of instruction about issues of diversity.  Course objectives 5, 6, and 7 in particular state that intent.

	4.  The course syllabus shows that topics, lectures, assigned readings, and course requirements (i.e., papers, exams) will deal with issues of diversity.

	5.  The course discusses gender and class explicitly in the context of ethnicity and culture. The interactions among ethnicity/culture, class, and gender are of primary interest in this course.