Multiculturalism Essay

Where there is any form of change in education that is discussed, there are always those who disagree with that change. These critics deem that they are problems that exist with the concept of multicultural education. One argument against multicultural education is the fear that the lack of a clear definition will essentially confuse teachers which will affect the classroom. Professor Ryan, a professor of education at Lasalle University states that “the term multicultural education is a slogan. It means different things to different people, and it assumes different purposes in different contexts” (Webster 14). His argument is that to minority students multicultural education offers a sense of empowerment, but for the majority student it is

Anthropologists have always had their discrepancies with the word culture and its background significance. There have been numerous definitions that have filtered through the field, yet not one that everyone can accept or agree with. Franz Boas, an anthropologist in the early 20th Century, and his students, had a difficult time figuring out the objective of what culture is. Culture is about learning and shared ideas about behaviour. Although Boas and his students had a slightly different idea in mind. They ultimately reached a conclusion, a definition of culture in their view that is a contradiction in terms. Boas sates that, “ culture was expressed through the medium of language but was not reducible to it;

I found the subject in this paper to be very fascinating. The subject of this particular paper is multicultural education. According to book,” multicultural education is defined as a process of educational reforms that assures that students from all groups (racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, gender, etc) experience educational equality, success, and social mobility (Cushner, K. pg.22).” In my finding of the little community of Gatesville was not very much cultural diversity.

In sixteen years of life, I have received an opportunity to experience different cultures, learning styles, and languages. To start of, I am an American since I was born here, but the reality is that I was raised in India. My parents’ main motivation for moving back to India was because they wanted us to embrace our traditions, and most importantly, value our family relationships. We relocated back to the US at the start of 9th grade. This transition was a huge factor for transforming me as a person. I am cognizant of the two systems, cherish both, and realize that these multicultural experiences have encouraged me to grow and mature beyond my years. Relocating from a place is not as easy as one can imagine. When compared to the US, India

Ask any American how they feel about multiculturalism you are likely to get one of two responses: either a cringe or a smile. Those that cringe will say something along the line of “Multiculturalism is the wrong way to look at things. It separates us by saying that everyone is different instead of saying that we are the same and unifying us.” Those that smile will talk about how great multiculturalism is because they get to see aspects of all different cultures on television and on the radio and they are free to explore all the different things that various cultures have to offer. In actuality, one cannot help but wonder if either of these responses reflects the true meaning of multiculturalism? What do

Culture is often a large part of someone’s life and character, which leads to it being a large part of a person’s identity. Amy Tan makes this change explicit through her use of perspective with her characters. One such example is Waverly’s change in identity through culture. As a young child, she starts off ambitious and has a great desire to play and improve at chess. This intense ambition heavily reflects Chinese culture, as ambition and the desire to be the best is stressed in China. Her mother even goes as far as to say “Chinese people do business, do medicine, do painting. Not lazy like American people” (91 Tan). Since Lindo grew up in China, her culture is almost entirely Chinese, and it shows her ambition to be greater than the competition. Waverly grew up with this ambition, because of her Chinese roots and heritage. Her ambition drove her to give up everything for chess, and she only “went to school, then directly home to learn new chess secrets, cleverly sealed advantages, more escape routes” (98 Tan). Waverly constructs her daily life around perfecting her craft, and her devotion to the game of chess. Her extreme ambition mirrors that of typical Chinese culture. Her ambition fades though, as she loses connection to her Chinese culture. They often lose most of their original culture, although “They are allowed to retain certain particularistic traits from the old culture. Such traits are, however, themselves modified in their transplantation to American society” (197 Source 1). The very few, modified traits that they keep pale in comparison to the amount of new cultural influence they face. The result is that of Waverly: a loss of traits that are connected to the original culture. Losing these traits while at the same time gaining new ones change an individual's identity, which is a direct effect of immigration as a

     After reading the many articles on the notion of diagnosis and counseling with multicultural/ethnic patients, it has come to my attention that this focus is solely based on stereotypical attitudes. Sure, it can be said that it is important for a therapist to have a background of the patient’s heritage and culture, but doesn’t this necessarily mean that the outlook of the therapist will be put in a box by doing so? I think multicultural competency is a ridiculous way to improve patient-therapist relationships because of several reasons. First off, generalities and race-centralisms only hinder, not improve, the inner workings of a therapy session. Second, there is no real way to test

What does Diversity and Multiculturalism mean to me? I believe that diversity has become so much more than just the basic qualities of race or gender. It now includes all qualities that make everyone unique, as individuals or as part of a larger group. It is also the acceptance, respect, and understanding of these unique qualities that makes diversity work in a given society. Multiculturalism is the system that is centered around the respect for and the promotion of ethnic and or gender diversity in the society. Multiculturalism is the status of several different ethnic, racial, religious or cultural groups co-existing in the same society. Today, in the U.S. we already

It is believed that since 1945 there have been over 6 million people immigrating to Australia, causing the population to have a growth of about 7 million to 20 million. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2014), Australia has a Net gain of one international migration every 2 minutes and 05 seconds of its current 23,645,443 people, which makes up a mixture of 74 per cent Anglo-Celtic , European making up 19 per cent and Asian migrants/descendants by 4.5 per cent. As a result, migration has had an impact on Australia’s economy and community. Australia is known for being a multicultural country, recognizing all of its people languages, cultural groups rights and lifestyle in order to preserve their personal personalities; thus, the government provide funds in order to support ethnic activities in order to maintain that multiculturalism. Having people come from all around the world, Australia needs to provide migrants with English language training as well as providing interpreting services and translation.

The concept of globalization, which is the increasing integration and interdependence of different countries from one another in terms of economic, communication, and technological aspects, leads one to address the concept of cultural diversity or multiculturalism. Cultural diversity in the health-care system touches lives of many Americans in one way or another. No matter what our own cultural background is, when we go receive medical care, we may encounter a care giver who comes from a different cultural background than ours(Naylor 1997,291).. In the concept of cultural diversity, it can be recognized that two terms are equally important. The first concept is culture, which refers to the total way of life of individuals, and the unique

The United States serves as a culturally rich country who opens its arms to individuals from many different ethnicities, backgrounds, and life experiences. It seeks to be the melting pot of a blended group of people, providing opportunity and equity for all. Consequently, our educational system is the cornerstone for providing equal opportunity for all persons. Therefore, as the United States continues to be immersed with individuals from various cultures, the educational system must consistently seek to assure that educational opportunities are equally distributed to our students. In order for this task to be accomplished, developing a well-defined illustration of what multicultural education is necessary.

The side in opposition to multiculturalism firmly believes that it weakens America by keeping immigrants from adequately assimilating to the core values of America’s Anglo Protestant identity. This side believes that multiculturalism weakens the “social bond” of the United States by denying that immigrants need to assimilate to the language and values of the country’s dominant culture. The rise of non-English speaking communities is seen as a detrimental factor in the goal of achieving unity in American culture. Opponents state that immigrants coming to the United States must always lose their previous culture from their country of origin, to be able to completely assimilate to and fully embrace

Multicultural literature is a way of increasing cultural awareness. Through multicultural books many young readers are able to make a connection with their own culture

By the year 2050, nonwhites will represent close to half of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau projections. By 2005, the ethnic minority share of the workforce is expected to grow to 28 percent, up from 18 percent in 1980 and 22 percent in 1990. Although the African American population is now the largest minority group, the Hispanic and Asian populations are growing much faster. In 1994, the African American population was estimated to be 33 million, or 12.7 percent of the total population, up from 11.7 percent in 1980.

ABSTRACT: The questions suggested by the term "multiculturalism" range far and wide, embracing: questions of inclusion; questions of criteria; questions of self-identity; and questions of the meaning of multiculturalism. In this essay I provide a framework: (i) that allows us to begin a discussion that might answer such questions; (ii) that illuminates why it is that such a modest aim is the most we can hope for at this time; and (iii) that provides an understanding of what we can do in a multicultural world in order to illuminate what we should do. This framework will reject both the idea of toleration as found in Berlin’s conception of human choice and will speak of as maximal multiculturalism,