Iowa State changed the name of the U.S. Diversity Course requirement to U.S. Cultures and Communities Courses starting in the fall semester of 2024. In order for an Iowa State student to graduate from the university, each student must take at least one U.S. Cultures and Communities Course to fulfill that credit.
This renaming came from the Faculty Senate Academics Affairs Committee in response to the restructuring of DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs enforced by the Board of Regents.
“I think [U.S. Cultures and Communities Courses] gives us a wider perspective on different cultures and different people,” Anna Bechtel, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry, said. “Having a wider perspective makes us more accepting of other people and more enticed to talk to everyone.”
The Daily reached out to the Office of the Registrar for a comment on why these classes are required and their purpose. The Office of the Registrar declined to comment but directed readers to the University Catalog website for more information.
“The focus of the U.S. Cultures and Communities (formerly U.S. Diversity) requirement is understanding the social complexity of human beings based on analytical categories such as race, ethnicity, or gender, and the ways those categories have excluded historically marginalized groups,” according to the University Catalog website. “A diverse and robust education means exploring these social complexities in a structured learning environment to familiarize students with the historical, societal, and political contributions of diverse populations.”
95 classes are included in the U.S. Cultures and Communities Course list. The list of courses includes many different classes, such as Queer Fashions: History, Culture and the Industry, Native American Agriculture, Introduction to Housing, Economics of Discrimination and many others.
This course requirement has existed since 1996 when the Office of the Registrar approved the recommendation to add a diversity course to the graduation requirements.
Because of the Iowa Board of Regents order to restructure DEI programs, the term “diversity” is slowly being erased from all Iowa public universities, including course requirements.
“It is so necessary and so important that we have classes that expose students to other cultures and other ways of thinking,” Jen McClung, associate teaching professor for the English Department and professor of Native American Studies, said. “I really strongly advocate for these classes on a lot of different levels. It helps to shape our students into better citizens.”
For more information on the U.S. Cultures and Communities course requirement, visit this link.
