Understanding Human Differences: Multicultural Education for a Diverse America, 6th edition

For courses in multicultural education.

A clear, engaging look at the most critical issues of diversity in the 21st century, focusing on the interactions and intersections between culture, the individual and institutions

Understanding Human Differences employs a stimulating inquiry approach to engage students in discussing the most critical issues of American diversity. Grounded in research from the behavioral and social sciences, this text uses a question-and-answer format to bring the topics to life.

The 6th Edition is thoroughly updated to keep readers aware of new factors impacting ongoing and emerging diversity issues.

Hallmark features of this title

• The Vega conceptual framework organizes the content into sections covering cultural, individual and institutional behavior for ease of learning. (See the preface for an introduction to the framework, and subsequent references throughout every chapter.)
• The inquiry approach encourages student discussion and debate on the issues, while making the topics relevant and understandable. (See What are the major causes promoting the development of prejudice? in Chapter 2; What myths about immigrants do many Americans believe today? in Chapter 4; How does institutional racism affect politics? and several more included throughout.)
• End-of-chapter discussion activities include analytical and open-ended questions, all stemming from issues presented in the chapter.

New and updated features of this title

• NEW: New content on how American Indians are portrayed in K to 12 curricula (Chapter 5); on research on the positive impact of immigrants on urban economies (Chapter 4); on the consequences for people with a disability of low wages paid to health care workers (Chapter 12) and on the reaction to the proposed travel ban against Muslims (Chapter 6).
• NEW: Examination of arguments from opponents of same-sex marriage (Chapter 11).
• NEW: New coverage of the 2016 election's impact on student expression of prejudice in K to 12 schools (Chapter 3).
• NEW: New content on the need for K to 12 schools to prepare immigrant youth for college (Chapter 4).
• NEW: Information on gender issues in the military, such as the Marine Corps' sexist website scandal (Chapter 14).
• UPDATED: Updated coverage of racial profiling and the Black Lives Matter Movement (Chapters 2 and 8), coverage on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and arguments for teaching religion in K to 12 public schools (Chapter 6), coverage of economic issues increasingly affecting elderly and young Americans (Chapter 9) coverage of the influence of cultural body images on males (Chapter 10), coverage of Common Core State Standards and the political opposition (Chapter 13) and information on corporate efforts to promote diversity (Chapter 14).