When psychology junior Antoinette McClellan was approached by a classmate gushing about an interesting African-American history class, she was excited to learn and eager to enroll.
McClellan's classmate said she loved the class and suggested McClellan take it, saying she learned a lot McClellan would benefit from. But McClellan said she was discouraged after trying to enroll four different times into the one section offered, and realized she and other students would miss out.
"When you're little in school, you learn about white America, college educates you more about all different races and ethnic groups," McClellan said. "If college encourages classes that bridge the gap, it might help future generations."
Only a handful of classes at MSU are specifically geared toward teaching and promoting racial and ethnic diversity. While many classes, including university requirements like Integrated Studies Social Science (ISS) and Arts and Humanities, (IAH) often touch on the subject, most don't delve as deep into diversity issues as others.
"It is the university's responsibility to get these classes on the schedule," said journalism senior Jarques Ricks, who said he would be interested in a class on the civil rights movement if the university offered one. He said minority races and ethnic groups are not well represented in many classes at MSU.
One of the most well-known classes that focuses on diversity in the United States is American Thought and Language 125: The American Ethnic and Racial Experience. Various sections of the class address readings from many diverse races and ethnic groups in order for students to be exposed to different cultures that make up American society.
In addition, many teachers at MSU - even those teaching classes not geared toward diversity - offer students extra credit for attending diversity events on and off campus.
Some professors, such as ATL 125 assistant visiting professor Diana Malouf, say they understand how such events are important to enhance students college experiences.
Malouf's class addresses such topics as national and international problems relating to immigration, diversity and racial issues.
Her students read "Lies My Teacher Told Me" by James W. Loewen, which discusses the many emissions from or slanted histories in textbooks or topics barely touched on in high school, said Malouf.
"If any student can look around his or her classroom and see that everyone looks like them, than we have not adequately diversified," she said.
