Content Advisory

Difficult Topics

From time to time, I will present content that some may find uncomfortable because of challenging ideas, strong language [sometimes profane], bold images, or seldom-discussed topics.

I acknowledge that at times it may be uncomfortable to include difficult topics. However, it is an important part of the educational experience, as it supports the development of critical thinking skills, helps to develop and improve interpersonal skills, and prepares learners for their roles in their professional settings, as well as to be engaged citizens.

Please know that you may adjust your pace of reviewing these materials to fit your personal level of comfort. Feel free to contact me privately if you have any concerns.

Productive Dialogues

There is ample opportunity within our course for academic debate, disagreement, compromise, and for us to change our minds. In order for this to be productive dialogue, I ask that we all:

Recognize that we are entering into this space with different experiences and understandings.
Use reasoned arguments that are supported by reputable resources.
Practice truly listening to one another.
Ask questions for clarification.
Provide and receive feedback with grace.
Respect the privacy of those sharing. We are all learning together, and it’s important that we take from here what we have learned. Please respect that people may share how the topics in this course have impacted their personal lives and also that people may make mistakes while they learn.

Glossary of Key Terms

Definitions taken from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (U.S. National Institute of Health)

Culture: An integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thoughts, communications, languages, practices, beliefs, values, customs, courtesies, rituals, manners of interacting, roles, relationships, and expected behaviors of a racial, ethnic, religious, or social group; the ability to transmit the above to succeeding generations; culture is always changing.
Culturally Appropriate: Exhibiting sensitivity to cultural differences and similarities, and demonstrating effectiveness in translating that sensitivity to action through organizational mission statements, communication strategies, and services to diverse cultures.
Cultural Awareness: Recognition of the nuances of one's own and other cultures.
Cultural Competence: The ability of individuals to use academic, experiential, and interpersonal skills to increase their understanding and appreciation of cultural differences and similarities within, among, and between groups. Cultural competency implies a state of mastery that can be achieved when it comes to understanding culture. Encompasses individuals' desire, willingness, and ability to improve systems by drawing on diverse values, traditions, and customs, and working closely with knowledgeable persons from the community to develop interventions and services that affirm and reflect the value of different cultures.
- There is no one definition of cultural competence. For further exploration, I encourage you to review additional examples from the National Center for Cultural Competence at Georgetown University.
Cultural Diversity: Differences in race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual identity, socioeconomic status, physical ability, language, beliefs, values, behavior patterns, or customs among various groups within a community, organization, or nation.
Cultural Humility: is a lifelong process of self-reflection and self-critique. Cultural humility does not require mastery of lists of “different” or peculiar beliefs and behaviors supposedly pertaining to different cultures, rather it encourages to develop a respectful attitude toward diverse points of view.
Cultural Sensitivity: Understanding the needs and emotions of your own culture and the culture of others.
Ethnic: Of or relating to large groups of people classed according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background.
Ethnicity: how one sees oneself and how one is “seen by others as part of a group on the basis of presumed ancestry and sharing a common destiny ...” Common threads that may tie one to an ethnic group include skin color, religion, language, customs, ancestry, and occupational or regional features. In addition, persons belonging to the same ethnic group share a unique history different from that of other ethnic groups. Usually, a combination of these features identifies an ethnic group. For example, physical appearance alone does not consistently identify one as belonging to a particular ethnic group.
Race: There is an array of different beliefs about the definition of race and what race means within social, political, and biological contexts. The following definitions are representative of these perspectives:
- A tribe, people, or nation belonging to the same stock; a division of humankind possessing traits that are transmissible by descent and sufficient to characterize it as a distinctive human type
- Race is a social construct used to separate the world’s peoples. There is only one race, the human race, comprised of individuals with characteristics that are more or less similar to others
- Evidence from the Human Genome project indicates that the genetic code for all human beings is 99.9% identical; there are more differences within groups (or races) than across groups.
- The United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM) states that in all instances race is a social and cultural construct. Specifically a “construct of human variability based on perceived differences in biology, physical appearance, and behavior”. The IOM states that the traditional conception of race rests on the false premise that natural distinctions grounded in significant biological and behavioral differences can be drawn between groups.