New minor focuses on local, global diversity and community service

30 Jan 2014

To prepare students for success in an increasingly global society, Virginia Tech’s College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences now offers a minor in Diversity and Community Engagement.

The program, which began in Fall 2013, is open to all students with a grade point average of at least 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale). It examines diversity in local and international contexts while exploring how identities and social categories affect understanding of social, civic, and work situations.

“This program’s foundation is Virginia Tech’s Principles of Community,” said Instructor Ryan Rideau, director of Undergraduate Diversity Initiatives for the college. “Our aim is to teach students to value diversity as they gain the knowledge and skills to be engaged citizens and future leaders.”

The minor emphasizes service-oriented community projects such as volunteer work, internships related to diversity, and conflict resolution programs. Students are required to devote an average of eight hours a week to their projects and to make final presentations about them.

The interdisciplinary curriculum consists of 18 credit hours, including 12 hours of electives. The two required courses are Diversity and Community Engagement Foundations (SOC 2034) and Diversity and Engagement Capstone Seminar (SOC 4294).