Diversity

A diverse student body is an essential educational resource offered by the University of Washington Bothell. Students and faculty educate each other, in the classroom and in many informal settings; they challenge one another’s assumptions, they broaden one another’s range of experience, and they teach one another to see the world from varied perspectives.

• This requirement is intended to help you develop an understanding of the complexities of living in increasingly diverse and interconnected societies.
• Courses that fulfill the diversity requirement focus on cross-cultural analysis and communication; and historical and contemporary inequities such as those associated with race, ethnicity, class, sex and gender, sexual orientation, nationality, ability, religion, creed, age, and socioeconomic status.
• Course activities should encourage thinking critically about topics such as power, inequality, marginality, and social movements, and support effective cross-cultural communication skills.

You must complete at least 5 credits in approved courses that explore the sociocultural, political, and economic diversity of human experience on local to global scales. These courses aim to deepen your understanding of life in diverse, interconnected societies.

Topics may include cross-cultural communication, historical and current inequities (e.g., race, gender, class, sexuality, ability), and critical thinking about power, inequality, and social change.

These five credits will simultaneously satisfy other Area of Inquiry requirements and do not add to the total number of credits you need to graduate.

Courses that meet diversity requirements at other schools may not necessarily meet the UW Bothell requirement. If you believe you’ve satisfied this requirement with a transfer course and have not received credit, please connect with your advisor.