Whereas, The U.S. has become an increasingly multicultural society; and

Whereas, The Difference, Power, and Discrimination Program (DPD) and the DPD academic requirement further the mission, goals, and values of OSU; and

Whereas, The DPD requirement engages students in the intellectual examination of the complexity of the structures, systems, and ideologies that sustain discrimination and the unequal distribution of power and resources in the U.S.; and

Whereas, The uniqueness of the DPD Program and the DPD academic requirement in the baccalaureate core places OSU in a leadership position in addressing issues of diversity; and

Whereas, The DPD program and the DPD academic requirement help OSU to achieve a climate that values diversity; and

Whereas, There is a need for more DPD courses, particularly outside of the College of Liberal Arts; therefore, be it

Resolved, that the Faculty Senate of Oregon State University

  1. Reaffirm its commitment to both the academic requirement in the OSU Baccalaureate Core and the associated Difference, Power, and Discrimination (DPD) Program;
  2. Approve the revised criteria and rationale for the Baccalaureate Core Academic Requirement; and
  3. Establish the DPD Baccalaureate Core academic requirement as a separate category within the Baccalaureate Core, including both lower- and upper-division courses, with approximately half at each level.

The DPD Requirement in the Baccalaureate Core

We recommend that the following revised criteria and rationale be approved.

Criteria. Difference, Power, and Discrimination courses shall:

  1. be at least three credits;
  2. emphasize elements of critical thinking;
  3. have as their central focus the study of the unequal distribution of power within the framework of particular disciplines and course content;
  4. focus primarily on the United States, although global contexts are encouraged;
  5. provide illustrations of ways in which structural, institutional, and ideological discrimination arise from socially defined meanings attributed to difference;
  6. provide historical and contemporary examples of difference, power, and discrimination across cultural, economic, social, and political institutions in the United States;
  7. provide illustrations of ways in which the interactions of social categories, such as race, ethnicity, social class, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and age, are related to difference, power, and discrimination in the United States;
  8. provide a multidisciplinary perspective on issues of difference, power, and discrimination;
  9. incorporate interactive learning activities (e.g., ungraded, in-class writing exercise; classroom discussion; peer-review of written material; web-based discussion group); and
  10. be regularly numbered departmental offerings rather than x99 or blanket number courses.

 

The motion to approve the resolution as amended passed by voice vote with one dissenting vote.