Unit 1
HUMAN RELATIONS IN A
DIVERSE SOCIETY
To Do in Unit 1
 Introduce Yourself
 Read Chapter 1 and 4 in Multicultural Law
Enforcement
 Attend the Seminar (Graded)
 Respond to the Discussion Board (Graded)
 Visit Extra! Extra!
The 21st Century
The 21st century will be the century in which
we redefine ourselves as the first country in
world history which is literally made up of
every part of the world.
Mr. Kenneth Prewitt, Director of U.S. Census Bureau, 1998-2001
What is Multiculturalism?
 Existence within one society of diverse
ethnic, cultural, and racial groups
 Groups that maintain their unique cultural
identity
 While accepting and participating in the
larger society’s legal, political, and economic
system
What is Culture?
 A way of life developed and communicated by a group of people
 Consciously or unconsciously, to subsequent generations
 It consists of ideas, habits, attitudes, customs, and traditions
 That help people to create standards for a group of people to coexist,
making a group of people unique
 In its most basic sense, culture is a set of patterns for survival and
success
 That a particular group of people has developed
What is Race?
 A group of persons of (or regarded as of)
common ancestry
 Physical characteristics are often used to
identify people of different races
 These characteristics should not be used to
identify ethnic groups, which can cross racial
lines
What is an Ethnic group?
 Group of people who conceive of themselves
 And who are regarded by others
 As alike because of their common ancestry,
language, and physical characteristics
What is Ethnicity?
 Refers to the background of a group with
unique language, ancestral, often religious,
and physical characteristics
 Broadly characterizes a religious, racial,
national, or cultural group
What is Ethnocentrism?
 Using the culture of one’s own group as a
standard for the judgment of others
 Or thinking of it as superior to other cultures
that are merely different
What is Bias?
 Preference or an inclination to make certain
choices that may be positive (bias toward
excellence)
 Or negative (bias against people)
 Often resulting in unfairness
What is Prejudice?
 A judgment or opinion formed before facts
are known
 Or to cast a group of people in a favorable or
unfavorable light
 Usually without just grounds or sufficient
information
What is Discrimination?
The denial of equal treatment to groups
because of their racial, ethnic, gender,
religious, or other form of cultural identity.
Demographics
 Characteristics of a population
 As classified by age, sex, income, etc.
 For market research, sociological analysis,
etc.
Webster’s New World Dictionary
What is Diversity?
 The term used to describe a vast range of
similarities and differences that have become
factors requiring attention in living and
working together
 Often applied to the communication and
training interventions in an organization that
seek to deal with the interface of people who
are different from each other
Reactions to Multicultural
Population
 Intolerance
 Tolerance
 Appreciation
 Celebration
Reactions to Diversity
Past and Present
 Always been a difficult issue
 All groups subject to the same treatment
– Irish, Germans, Italians, Asians, etc.
 Not all immigrants came here willingly
Foreign
(2002)
Born in the U.S.
 52.2 percent from Latin America
 25.5 percent from Asia
 14.0 percent from Europe
 8.3 percent from other regions in the world
The Dimensions of Diversity
Primary Dimensions
Age
Ethnicity
Gender
Mental/physical abilities and characteristic
Race
Sexual orientation
Secondary Dimensions of Diversity
Communication style
Education
Family status
Military experience
Organizational role and level
Religion
Source: Marilyn Loden, Implementing Diversity
Diversity Wheel Facilitates
Understanding of a Broad Range of
Primary and Secondary Dimensions
of Diversity
Prejudice in Law Enforcement
 Mandated changes to reduce prejudice
 Peer and co-worker relationship and norming
behaviors
 Prejudice reduction through training and
education
Community-Based Policing
 Enables police officers to meet with
community groups and learn of their
concerns
 A fact of life for most city police and sheriff's
departments
 Storefront offices provide police accessibility
 A democratic style of policing that allows for
openness and dialogue between the police
and the community
Language Barriers and Law
Enforcement
 Changing demographics and multicultural
communities
 Limited number of bilingual officers
 Serious and tragic consequences resulting
from
language and communication barriers
• Cross-cultural communication skills needed
by all officers
Unit 2
 Read Chapter 2 and 3 in Multicultural Law




Enforcement
Attend the weekly Seminar
Respond to the Discussion Board
Complete and Submit the Unit 2 Project
Visit Extra! Extra!
Contact me:
 Roger Humber (Prof)
 rhumber@kaplan.edu
 rhumber366 (AIM)
 334-269-6729 (Home)