Element 6: Diversity of Perspectives and Experiences
Philosophy of Element 6:
The purpose of this requirement is to help students develop a greater capacity for
intellectual open-mindedness. Rather than just affirming or celebrating differences, courses
in this element immerse the students in the complexity of human differences and
commonalities. Exploration, analysis and application of these complex identity issues
permeate these courses. Element 6 courses emphasize the challenges that must be
addressed to achieve just, equitable, and productive societies, and promote the development
of skills necessary to work effectively with others from diverse identities and perspectives.
Characteristics of Element 6 Courses:
Element 6 includes foreign language courses which incorporate study of the cultures
that accompany the language. Element 6 also includes courses that stress interrelationships
and differences that have set groups apart or defined them, including, but not limited to, race,
ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, gender, sexuality, disabilities, cultural or national
backgrounds and/or age.
To have a course included in Element 6, the course must include the following
characteristics reflected in the pedagogical approach, assignments, student learning
outcomes, activities, assessments, etc. of the course. The syllabus should provide clear
evidence of these characteristics.
An Element 6 course will:

Immerse the students in perspectives other than U.S.-mainstream
perspective

Push students to step outside of their cultural comfort zones and appreciate
the difficulties and concerns of living in a multi-lingual and/or pluralistic
society

Help students develop cultural and/or linguistic competence to work
effectively with others from diverse identities and perspectives

Enable students to articulate the cultural, historical, political, and/or social
struggles of historically-marginalized groups or distinctive features of nonU.S. cultures
Further, the course syllabus must include student learning outcomes (SLOs) that
address each of the General Education Goals 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9. SLOs should indicate what
students will know or be able to do by the end of the course, and must incorporate the
required characteristics (above). Some examples of appropriate SLOs are listed in the
Appendix to this document.
Since a primary goal of the Element is to immerse the student in the perspective of a
group or groups different from their own, broad survey courses that touch on many and
various human identities are not as appropriate for this Element as courses that reach more
deeply into the condition of a single group or small number of related groups.
The course syllabus must demonstrate a dominant emphasis on diversity that could
not be weakened by individual differences in instructors.
Courses from any discipline or interdisciplinary program can be approved for this
block provided the course is consistent with the philosophy stated above and includes an
assessment process based on General Education Goals 1, 2, 7, 8, & 9 (listed below).
General Education Goals Addressed by Element 6 courses:
After completing the General Education Program at EKU, students will be able to:
1. Communicate effectively by applying skills in reading, writing, speaking, and
listening and through appropriate use of information technology.
2. Use appropriate methods of critical thinking and quantitative reasoning to
examine issues and to identify solutions.
7. Distinguish the methods that underlie the search for knowledge in the arts,
humanities, natural sciences, history, and social and behavioral sciences.
8. Integrate knowledge that will deepen their understanding of, and will inform
their own choices about, issues of personal and public importance.
9. Recognize perspectives from other cultures and/or historically marginalized
groups.
Appendix
SAMPLE Student Learning Outcomes (From SOC 399/WGS 399)
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1) Explain how sociologists apply various theoretical and methodological approaches to
the study of gender. (GE Goal 7)
2) Explain how the social construction of gender influences perceptions of femininity,
masculinity, sexuality, and gender identity. (GE Goals 1, 2, 8, 9)
3) Identify and analyze socio-historical processes that continue to influence experiences
of women and men in American society and abroad. (GE Goals 1, 2, 8, 9)
4) Demonstrate the ability to gather, interpret, and analyze information to identify
sources of gender inequality and conflict. (GE Goal 7)
5) Compare, contrast, and evaluate opposing views on gender issues and policies related
to gender inequality. (GE Goals 1, 2, 8, 9)
6) Recognize ways in which gender intersects with race/ethnicity, social class, and other
structures of inequality to explain differences in gendered experiences. (GE Goals 1, 2,
8, 9)