New Ethnic Student Minor Offered

SALISBURY, MD--Salisbury State University students can explore different ethnic cultures while earning course credit toward a minor in ethnic studies. The new program will appear in the SSU catalogue next semester.

"We live in an increasingly diverse, multi-cultural world," said Dr. Shawn McEntee, associate professor of sociology. Chances are students will have to deal with this reality when in the workforce, if not now. The new minor program encourages serious study of issues related to ethnicity and cultural diversity," said McEntee.

McEntee coordinated the work of a group of faculty from the Fulton School of Liberal Arts and the Henson School of Science and Technology in developing the requirements for a minor in ethnic and intercultural studies. She said the faculty deliberately selected courses that would not require prerequisites other than those students complete as part of their basic General Education studies.

The minor requires a total of 18 hours of course work. Students may select one course from each of two groups of core courses that examine culture or minority issues. Beyond that, they may select four additional courses from a varied group of over 50 approved ethnic studies courses in history, communications, literature, sociology and philosophy.

Students may count completed classes included in the ethnic studies program toward the minor after it is declared. Among the classes included in the program are Intercultural Communication, Philosophy of Culture, Multicultural Issues in Psychology, Language and Culture, Racial and Cultural Minorities and Racism and Discrimination.

The minor is available to any student pursuing an undergraduate degree at SSU. For more information about the program, contact McEntee at 410-548-5777.