Penn’s commitment to diversity extends to every aspect of its academic, cultural, and campus life.
The university is committed to integrating cultural diversity into its curriculum, with many opportunities to study diversity both globally and within the United States.
All four of Penn’s undergraduate schools offer courses and programs related to differences in race, religion, gender, and sexuality.
The College of Arts and Sciences recently instituted a requirement that all College students take at least one course in the area of U.S. cultural diversity, in such forms as race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, class, and religion. Courses may study the intersections among these areas and may use a variety of methods, including data analysis, historical inquiry, or study of cultural expressions.
The College offers a number of courses and majors in the humanities and social sciences that study cultural diversity. Many of the largest disciplines — including History and English — offer courses directly concerned with cultural difference both globally and domestically. Programs such as Africana Studies, East Asian Area Studies, and Gender, Culture, and Society also study diversity from national and transnational perspectives.
The School of Engineering and Applied Science offers a Global Technology Service Program, encompassing international service learning programs in Cameroon, China, Honduras, and Kenya and a Technology and Development course on engineering practices in developing countries.
The School of Nursing has implemented a number of initiatives around diversity and health care, including a Seminar Series on Diversity and Culture Competence and a wide-ranging, multi-year assessment of cultural competence training.
The Wharton School requires all students to take Management 100 (“Leadership and Communication in Groups”), which develops each student’s ability to work well with a diverse group of individuals on a group-based community service project.
Many of Penn’s wide-ranging centers and institutes offer courses and programs related to differences in race, religion, gender, and sexuality.
Diversity in Campus Life
Penn’s campus life is rich with events, centers, and cultural activities related to diversity.
Our Cultural Centers offer on-campus homes for communities organized around race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. Members of those communities – along with their friends and partners – can meet there to socialize, share perspectives, and plan events.
Centers at the ARCH
College House Programs
- East Asia Program
- International Program
- Latin American Program
- Living Cultures Residential Program
- Politics and Cultural Pluralism Program