The University Senate voted to change the multicultural requirement for students at the University of Oregon at its meeting Wednesday afternoon.
The multicultural requirement will now require incoming students to take one class out of each of the two new categories: “US: Difference, Inequality, Agency” and “Global Perspectives”. You can read more about the changes here.
These changes will be in effect fall 2019.
This change replaces the current requirement that requires students to take two classes out of three categories: “Identity and Pluralism”, “American Cultures” and “International Cultures”.
According to the multicultural requirements task force, the previous requirement allowed students to graduate without taking a class that explains the racial history of the United States.
These changes are aimed to ensure that all students who graduate UO have been educated on American history as well as global cultures.
In 2016 the Senate created a task force to address the multicultural requirement after the Black Student Task Force brought up an issue with the previous requirement.
The task force worked to redesign the multicultural requirement and proposed changes to the Senate throughout winter and spring term before voting.