The Daily Pennsylvanian
Diversity's role in enhancing the educational and research capacities of universities was examined at the panel titled "Making the Most of Our Cultural Differences."
Led by professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. of the Afro-American Studies Department at Harvard University, experts pondered education as an invaluable resource for democratic societies facing the challenges of an increasingly demanding, dangerous and unpredictable world.
"I'm interested in the scholars and the conversation," said Rob Connor, a second-year doctoral candidate in the Graduate School of Education. "There are people here whose perspectives are well-known. Understanding cultural differences is very important, and I'm happy to see a discussion devoted to this."
The four panelists each began with an individual statement on cultural diversity in relation to the University, the nation and the world.
History professor Barbara Savage discussed the importance of making decisions about diversity in our everyday lives. "We need to be conscious of our decisions that have great impact on others," she said.
Other issues that were touched upon during the discussion included self-identity, social class, religion, immigration and encouraging diversity in universities.
The question of whether or not universities are an ideal place to foster diversity spurred animated conversation among the panelists.
English professor Ania Loomba advocated teaching diversity in the classroom. "I find it most effective to teach race relations through my Shakespeare class, since there is a long history of the issue of race in society."
"I think they dealt with issues in a very exciting way, in addition to being stimulating," said Temple University law student Victor Mosoti, who attended the panel specifically to hear Gates speak.
Peggy Merves, a Class of '73 College alumna, found the symposium "fascinating. I came out of intellectual curiosity and thought the panelists would be interesting to hear, and they were."
Penn Law professor Howard Chang, one of the panelists, was "honored to be invited to participate in the symposium. I learned a great deal from listening to my colleagues, and it was a terrific discussion."
Kwame Anthony Appiah, a Princeton University Philosophy professor, also participated on the panel.
