Like many institutions of higher education, Portland State University (PSU) has engaged in initiatives to promote a more equitable and democratic society, from curricular changes to institutional policy implementation. In the late 1980s, PSU required students to complete a certain number of “diversity” credits as part of its general education requirements. During the 1990s, PSU radically revised its approach to general education, creating the University Studies Program that places diversity awareness among its core goals. Most recently, current President Daniel O. Bernstine has instituted a comprehensive “Diversity Initiative” as part of a series of initiatives aimed at improving the quality of university life for students, faculty, and staff.

This paper recounts the institutional context for the University Studies Program’s emphasis on diversity, provides an overview of the University Studies general education curriculum, which is designed as a series of interdisciplinary learning communities, and offers examples of teaching approaches that promote diversity awareness.