The diversity requirement is designed to provide undergraduate students with the background knowledge and analytical skills necessary to understand and respect differences between groups of people. Students should understand the potential resources and conflicts arising from human differences on the contemporary American and international scene. Students will increasingly need to grapple with issues arising from different dimensions of human diversity such as age, disability, ethnicity, gender, language, race, religion, sexual orientation, and social class.

These dimensions and their social and cultural consequences will have important ramifications for students' personal, professional and intellectual lives, both for the time they are students and in later life. Students will gain exposure to analytical frameworks within which these issues are to be understood and addressed, including social, political, cultural, ethical and public policy analyses. It is the university's goal to prepare students through the study of human differences for responsible citizenship in an increasingly pluralistic and diverse society.

The diversity requirement must be met by all students who began college at USC or elsewhere in fall 1993 or later. It can be met by passing any one course carrying the designation "m" for multiculturalism. You may view current diversity course offerings in the Schedule of Classes by selecting "diversity courses" on the left hand column under the desired semester.