Associate Program Material

Diversity Worksheet

Answer each question in 50 to 150 words. Provide citations for all the sources you use.

1. What is diversity? Why is diversity valued?
Simply put, diversity is the differences between people. Diversity recognizes variances in gender, age, ethnicity, religion, intelligence, appearance, sexual orientation, and more. These dissimilarities in people ultimately result in unique thinking and ideas. Keeping an open mind to the differences among people allows us to value individuality and distinct points of view.

2. What is ethnocentrism? In what ways can ethnocentrism be detrimental to a society?
Ethnocentrism is the belief that a person’s own ethnicity and culture is superior to everyone else’s (ethnocentrism., n.d.). One way ethnocentrism can be detrimental to a society is the attitude a group of people would take against others. If a person feels they are better than most, others are treated with disregard, disrespect, and possible resentment. These feelings towards a large number of people cultivates anger and hostility. When people begin acting out these feelings, picketing, riots, and disorder can ensue. Ethnocentrism can be especially damaging when people in leadership roles, such as law enforcement and politicians, hold these beliefs. Unjustice will eventually prevail and society would crumble.

3. Define emigration and immigration.
Emigration is the act of leaving one country to live in another; immigration is coming into a country from another one (Schaefer, 2012). Emigrants are people who leave the country they live in, often the one they were born in, to seek better living conditions elsewhere. Immigrants are those that come into another country, such as America, to build a better life through endless opportunities. Sometimes, immigrants work in one country to send money to family in the country they were born in.

4. What are some of the ways groups of people are identified?
Some of the ways groups of people are identified are by race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, disabilities, physical appearance, and sexual orientation. Races are mainly identified through physical differences, such as hair type and skin color. Ethnicity is identified via countries of origin, such as Africa or Europe. Religion is recognized based on denomination, cults, and practices. Gender is obvious and includes male, female, and transgendered. Age identification is self-explanatory. Disability identification is mainly whether a person is disabled or not. Disability includes unseen diseases, such as depression. Physical appearance is similar to racial identification except it includes weight discrimination. Sexual orientation is identifying heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual people.

5. Why do people label and group other people?
There are several reasons why people label and group others. Much of labeling has to do with a person’s own race and their upbringing. Even young children recognize differences in people simply out of curiousity. When people see someone that is different from us, we try to make sense of what we are seeing by grouping them with