Practicum in Diversity Training

This course trains student presenters to act as group leaders/facilitators in the three "Contemporary Topics" rotations of the physical education program for first-year students. Each rotation involves approximately 700 students. Each student in the class will facilitate approximately three small groups during their tenure as facilitators. The course begins with a two-day retreat on campus: Saturday evening 5:00-9:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

First Half of Semester

There are six two and one half hour class sessions during the first half of the fall semester plus a wrap-up after the students have worked as facilitators in the Contemporary Topics class. The format remains constant: class presentation followed by work in small groups so that with continual practice, students become effective facilitators for the Contemporary Topics class. Students are also required to keep a journal of their experience in the class. Six different instructors conduct the class presentations. Dr. G. David Moss, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and co-creator of the course, supervises the class.

Topics at the various class sessions include: classism, sexism, heterosexism, and racism.

Second Half of Semester

The Contemporary Topics classes occupy the second half of the semester. First-year students participate in two sessions. The first is devoted to providing general information about classism, sexism, and racism. The first-year students are then given a writing assignment, currently an article from Notre Dame Magazine. They write a reflection on the article based on personal perspective and past experience and return, reflection in hand, for the second session. The second session is an unvarnished conversation on these issues with college students drawn from various parts of the country. There, they divide into small groups and discuss their reactions, facilitated by the students who participated in the diversity training.