For Multicultural Education/Diversity as well as General Education courses Understanding Human Differences is the best single text for introducing students to the study of diversity in Twenty-First Century America and provides a clear conceptual framework for teaching about diversity.The author uses clear examples, lucid language, and engaging activities to involve students in thinking through fundamental ideas that ground their understanding of diversity.
My teacher actually uses this textbook’s own inaccuracies and discriminations as examples of how NOT to address multiculturalism, it’s that bad.
Rating: 1 / 5
This book is HORRIBLE. If I wern’t forced to use it in class I wouldn’t even touch it. It is terribly slanted in a manner that a previous reviewer got right on. The whole book seems to be based on an incorrect perception that the European White Male is the reason for all of our social ills, not just racism.
An example is how Koppelman drolls on that the White European caused all the hatred in the Mexican population by stealing the Mexican land. He fails to cover the part a large majority of Mexicans are a mix of Native Americans and Spanish Conquistidor’s. The Conquistidors plundered the land and slaughtered millions of Native Americans. So he overlooks the ills of the one race to set the Mexican up as a pure victim in this matter. His views are totally flawed throughout this book. And I am not letting Goodhart off the hook either.
Bottom line is: Unless you are absolutely required to use this book; DO NOT buy it. For a great perspective on diversity, see if you can find the aged, but fair and balanced “What you are is where you were when” by Morris Massey.
Understanding Human Differences is not the answer to promoting diversity, it promotes hate.
I am half hispanic and half white. So I have a Minority perspective as well as a white male perspective. Don’t buy the hate!
Rating: 1 / 5
We used this textbook in a college course entitled, “Teaching a Diverse Population.”
To a person, we all thought this book was awful.
My biggest problem with this piece of work is that the author expects the reader to agree to a line of logic that is not supported by facts. Sure, there are facts interwoven in each chapter, but the facts don’t match the logic.
If I turned in any of these chapters as an argumentative essay to my English Composition professor, I’d surely receive less than an “A.”
Additionally, I could have done without the four letter words such as cun* (you fill in the last letter).
Rating: 1 / 5
I had to buy this book for a college class that I am taking. As I read the book I started noticing that the book was stating its opinions as facts and not backing up a majority of its information with evidence. Its very one sided.
Rating: 1 / 5
This review refers to the 2nd edition. I used this book for a course on diversity I took. Koppelman provides a nice framework to view cultural diversity. Some of the material is slightly dated and other parts of the book could use more detail. I thought the civil rights movement in America could use more detail but this would probably fill an entire book. It would have been nice to include a discussion of “The Trail of Tears” and some other major historical events. The second edition did not include autism in the section on Ableism. The book exposes many prejudices that are present in American society and places them in historical context. Statistics are presented to make a point and all references are provided. I found it particularly interesting how CEO salaries have been increasing relative to the average worker (431x) over the past several decades. Also the fact that the top 1% of Americans have the same amount of wealth as the bottom 90%. Certainly embracing diverse cultures is needed for a strong America. I am not sure why this book is receiving so many 1 star ratings. It is a very enjoyable reading experience.
Rating: 4 / 5