The Human Relations and Multicultural Education Department inspires students to advocate against institutional bias in and beyond the field of education. Our department prepares change agents educated in self-awareness and skills essential for living and working in a democratic, environmentally sustainable, and socially just society.
Our multicultural education programs explore institutional oppression, discrimination, and bias. Through these investigations, our students develop the skills they need to confront systemic injustice, become community organizers, and enact change through collaboration. By focusing on student activism and encouraging involvement with multiple organizations on and off campus, we prepare students for success in a variety of industries:
St. Cloud State is one of only two colleges in the Minnesota State program that requires education students to take two Human Relations and Multicultural Education classes. Graduates emerge from our program with knowledge that exceeds these requirements, ready to use it to promote the personal growth of their future students.
Human Relations and Multicultural Education students are passionate about combatting oppression and social justice issues related to race, gender, age, class, religion, disability, physical appearance, sexual orientation, and nationality or culture. Students enter the program with the desire to educate in inclusive environments, aid oppressed communities, and spark social improvements.
For hands-on experience creating effective change, as well as supporting marginalized voices, students engage in various on-campus partnerships with:
Our students learn the skills to address historic and current injustice while engaging in social activism across campus and the state. Students foster connections with our faculty to address questions of equity, self-determination, resource allocation, and quality of life facing people around the world.
Human Relations and Multicultural Education courses are structured to represent the perspectives of groups that have been historically excluded from the Western canon. As the knowledge and efforts of social justice groups evolve, so too do our programs and curriculums. With the guidance of faculty who are activists themselves, students graduate with the latest knowledge, techniques, and research to positively impact their communities. Knowledge of social justice issues provides context for a broad spectrum of disciplines, so students can serve equitably in any field they choose.
As a part of Minnesota’s teacher licensure requirements, all educators must meet the diversity standard set by the state. Our graduates have the cultural competency needed to fight oppression and shape their schools with awareness, activism, and equitable education.
