At Cabrini University, there is an Engagement with the Common Good (ECG) course that is called “Democracy and Diversity”. The course is offered during the fall and spring semester. This course teaches students the value of the power they have as citizens of the United States and the value of individuality. This course is taught by Dr. Joesph Cimakasky, the chairperson of the philosophy and liberal study department.
Cimakasky was able to give an in-depth explanation of what Democracy and Diversity means.
“The course is centered around this notion of what it means to be an engaged citizen in a vibrant democracy, in a nation that has a lot of diversity,” Cimakasky said. “Believe or not, the United States has been relatively successful in assimilating various different ethnicities… An article from the New York Times called ‘Diversity Makes You Brighter,’ showed that people are more likely to have a little more cognitive of friction and become a little more alert when they’re in an environment where people don’t look like them.”
“When you are surrounded by people who look like you, the downsides of that is that people tend to engage in groupthink. But when you are surrounded by people who are unlike you, you are more likely to question assumptions and think for yourself. I introduced a new article this semester entitled ‘Democracy is for the Gods.’ This article is about the fragility of democracy. It comes around once in a while but, it doesn’t last very long. It’s something we have to protect and nurture. One of the virtues that the author claimed that was absolutely essential to the democracy is humility and recognizing that we’re all flawed and perfect beings. Hopefully, that inspires people to work with others with an open mind and open heart.”
Cimakasky’s definition of “Democracy and Diversity” gives a deep look into how the world around you can be better if you open your mind to become engaged in this society and being more tolerant about others.
The former student and classroom coach of his class, Kayla Hunt, was able to give a little insight about what she learned. Hunt is a junior writing major.
“I loved that class. It was a lot of discussion about things that are happening in society right now and it’s really engaging. I’m the president of the philosophy club actually, so some of the events that we’re going to host are modeled after things that I learned in class. I’ve learned things like utilitarianism, schools of thought and different ways of looking at the way I interact with people around me,” Hunt said.
