BEHS 220: Diversity Awareness

BEHS 220 at the University of Maryland Global Campus examines the many dimensions of diversity within the framework of the social sciences.

UMGC states that the objective is to interact and communicate effectively and appropriately within a diverse society. The course emphasizes critical thinking about stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination and their effects on society, and explores how social science perspectives on diversity can address challenges in the workplace, the community, cultures and society as a whole.

Because the subject is personal, students sometimes write from opinion or experience alone. The course asks for more: using social science concepts and research to explain how stereotypes form, why prejudice persists and what reduces discrimination, and applying that understanding to real settings such as a workplace or community.

Thoughtful, evidence-based writing on sensitive topics is the core skill.

What BEHS 220 Covers

Key Concepts Explained

Stereotype, Prejudice, Discrimination

These three terms are related but distinct. A stereotype is a generalized belief about a group. Prejudice is a negative attitude or feeling toward a group. Discrimination is unequal treatment, an action. Keeping them separate makes your analysis precise.

Individual and Institutional Discrimination

Discrimination can be carried out by individuals or built into policies and practices that disadvantage groups even without anyone intending it. A hiring rule that requires unbroken employment, for example, can disadvantage carers and people with disabilities.

Intergroup Contact

Social psychologists have long studied whether contact between groups reduces prejudice. Research associated with Gordon Allport's contact hypothesis suggests contact helps most under certain conditions, such as equal status, shared goals, cooperation and institutional support. It is a useful framework for workplace or community recommendations.

Writing About Diversity Well

Strong BEHS 220 essays combine personal reflection with evidence. Use your experience as a starting point, then explain it with course concepts and research. Use specific, respectful language, and prefer the terms groups use for themselves; when in doubt, follow current style guidance such as APA's bias-free language section.

Avoid treating any group as uniform: differences within groups are often as large as differences between them. When you make recommendations, for a workplace or community, tie each one to a concept or finding from the course and say how you would know whether it worked.

Workplace scenarios are a common focus because the course description names the workplace explicitly. A useful approach is to identify a specific challenge, such as a team where some members are routinely talked over in meetings, analyze it with course concepts (stereotypes about who is an expert, unconscious bias, communication norms), and propose practical steps, for example structured turn-taking, clear meeting roles or training, with a note on how the organization could monitor whether things improve.

Typical Assignments and How to Approach Them

Where Students Get Stuck

• Opinion without research. Support each claim with a concept or study.
• Mixing up key terms. Keep stereotype, prejudice and discrimination distinct.
• Generalizing about groups. Acknowledge variation within groups.
• Vague recommendations. "Be more inclusive" needs specific, measurable steps.

Study Tips for BEHS 220

• Build a glossary of key terms with clear definitions and examples.
• Use UMGC Library databases for peer-reviewed research on prejudice and inclusion.
• Keep a short journal of observations from work or community life to use in reflections.
• Check terminology against current style guidance before submitting.

How We Help with BEHS 220

Send the prompt, rubric, readings and any feedback. A social science writer can prepare a custom essay or case analysis, explain concepts, or edit your draft for evidence, clarity and respectful language. Personal reflections should describe your own experience, so we help with structure and analysis rather than inventing content.

GradeEssays is independent of the University of Maryland Global Campus. Our work is a study aid to use under UMGC's academic integrity policy. Every order is written from scratch, includes free revisions within the scope of your original request, and is refunded in full if it is late.