M.A. Specialization: Bicultural Development
According to demographers people of color are fast becoming the largest collective segment of the U.S. population. This is certainly the case in Los Angeles and many other urban centers such as San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, New York, and Washington D.C. These cities and others have school districts where bicultural children comprise 75% of the students enrolled. Institutions wishing to meet the needs of a bicultural populace must be willing to alter their perceptions and, when necessary, their policies.
The Bicultural Development specialization is designed for those who work with bicultural children and/or adults. The program will build on the skills and experience of the students in the specialization to augment their training to effectively serve bicultural children and their families.
The Pacific Oaks philosophy of bicultural development incorporates a perspective that views children of color in the United States, regardless of the specific racial and ethnic orientation, as sharing a commonality of experience. The commonality of experience focuses on the fact that children of color are: 1) raised simultaneously in two distinct cultural systems which are often in conflict, and 2) subject to a different set of socioeconomic realities than those of mainstream children. As a result, these factors play a major role in the development of bicultural children and therefore must be understood by those who work in bicultural community settings.
Requirements:
1. Core classes (15 units required):
2. All of the following classes:
*Fieldwork in a bicultural setting is required.
*CBEST passage required.
OPTIONAL:
Advisors: Human Development Faculty
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