Cultural Competency and Social Equity in Public Affairs Programs

Abstract

Public administrators must prioritize cultural competency in order to responsibly meet the needs of all citizens and residents. This chapter discusses why cultural competency and social equity are important foundations of public affairs education. Critical opportunities to raise consciousness, provide counter-narratives, and engage diverse constituencies occur in public administration courses. Through an examination of four core courses – introduction to public administration, research methods, organization theory and behavior, and the capstone – the integration of cultural competency is discussed. The chapter concludes by underscoring the important role of leadership among public administration department chairs, program directors, administrators, and faculty in integrating cultural competency across the curriculum in order to prepare first-rate practitioners.