Learning Civic Identity Outside of the Classroom: Diversity and Campus Associational Life

Abstract

Cultivating an inclusive definition of citizenship is increasingly important to the maintenance of America's multicultural democracy. Yet, current college-level civic education and diversity interventions are incapable of fully addressing this problem. Hence, this comprehensive review of the literature on diversity and higher education suggests that political scientists—who are most likely to understand the pressing nature of this concern, as well as the role well-designed associational life might play in resolving it—address students' civic needs by renewing our interest in the on-campus equivalent of civil society. The article concludes with a recommendation for more empirical work to assess which specific features and activities of campus groups provide the most beneficial impact on students' civic identities.