This course introduces anthropological theories of culture and multiculturalism and the method of ethnography as these apply to understanding diversity in contemporary life.  After learning the basic concepts through reading key texts and writing response papers, students will apply the concepts by (1) writing an ethnic autobiography; (2) critiquing a film or novel with a multicultural theme; and (3) conducting a mini-ethnography of a multicultural site of their choice.  These projects are designed to encourage students to reflect on the meaning of multiculturalism from three different angles: personal experience, media representation, and participant observation of diversity in a multicultural site (which could be at Penn).  The goal is to learn about the role and the impacts of diversity in the US vis-à-vis constitutionally guaranteed rights to liberty, equality, and democratic justice.