The Utilization of Simulations in Multicultural Education.

It is critical that colleges and universities play a leading role in preparing students to function effectively in the more pluralistic society that is developing. This task can be accomplished by updating curriculum to be more responsive to diversity issues. One such effort to infuse multiculturalism into theory and practice in the counseling pedagogy is a graduate-level course at Millersville University (Pennsylvania), "Multicultural Counseling." In implementing this course, it became apparent that students were able to comprehend and absorb the underlying theory, but that they had difficulty grasping many issues associated with race relations and cultural differences. To enhance student understanding, simulations were introduced to encourage students to examine their own perspectives. One simulation was the BAFA BAFA simulation, an experience in cross-cultural immersion, and another was the Drawbridge exercise, which allows the student to journey in a previous time period to explore issues of race, victim blaming, and individual responsibility. The use of simulations was found to be an excellent technique to stimulate dialogue and thinking about cultural differences and multiculturalism. (Contains 18 references.) (SLD)