2. 1. How does multiculturalism inform our ideas of tolerance, colorblindness, and post-
identity? The best responses will address social justice pedagogies and, at least, two
aspects of identity that we have discussed in this course. The very best answers will
draw on class lectures, course readings, class discussions, class activities, cultural
events, and community service experiences.
Nowadays, a mixture of people, languages and cultures reaches extremely huge scales.
Today international contacts cover all spheres of political, economic and public life, and
also science, culture and education areas. All of these are a result of globalization
process of the modern world which dictates a necessity for establishment and
strengthening of international relations. However, now there is a serious problem of
education of tolerance to foreign cultures, interest and respect for them. It caused a
general attention to questions of cross-cultural communication.
Today, people feel that the world is closer and more available than it used to be, but at
the same time, it became more unstable. Moreover, we unconsciously establish new
relations as if we want to weave a safety network around. The wide range of relations is
capable to satisfy almost all our requirements: emotional, social, and professional.
Childhood friends, colleagues, family doctors, neighbors, and also new acquaintances,
3. who have the same interests and hobbies, often become very important people.
However, one day each of us could feel sharply that these contacts do not “hold” us.
Due to this, some people even “fall” in loneliness in spite of the fact that they are
surrounded by a crowd. Such a situation is connected with the fact that people become
less involved in the ties that they create. Therefore, the sphere of significant and
confidential communication is narrowed. The more our contacts are multiplied, the less
we devote ourselves to these people. Strong interpersonal ties demand trust and
sincerity from us. These are relatives or friends, to whom we are grateful for the only
fact that they are next to us. Every day people are compelled to cooperate with others.
A sense of this cooperation consists in the fact that any person has different sides of
character, and this means that by supplementing each other, we are able to reach
something inaccessible for a person. However, contradictions between people are
inevitable, and for this reason we have to look for compromises. Rudyard Kipling in his
poem “If” wrote that …