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The Director - Mission Statement
- Website:
caps-webmaster@ucdavis.edu - Appointments:
caps-reception@ucdavis.edu - For other contacts
Mental health staff available 24/7
by phone:
(530) 752-0871
The Multicultural Immersion Program (MIP) is an intensive educational experience made possible through a partnership between Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and the Department of Sociology. MIP is based on didactic, experiential, and social justice models of learning, in which students engage in coursework, ongoing dialogue, and campus and community programming, that focus on wellness, race relations, intercultural communication, and the appreciation and promotion of cultural pluralism, as well as the connection between oppression and mental health. Students take a two-quarter course sequence (Sociology 30A and 30B) taught by faculty in the department of Sociology. Students may apply for the MIP Internship, a yearlong paid position that focuses on developing and implementing workshops that address intercultural relations on campus and in the greater Davis community.
Are you interested in:
- Building leadership skills?
- Learning how to prepare and present a workshop?
- Building community through social justice?
- Advocating for marginalized groups?
- Promoting better mental health and wellness?
Then, the Multicultural Immersion Program internship is for you! Get paid to educate the campus community on wellness and multiculturalism.
MIP interns design, coordinate and implement workshops to educate other students and campus community members about fostering wellness in diverse communities. Work with a culturally diverse team, learn facilitation skills and promote awareness and sensitivity to race, ethnicity, culture, sexuality, gender, religious and disability issues, among others.
Application Materials:
Please note: You must have taken two multicultural courses focused on disparities among various groups. Students who have taken Sociology 30A or B will be given priority.
Requirements if you are hired:
- Participate in a training class (EDU 160A) during Spring 2010, (Thursdays, 10-11.50AM)
- Commit to the position, starting fall 2010 through spring 2011.
- During the year, participate in a weekly class on Wednesdays, from 2:10 - 4:00 PM, and a weekly one-hour team meeting (TBA).
For more information, please feel free to contact:
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Sheetal Shah (srshah@ucdavis.edu, (530) 752-0871 x 53)
Tameka Jackson (trjackson@ucdavis.edu, (530) 752-0871 x 31)
Natacha Foo Kune (mip@ucdavis.edu, (530) 752-0871 x 24) or
The Multicultural Immersion Program (MIP) is an intensive educational experience that began in the fall of 1996 with a two-year grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The program is in its ninth year of operation and is currently made possible through a partnership between Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and the Department of Sociology with funding from Student Affairs and Academic Affairs.
MIP is based on didactic, experiential, and social justice models of learning, in which students engage in coursework, ongoing dialogue, and campus and community programming, that focus on race relations, intercultural communication, and the appreciation and promotion of cultural pluralism and unity.
Students interested in MIP complete a two-quarter course sequence (Sociology 30A and 30B) taught by faculty in the department of Sociology. Students may apply for the MIP Internship, a yearlong paid position that focuses on developing and implementing workshops that address wellness and multiculturalism on campus and in the greater Davis community.
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How does oppression impact emotional wellness?
- Racial profiling can have drastic effects on physical safety &/or emotional health for people of color when others
- Similarly, hate crimes, or crimes motivated by prejudice, can trigger significant anxiety or fears for safety by groups who are more often targeted, such as people whose appearance may not meet traditional gender norms (eg. male or female) or people of color.
- People with disabilities may face repeated messages that they are unable to provide for themselves or are in some way weak.
- Oppression can impact self-esteem and expectations for oneself; for example, if teachers think of African-American or Latino students as less smart and treat them accordingly, this may shape negative self-beliefs for these students and thus negatively impact their performance.
- Perpetual foreigner stereotype in which groups such as Asian-Americans or Chicano/Latino-Americans are assumed to be immigrants to the US; this may lead to feelings of isolation or not belonging.
- Acts of oppression impact emotions directly, such as triggering anger, sadness, frustration; chronic experiences of racism, homophobia, etc. can build these emotions further over time. At times, this can even lead to a feeling of hopelessness and/or suicidal ideation.
- Intergenerational conflict; for example, parents may want their child to have a career in medicine because of all the sacrifices they made for the family and the discrimination they faced, but this may lead to difficulties if the child wants to pursue another career.
- While more obvious acts of prejudice can be painful, more subtle forms of oppression can also trigger second-guessing about whether a particular act was related to racism, sexism, ableism, etc. This takes time and energy.
- Pressure to be a super-advocate for your community and work extra hard in order to fight oppression experienced (eg. difficulty balancing many responsibilities, trouble saying no, finding little time for oneself).
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Here are some examples:
Link to download a PDF of the flyer
- Visit the Cross-Cultural Center, LGBT Resource Center, or Womenís Resources & Research Center
- Take Ethnic Studies, Women & Gender Studies, Cultural Studies courses or Sociology 30 A/B series to expand your multicultural knowledge
- Volunteer for an anti-oppression cause on-campus or nationally
- Self-reflect: Think about stereotypes that you knowÖDo your actions support them?
- When you feel judgmental towards someone, try to put yourself in their shoes
- Request a Multicultural Immersion Program workshop for a student group that you are a part of
- Consider the ìdiversity profileî of your friendships; how do you feel like it reflects you/where you are?
- When someone makes a prejudiced comment: Speak up! Ask what they mean and encourage them to put themselves in the other personís shoes
- Take a ìHidden Biasesî quiz at www.tolerance.org to better understand your own prejudices
- Imagine what your life might be like if you were a person of another race/ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation
- Read books with multicultural themes or do research to learn about cultures other than your own
- Write Letters to the Editor of the Aggie or other newspaper when you see oppression in action
- Apply to become a Multicultural Immersion Program Intern!
Link to download a PDF of the flyer
The objective of enhancing intercultural awareness, improving campus climate and citizenry across diverse campus populations is being met by the extensive efforts of the MIP. The positive impact of MIP is evident in the establishment of MIP classes as “permanent courses” that fulfill the general education requirement for diversity and in the ongoing support of MIP by the offices of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs. Continued feedback from the campus community, the MIP students and evaluations from participants in our workshops clearly show that our students are well trained as effective workshop facilitators and student leaders. In addition, evaluations indicate that the workshops have had a positive impact on improving race relations and enhancing cultural awareness in the campus community. In the words of Margaret Mead: “Do not doubt that a group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can make a difference. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
MIP interns develop and present workshops that aim to facilitate dialogue between and within different groups about wellness in our many cultures and addresses gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, physical ability, and religion among others. Students selected for the year-long internship receive a stipend and can earn up to 2 units of academic course credit per quarter as well as transcript notation.
Click below for a description of the courses offered.
Multicultural Immersion Program (MIP) Interns are a specially trained group of UCD undergraduate facilitators who develop and present free workshops that promote awareness and sensitivity to issues of wellness and diversity including race, ethnicity, culture, sexuality, gender, and religion.
Click below for a description of our wonderful staff and their areas of interest.
For more information about scheduling a workshop or for more information about MIP Internships, contact the MIP Program Coordinator at mip@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-0871.