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

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.