"A racially and ethnically diverse university student body has far-ranging and significant benefits for all students, non-minorities and minorities alike." Gurin, P. 1999, Expert Report of Patricia Gurin: Summary and Conclusions, Regents of the University of Michigan, Michigan. link

A course in MIT’s program in Foreign Languages and Literatures, Communicating Across Cultures, focuses specifically on the ways in which cultural values, beliefs, and norms impact the communication practices of people from around the world.  Students from many backgrounds typically take the course, so that it  become a living laboratory for observing, talking about, and practicing cross-cultural communication skills.  Assignments ask students to reflect on how their ethnic roots have influenced their worldviews, and thus, their communication styles.  Students are assigned to diverse teams to work on a report and presentation throughout the semester.  Link