Making a Visual Argument: Diversity Posters

All these posters stand as evidence that the topic of diversity is a live one on college campuses today. Students, faculty, and administrators across the country are trying to figure out and to articulate what diversity is, why it matters, and how it should show up in college life, whether in dorms, in syllabi, or in images or photos of the campus. Some of these posters were clearly created as part of a campus competition; Western Washington University, for example, has a long history of such an annual contest. Others were created as part of a celebration commemorating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or some other campus event or exhibition. As you study these images, consider each as a definitional argument: which aspect(s) of diversity does it consider, and which does it ignore?