Opening its curriculum to diversity, GHC has created a new Latino Literature class for Spring 2017 at the Cartersville campus.

A growing area of interest among the student body, this course offers a look into Hispanic culture and literature, without requiring knowledge of the Spanish language.

Future plans are for this class to become established across all campuses and become a regular choice to fill the Area C literature requirement.

Instructor Jessica Lindberg said her class will follow GHC’s mission statement to “encourage inclusiveness” by studying literature that discusses the ideas and issues of Latino society.

According to Lindberg, lessons will discuss “what it means to be a Latino writer, and how writers from different regions contribute in different ways.”

Her goal is to bring increased awareness of “diverse cultural perspectives” as a fundamental part of college education.

Dean of Humanities Jon Hershey expresses the need for this class as part of increasing globalization. Americans are surrounded by different cultures, and being able to experience other perspectives promotes empathy among peers, according to Hershey.

Hershey said, “Having more options allows for students to explore their own interests.” As this course was student-requested, it shows that more and more people are recognizing the need for representation of Latino society in mainstream education.