Difference and diversity at the University of Western Sydney

Early childhood education does not exist in isolation from the broader world. The political, social and economic reality that shapes Australian life has a powerful influence on the ways in which curriculum, pedagogy and policy are constructed. At the University of Western Sydney, in accordance with the university's goals and commitments to equity and social justice, there has been long-standing provision of undergraduate study that attempts to acknowledge Australia's diversity found in the rich reservoir of cultural, social and economic capital produced in many of the communities residing in Greater Western Sydney. This paper highlights three strands of study in the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) programme in the School of Education and Early Childhood Studies: Diversity and difference 1: Languages, families and cultures, Diversity and difference 2: Understanding the "self" in socio-cultural contexts and Collaborative relationships. Incorporating various poststructural theoretical perspectives as conceptual tools, these subjects aim to increase undergraduates' awareness of how diversity and difference impact on children and adults in different social fields, including early childhood education.