WGSS 120D: Why Diversity Matters
A new course offering as of fall 2018.
This course is an interdisciplinary examination of the ways that social diversity can be important and valuable to a variety of institutional and professional contexts as well as obstacles to, and potential strategies for, increasing diversity within communities.
Offered: Annually
Credits: 3.0
Core: (D) Diversity
More in-depth course description:
As the result of changing demographics and globalization, many of us will have an
increasing number of encounters with people of diverse cultures, races, genders, sexualities,
religions, socio-economic classes, and political orientations (just to name a few).
The understanding and skills we bring to navigate these encounters and engage with
those who are different will be crucial the success of such interactions. How do our
social differences shape our identities and how can diversity be valuable? How might
our own individual perspectives be limited, and what can we learn from being a part
of a diverse group? Is diversity, in fact, valuable or beneficial to particular institutions
and endeavors? What are the obstacles to achieving diversity in communities and workplaces,
and how might these be addressed? This course uses interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary
approaches to pursue these questions. We will examine how social differences can influence
experiences, evidence, knowledge, opportunities, and values in ways that may make
diversity important and in a wide variety of fields, including science, engineering,
education, business, and medicine.
The course is organized around 4 modules. The first, Diversity Basics, provides an
introduction to basic research and vocabulary regarding diversity as we ask the question
– what is diversity good for? In the second module, Diversity Matters in Professions,
we take stock of current challenges and opportunities regarding diversity in science,
technology, engineering, and math (STEM disciplines), as well as medicine, education,
and business. Despite historical gains, certain fields still lack diversity (such
as physics, chemistry, and engineering) and there is less diversity among those in
higher ranks and positions of leadership. Is this a problem and, if so, why? As one
example, we’ll look at research around the so-called “leaky pipeline,” a metaphor
often used to describe how women drop out of STEM fields at all stages of their careers.
In the third module, Diversity, Inclusiveness, and Social Justice Challenges, we will
look at several challenges to inclusivity and social justice. Specifically, we will
examine racism, classism, ageism, religious oppression, sexism, heterosexism, transgender
oppression, and ableism. We conclude the course with a module on current opportunities
and challenges facing those who do diversity work, particularly in the context shifting
global demographics.
This course aims to cultivate students’ ability to engage in critical and theoretical
thinking – particularly about why diversity is important – both to society but also
in their own lives. The goal of the course is not only conceptual or theoretical;
we hope to cultivate empathy in students and enhance their ability to understand the
limited nature of individual experiences and the value of the lived experiences of
those who may be different.